People collect signatures for a variety of reasons, including fandom or potential practicality. Since their value frequently rises, some people consider autographs as a source of investment. In the modern world, collectors have simple means to connect with potential customers and make significant money from autographs.
The commercialization of the signature industry is largely acknowledged to be terrible. In a sense, it has made famous people into the public property with monetary value. Roger Waters, a member of Pink Floyd, voiced his discontent on this contentious topic in a 2012 interview with the Daily Telegraph.
According to the musician, he had ceased signing anything that would benefit the large industry that revolved around it. Waters especially mentioned eBay, a broad marketplace for successful sales. The bassist believes it is wrong for somebody to take a small portion of him and convert it into a significant financial gain. Roger Waters has thus been engaging in a boycott by declining to sign autographs since he became aware of the annoying effects of the massive industry.
Here are Roger Waters’ opinions on autographs:
“I don’t sign any guitars or scratch-plates or anything like that anymore. There’s a little sort of industry that’s about eBay. It’s about getting a little bit of you that they can sell to somebody who cares, and I find that ugly.”
The opposition to signatures, however, is not limited to Roger Waters. Ringo Starr, the drummer for the Beatles, similarly said in 2008 that he had ceased autograph-signing. Paul McCartney, the other Beatle, was another well-known figure who objected to signing documents because he thought the procedure was a little odd.