The country megastar had a glittering career, with 25 number-one hits on Billboard’s Hot Country chart and 11 Grammy Awards. The most striking thing wasn’t how many people loved her, but how few didn’t

People had to respect Dolly Parton’s grit. The country megastar had a songwriting deal before she finished high school. Later she branched out into pop songs, films, business ventures, a theme park and a childrens’ charity Photo: Getty Images

After ditching his low-paying gig as a New York City kindergarten teacher to become one of the boroughs’ most in-demand male escorts — sexually servicing millionaires, mobsters and megastars alike — Sharay Hayes went from straphanger to Mercedes-Benz hoarder, amassing a fleet of $150,000 luxury cars to go with his 41-foot yacht and South Florida mansion. Watch here:

Live tours face a huge challenge this summer. Some artists are already changing their plans. And if global tensions continue, it could send ripple effects through the touring industry. -------- If you've ever been on tour you know that every dollar matters. Airline tickets. Petrol. Buying lunch on the road. How many t-shirts you sell. When those things get more expensive, it can tip the whole tour into the red. And it's starting to squeeze for artists already this year. --------- This week, we mapped out how geo-political tension can ripple through the music industry. Wave 1 - initial price shock • oil, energy, and agriculture price shock higher. • jet fuel price doubles. • airline tickets, petrol creep higher. Wave 2 - artist tour budget squeeze • spring and summer tours are mostly locked in, but they'll feel more expensive than budgeted once on the road. • festival fly-ins and last minute bookings are costly. • gas, petrol, van costs and per-diems are squeezed. • some small tours are cancelled or re-routed. Wave 3 - venue costs rise • energy and utility bills are more expensive to renew. • food and drink prices rise. • artists start to demand higher guarantees from venues. • fans begin to limit their discretionary spending (on tickets, travel, drinks, merch). • smaller venues get cut from the tour plans. Wave 4 - higher ticket prices and consolidation • baseline touring costs are now structurally higher. • ticket costs get hiked • more megastar artist residencies + "luxury" ticketing. • grassroots venues struggle + indie artists can't make it work. -------- Obvious disclaimer here I'm not a geopolitics expert and hopefully tensions ease soon. However, this is already impacting some artists, and it's useful to map out how this type of thing can send ripple effects through the industry.