The Empty Chair (blind) - hold until DL says to post

DOWN & DOWNER: What major American rock band—a former stadium act whose career has been spiraling southward for the last several cycles—is seeing its manager continually throw the band’s label under the bus over said progressive decline? The act’s previous big-option payment was drastically reduced before the release of its most recent album; look for an unproductive negotiation during the course of the next LP option and, eventually, free agency for the band, when the label deems the deal untenable. Management is already pushing for a self-release, a path likely to end in a disaster and the inevitable spawning of various solo careers—not to mention the unceremonious dumping of current management, leaving in their wake the proverbial empty chair. (6/26a)