Rule #8036

More in the life in the music business series:

after recording and promoting two albums, Semisonic had accumulated millions of dollars of debt, an amount from which mere platinum sales couldn't begin to extricate the group.
(...)
Initially, he is scared and alienated by the road. At the group's first McDonald's stop on its first tour, Slichter is surprised to find his bandmates and their sound man sitting at three separate tables eating in silence. He later asks Dan:

'' 'Dan, do you find the road to be an emotionally cold place?'

'' 'Yes.'

'' 'What do you do about that?'

''Without lifting his eyes from the page, he spoke. 'Eventually, you'll grow to enjoy that coldness and learn to crave it.' ''
(...)
Not many newly signed musicians seem to remember that, from their artist royalties, they are going to have to pay back every penny the label is spending on them, right down to the lunch tabs ostensibly picked up by the local reps.

''I always thanked the locals for lunch, and then one day it occurred to me. . . .

'' 'Dwayne, that's a corporate Amex, right?'

'' 'Yeah.'

'' 'And you write ''Semisonic'' on the credit card slip, and that gets billed to our recoupable account, right?'

'' 'Yeah.'

'' 'So really, shouldn't you be thanking us for lunch?' ''