360 Hits Out At “$1,000 Selfie” Headlines

Rapper 360 has responded to criticism over VIP ticket package deals offered as part of his recently announced Australian tour, levelling his sights on the media’s reaction to the Utopia package which is valued at $1,000 and includes, among other things, a selfie with the star.

Things came to a head this morning when the situation was addressed on breakfast TV show Sunrise. During a segment emblazoned with the title “$1,000 for a selfie!”, host Andrew O’Keefe — after referring to 360 as an “Australian raptor” — asked three panellists whether they would pay $1,000 for a selfie.

While media personalities Shelly Horton and Sarah Wilson were somewhat conciliatory, Olympian Elka Whalan was unimpressed. “Where’s the humility, where’s humbleness?” Whalan said. “Say ‘sure’ and don’t charge them anything.”

O’Keefe was quick to jump to Sixty’s defence, reminding everyone of proper celeb selfie protocol. “If they approach you on the street, yeah, maybe,” he said, “But if they’re coming to your concert, they’re not going to get to meet you otherwise.” You can watch the segment from about 5:30 below.

Media and punters alike seem to be focusing more on the inclusion of a selfie with the musician in the packages, because how dare he add bells and whistles to these forward thinking packages. How dare he. Sixty is perplexed as the rest of us, reminding everyone via Facebook that this is simply a bonus and that photos with him are still free. “It’s not at all about ‘charging people for selfies'”, he claimed. “I actually love getting photos with fans.”

He explained that he and his camp aren’t holding a gun to anyone’s head to purchase a package but are “selling an experience” which was until now categorised as money-can’t-buy.

“I’ve seen artists use packages like these before where all the ticket does it get u a certain area in the venue,” he said, “But this they get a chance to take a picture with me, get a pair of limited edition headphones and actually experience what it’s actually like from MY perspective as a performer rather than just a normal punter in general admin. Most artists don’t let ANYONE watch their set from side of stage because it’s a total different experience.”

In a now-deleted Facebook post (below), he thanked O’Keefe for coming to his defence over “dumb ass” Whalan’s “ramble”, later joking, “Gonna start Invoicing people $1k for all selfies taken in the past”.

From an economic standpoint, the packages seem to at least be of some value. The rapper points out that “the headline says ‘360 charges $1000 a selfie'” but doesn’t include “the other amazing things the entire package gets you”. The $1,000 Utopia package includes gig tickets, side of stage seats, soundcheck access, 360 x Sol Republic Custom ‘Utopia’ Headphones ($200 RRP), and a Utopia vinyl ($50 RRP).

Fortunately, the majority of folks seem to have approached the situation with a bit of common sense, though let’s hope the few bad apples don’t discourage other artists from thinking outside the box with their tour and album packages.

Watch: Andrew’s Angels On $1000 Selfie