Libera Dreams

This is such a fascinating discussion that took place between The administrator of AV Yahoo Group 'Craig' and the chairman of Libera 'Steven Philipp' after the Chicago concert. Craig has kindly made public the contents of that discussion on AV. So I hope he doesn't mind it being submitted here. I feel this forum could well fall under the bracket of 'other sites' Mr Philipp referred to.

I'll just copy and paste from the post directly;

Conversation with Steven Philipp, Libera Chairman, July 31, 2011


This is a long one so if you reply please cut out all but what you want to
comment on.

I had the great honor of spending quite a bit of time with Steven Philipp,
Libera Chairman. I introduced myself and told him I was the new Owner of the
Angelvoices yahoogroup. Although he didn't claim to be personally familiar
with it he definitely knew of it and some of his comments lead me to believe
someone is informing him of certain things that come up. It was clear he had
many messages he wanted to send through me. With very little prompting from
me, he talked about many subjects of interest to us fans.

Steven actually skipped a ride to the hotel on the boys' tour bus to talk to
me more. I felt guilty making him miss the bus but he told them to go on
without him. He said to me, "Don't worry about this. This is what I do. I
take care of the administrative duties so Robert can focus on the music.
This is important." As it turns out, the caretakers of the venue had all
gone home so he ended up needing to do lockup too.

So let's start at the beginning. After the show, several of us fans hung
around to chat in the sauna - I mean Chapel (it was hot in there!) and
eventually went outside to line the walkway from the Chapel to Libera's tour
bus to give them a sendoff. There were probably 30-40 folks. After a long
while, many were getting concerned that Libera may be waiting us out, hoping
we would leave so they could go to their bus without dealing with us.
Several did leave thinking we were an obstruction to the boys getting to
their beds. Many didn't think the Libera folks would say anything - just
stand around and wait us out to avoid the conflict.

After a while longer I had to know. I went into the church to find several
crew members talking to Steven Philipp. I went up to talk to him.

I'll put a C: for Craig and a SP: for Steven Philipp to delineate who is
talking. My comments out of quote will be in brackets [].

C: Excuse me, are we causing a problem being out here? We just wanted to
see the boys off but if we are in the way, we can leave. [SP's facial
expressions were one of shock]

SP: Heaven's no! If you are causing any kind of issue we will tell you.

C: Will you? We weren't sure you would. [Around this time another fan came
in to reinforce that what I am saying is what people are thinking out there.
SP's mouth is slightly open, aghast as to what he was hearing].

SP: Believe me we would! We appreciate your interest and think it is nice
you would want to see them off. Thank you so much for coming in and asking!
There are so many folks that come up with wild ideas about what we think. I
appreciate your talking to me so we could clarify. [This is where I
introduced myself]

SP: What you and the others need to understand is after a concert, they get
dressed, wind down a bit, and then we feed them a full meal (not just a
snack) so it will be a while before they come out.

SP: I want you and the other sites to know how much we appreciate what you
do. For the most part you folks have been tremendously supportive. There are
a lot of things you can say on these sites that we can't for fear of it
coming across wrong.

SP: ..but these crazy misconceptions people get, like with the meet and
greets..

[From here on I will group these comments by subject. They will not be
chronological but in order of what I think you would be most interested in
with the most interesting being first. As you can see, he got back to the
misconceptions and tried to touch each issue he could think of to clarify.]



LIBERA FANS:

SP: [Strong emphasis on these first two sentences] We are very, very
appreciative of our audience. We are well aware that none of this would be
possible without the many fans around the world that support us.

However, people must understand that any relationship must be at arm's
length. There are fans that have let their fanship become an obsession.
Quite honestly, we don't know how to deal with that. There have been
incidents at our church..[I don't remember the rest of this but there were
no details given on the incidents. However I could see it was a tough
subject for him and he quickly found another one to talk about].


MEET AND GREETS:

SP: There is a great misconception in the fan base about these meet and
greets. What people need to understand is that there are many forces we are
up against. The incident in Norway is of prime interest right now.

C: So you have 28 nervous parents in England right now.

SP: Exactly. [He continued to talk about the horror of the incident] You
must understand that nothing we do in Libera goes ahead of the health and
safety of the boys. That is of prime importance no matter what. [All of us
fans are glad to hear that. We care about them too! I wish I was quick
enough to say that to him but I wasn't.]

SP: Also, English law limits how much public face time the boys can have in
a day and we are still bound by that over here.

C: Last year at Nashville the boys performed at all 3 services in the
morning, then did a full show and an autograph session afterwards.

SP: Yes and we took a LOT of flak for that.

SP: Also, we don't have our own security. As you can see from this concert,
there was no security provided so a M&G is not an option. In St. Louis that
is being provided so it becomes an option.

C: So you think you will have one at St Louis?

SP: Conditions are looking quite favorable for that to occur, but we'll see.
We would like to have one, yes. [This statement is why I put out the post
this morning].

SP: Of course insurance considerations become an issue at times. Also there
must be a suitable location to do it. This facility (Rockefeller Center,
Chicago) has no place to even do one.

[He may have had a few more forces but I just don't remember more. The
important thing here is that nothing he said had anything to do with what
country or city they were in or who was in attendance. It is more about when
those "forces" he mentions can be appeased.]

C: Can I share this information?

SP: [Looking a little surprised at the question] Absolutely, yes, please do!


ROYALTIES:

SP: [First sentence said with some drama to indicate the absurdity of it]
There seems to be a misconception that we make loads of money off of the
sales of many thousands of albums. We don't. How it works is we don't get a
penny until EMI recovers their investment into the album. For nearly all our
albums (maybe a couple of real old albums are exceptions) none of our albums
have reached that threshold. As a result, we get next to nothing in
royalties.

Unfortunately, the idea that we were making big royalties hurt us at last
year's US tour. We did those shows for donations and no one donated because
of this [he is exaggerating here. I saw the baskets of collections at the
Nashville show and they were quite full but it is likely it was not enough
to cover expenses]. That left a big hole [his way of saying they took a big
financial loss].


2011 CHRISTMAS ALBUM:

SP: We are quite excited about this Christmas album! It will be nothing like
Angel Voices 3. We realize the fans don't just want the boys singing
Christmas carols, they want something "Liberaesque." This will be a very
Liberaesque album. I think the fans will be quite pleased with it.

C: Will there be another original album in 2012? [He didn't directly answer
the question. He just pointed back to the 2011 Christmas Album. I didn't
figure he would but I had to try.]


EMI AND THE RELEASE DATES:


SP: EMI is a good label to have as recording companies go. They actually are
one of the best - but unfortunately they are in a bit of a financial crunch
right now. EMI used to front us the money [he specifically mentioned $50k
for air fare] for tours which we would pay back with the tour income. They
don't do that anymore so we have to find a way to front it ourselves.

SP: EMI-USA has some really good creative people who have done a lot to try
to promote us. [I mentioned they recently joined AV. He looked impressed.]

SP: EMI-USA, EMI-UK, EMI-Philippines, etc all act independently, not as a
unit. So each branch determines when release dates are appropriate for their
country. Libera has no say or control in any of this. Release dates are all
the individual EMI offices' responsibility.


MOODY CHURCH:

SP: Moody church was a great opportunity. They rarely have guest musical
acts because they have such rich [meaning substantial] musical talent
already in their own church. Also, they almost never give standing ovations
and we got one today! [said very proudly].


US TOUR BEING ANNOUNCED LATE:

SP: We were supposed to go to China this summer but in the spring they
backed out. It was to be a full tour. We don't know why, they just did. We
then turned our attention to coming back to the US and quickly tried to get
a tour together. Had we known we were going to the US this summer all that
time planning China would have gone to the US. That lost us a lot of time.

SP: As of three weeks ago it looked like the US tour would get cancelled too
because of visa issues. [They all need Performer Visas to get into the US
which all together typically costs them $15,000US]. We got the paperwork in
as soon as we could but apparently not soon enough. You have to remember
that we can't even buy airline tickets or commit funds at all until we know
we have visas.

SP: Three weeks ago there was a very difficult Trustees meeting where the
decision was made that if the visas didn't come in by the end of that day,
the tour would be cancelled [he didn't say but my guess is the air fares
will go up after that which is probably why they took that stand]. I called
the visa place to plead my case and try to get them to release them that
day. I was told point blank there was no way at all that would happen. I
mentioned that the Starkey Foundation would be disappointed because we were
invited to perform there for former President Bill Clinton. The visas were
approved within the hour and the tour was saved.


THE MINISTRY:

C: I need to tell you a story. Today at the concert I sat by a man that
hadn't been to church in 22 years but did so this morning at Moody because
he wanted to see Libera. Steven, that's powerful!

SP: I really appreciate you sharing that story because we all put in a lot
of work on this because we believe in the power of this ministry. All of us
- including Robert Prizeman - have day jobs but we dedicate ourselves, and
so do the boys, because we believe in the music and want to share it as much
as we can. That is why we don't mind so much a night like tonight where we
clearly are not going to meet our expenses [prior to the concert 316 tickets
were sold and I would estimate another 50 may have walked in].

[I don't remember this whole conversation but I do remember noting that he
referred to Libera as a ministry at least 3 times.]



THE PARADE:

[At one point early in our conversation, the boys started to file past us.
The younger ones went out first. I complemented them as they passed by. A
few said thank you but most kept walking. Then the older boys came who I
could make eye contact with. I complemented them en masse but would say
something in particular to anyone whose eyes met mine. They all thanked me
and seem genuinely appreciative.

That is one thing that strikes me about these kids and I noticed it last
year also. They don't appear to have let this get their ego out of control.
I'm sure if we knew some of them they would have normal teenage egos -
meaning over the top - but they could have ignored me and they didn't. They
smiled and thanked me and seemed genuine about it. They just seem like
really nice kids.]



TOUR PLANS AND HOW THEY HAPPEN:

SP: There were plans in the past to see other parts of the US but we rely on
local coordinators to assist in many of the details. Unfortunately, it has
happened where we would work with a person only to find out their enthusiasm
wasn't as it first appeared so we don't get far in those cases.

C: I live in Connecticut and it would be great to see you back there again.

SP: Oh, we would love to get back to New England!

C: There is an old auditorium in Lowell Mass, on the outskirts of Boston,
where I saw the Vienna Boy's Choir draw 2000+ folks. They were sponsored by
a local arts foundation of some sort.

SP: We'd love to hook up with someone like that but we find they often book
2-3 years in advance. We just can't commit ourselves that far ahead. We try
not to do too much beyond 6 months ahead. Remember that this is a volunteer
organization that relies on people continuing to volunteer, including the
boys.

[I tell this hometown plug story for a couple of reasons. One, there is
obviously not an attitude about going back to the same place as was once
suspected. Also the degree to which they rely on us to help with these tours
is apparent. Having talked to some of these coordinators, they do a lot. The
other thing is the short term commitment comment which I found a little
surprising.]

[Separately, he mentioned the difficulty sometimes getting venues. Some
churches think they are not classical enough and take a snobby approach.
Others say they don't have enough of a rock beat to them for them to be
wanted at their place.]


NO COSTS FOR THE LIBERA BOYS:

[I don't remember which conversation this comment was part of I just
remember him saying it with some passion so I'll just give it it's own
section]

SP: We don't charge the boys anything. There are no fees, the parents aren't
charged anything and they don't pay for these tours at all. It is all
managed to be free for them.

[Now that I typed it I think it was part of the ministry discussion. The
implication being that this is a ministry for the boys too.]


A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHOIR INSTRUCTION:

C: I was told today by someone at the show that one thing that impresses him
about Libera is how the boys appear to get treated. He told me that he has
watched some other well known international boy's choirs where the Director
is quite gruff with the boys. He will belittle them and get in their face.
We don't see evidence of that in Libera and we did watch your sound check
and warm up today. It looks like there is a lot of mutual respect and the
boys seem to enjoy what they are doing.

SP: You are right and that type of rough Director is common in England also
- even in the schools. They can be very rough on the kids. We have some
experience with that. This is one reason why my son is with this group.


EOGHAN:

Pronounced "Owen"

All AV Members: If you are so inclined, please keep all Libera members -
adult and youth - in your prayers while they continue to tour overseas. May
this tour give them many new fans and many happy memories!

Craig

Wow - so a lot to go off from that.

Summer tour to China was in the advanced stages before it got called off, I wonder who he meant when he referred to 'they' pulled out. Would that have been the chinese authorities? The US tour nearly got cancelled ...but loved the ingenious way Mr Philipp dropped in about the Starkey Awards and linked former president Clinton to resolve that little matter

I'd like to know how much sales of Albums/CD's basically everything sold under the EMI label by Libera has generated, because it seems to me their threshold could be set too high, if they are still not in a position to pass some of this revenue onto Libera after all this time. Mind you as the member mentions, EMI are not in the best financial situation at present...but still...nothing at all??

Obviously security is the biggest obstacle in the way of 'meet and greets', aswell as laws restriction the hours young children can perform publically.

Thanks for bringing this here, Jimmy.

I am very pleased with the conversation and the information Mr. Philipp shared with, well, us
Esp. about the meet & greets and how and why decisions are made. This should clear any doubts and relieve any disappointments, past or future.

Btw That was one heck of a heroic act to pull of him to get those visas Phew! Lucky for us - we should be thankful for Starkey to invite Bill Clinton!

A lot of points to raise and it's late already but I just want to say that this conversation left me with a great feeling of happiness. There is a real commitment to Libera, despite all the difficulties involved, and a recognition of the role of the fanbase in that. It gave me a feeling of being 'together in this'

Please pass on our thanks to Craig. This interview should go a long way to clearing up any misconceptions. It is important for everyone concerned to have a good relationship. I hope that there is also a way to extend our gratitude to Mr. Philipp as well. We all appreciate the work done by Libera and all those who give their time to make things run as well as possible, both on tour and in the recording studio.

Wow - that was really informative! Thanks to Jimmy, Craig and Mr.Philipp !

One tour was cancelled and the other nearly cancelled- who could imagine ?! (I'd say it takes quite an effort and patience to deal with).

''I want you and the other sites to know how much we appreciate what you
do. For the most part you folks have been tremendously supportive''
Good to hear the kind words about the fans

I think one can find a few indirect answers as well- I mean when a bunch of fans wanted to see the boys off- of course it's nice (who could deny that?) but... they had to go out without security guards (as it was mentioned they didn't have any security for the concert) and some of them as small as 7 ... Hmm, I think the sensitivity of this particular moment is very clear now.

Regarding the ministry- before I discovered Libera's music, you could find me in a church basically if my friends or relatives were getting married or it was like a 'must see' for a tourist...

Regarding the new Christmas album - ''This will be a very Liberaesque album''- that's a real treat !

And the reference to Clinton- it's not too bad to have such a thing

Many thanks to Mr. Philipp and Craig for that very interesting interview

and thank you Jimmy to report it here

What an awesome "interview"!! If I see Mr Philipp in Frisco and/or Houston I'll have to get the courage to talk to him and just say a quick thank you for giving us so many answers. I'm more grateful than ever that Libera is returning to an area so close to me when they performed here at a loss last year.

What a great interview. It's very nice to know that the fan base is appreciated. It does clear up some misconceptions, and it's nice to know their official stance.

I really wish I could have talked to him more before the concert. I felt bad taking too much of his time. He seems like a very interesting person to talk with.
Tim

Malibu wrote:It's very nice to know that the fan base is appreciated.

I agree Tim, it's very nice

Reading the programme while waiting for the first concert, I was surprised and pleased to read a line on page 5, in the "Libera wishes to thanks" paragraph :
"The volunteers, supporters and fans who help to make our tours known."

That was very informative. It makes me wonder though, if Libera isn't earning money from CD sales and isn't receiving support from sponsors, how are they affording these tours? Surely the venues aren't big enough to pay their costs.

Even though they say it's at no cost to the boys, perhaps families that are able do contribute financially. Mere speculation of course, as the costs to travel abroad as often as they do with a group that size are astronomical. It actually makes me pretty sad that they aren't making money off the CDs. It's sad to see that EMI gets all the money (sorry EMI that reads this, I know you guys need money too). I would think the artist should get SOMETHING even before record label gets to the break even point. There's a reason my bank account is nearly empty though, I'm not blessed with any financial sense whatsoever..I'll admit that!.

Wow, great interview! I am amazed at the financial information given also, and a bit saddened as well. It makes me want to do more to support Libera, and get the word out about them. I'm even happier about getting to see them on tour in Minnesota too, considering that the entire thing almost didn't happen!

Overall, just a great interview and source of information. Thanks for passing it on, and I've gotta say that Mr. Philipp sure seems like a nice guy. Is Libera just the perfect group or what?

First my apologies for my English. It is not my mother language.

Witn intrest did I read de "interview" with mr. Philipp. He did answer a lot of questions that Libera-fans where asking for. Mr. Philipp is quite right, that some, not many, of the fans get a obsession for Libera. When I read the comments on a few of the sites and blogs that are dedicated to Libera, I get the feeling that a obssesion of Libera is taking over, instead of admiration for Libera.

Mr. Philipps pointed also out the the safety of the boys is the greatest priority for Libera. Parents of the boys put their sons in the safe hands of Libera and that responsebility takes the Libera management very serious. Fans of Libera mus understand that. One incident can spoil a lot for a long time.

As far as I know, royalties are paid to the composer(s), writer(s) of the lyrics and performing artists. But as the performing artists, libera, are under-aged, I dont know if there are any royalties for that purpose is paid. I think that the contract with EMi and Libera is rather one-sided, if there is a contract.

One thing that we all must realise is that Libera is not that well known in the world. CD sales of Libera are only sold in a few countries in the world. I live in the North of Thailand and never saw a CD of libera in shops. Not even in Bangkok. To get a profit from those sales is very difficult.

Mr. Phillipp also mentioned that information put on the official website of Libera is scarse, because they are afraid of misunderstandings. Is it not possible that Craig or a other person, could intervieuw mr. Philipp on a regular basis? It could answer a lot of questions that Libera-fans have. It would clarify a lot of those questions, like in this intervieuw.

I wish to thank Craig for the good job he did, intervieuwing mr. Philipp.

Interesting thoughts everyone. It wasn't even a planned interview from what I read, so all the more impressive that craig remembered so much of the conversation. I wonder if he was taking notes like a journalist lol

Still intrigued about the reasons why a trip to China was cancelled. Now if they could tap into that market like they have in Japan. Wow - that would put a smile on EMI's marketing face.

Shame about the low turnout for Chicago, I would have thought the response they received at Moody Church may have enticed some of them to attend the evening concert. Financial times are difficult for everyone at the moment, so it's a shame that Libera are seeking financial support on the rebound of a world recession. I hope everything irons itself out, because if the stunning vocal group we all witnessed at the Moody Church cannot tour anymore it would be a sad state of affairs for all concerned.

P.S. I didn't know 'Eoghan' was pronounced as 'Owen' - I always thought it was pronounced like the Energy Company 'Eon' lol - glad that's been clarified!

hi jimmy

thanks for this I read it here first. there is a wealth of information contianed in that one conversation that will clear up a lot of points fans have made. And for the first time we get first hand the very real problems of organising Libera. All we can and must do is spread the word and support 'our boys' wheer and when we can.