The article goes into a lot of the more major factors. Which is economics, we're in an affordability crisis, and these artists are charging insane prices. The average ticket price this year being...
The article goes into a lot of the more major factors. Which is economics, we're in an affordability crisis, and these artists are charging insane prices. The average ticket price this year being almost 150 is insane. Most of these artists shouldn't be charging more than, I don't know, 70 bucks. I do find it interesting that instead of lowering the ticket prices, or changing to a smaller venue, they just cancel dates across the board instead. Seems defeatist.
Also a lot of these artists just aren't, like popular, or good, or haven't been doing good upkeep on their art. Zayn's album was kind of a flop, and after that initial boost when he left One Direction he's been mostly unpopular especially when you compare it to Harry Styles's success. Meghan Trainor has had maybe three big hits, and those were all like over ten years ago at this point. And Post Malone completely abandoned the artistic style that made him famous in favor of Country, and even had Jelly Roll tag onto the tour. So those are more artistic reasons why, but I'm sure if the crisis wasn't happening and/or their tickets were cheap they would be selling more.
I know some artists have the ability to set the pricing, but I was under the impression that most ticket sales for smaller bands go to the venue and ticket seller. The big payout for artists is...
I know some artists have the ability to set the pricing, but I was under the impression that most ticket sales for smaller bands go to the venue and ticket seller. The big payout for artists is the merch stand. Is that not the case?
I assumed that the monopoly and vertical integration of Ticketmaster was also a likely culprit of this huge spike. Is that not true?
When I worked at a mid-size venue ~10 years ago the artists generally arranged a price and were paid upfront, regardless of ticket sales, by the show promoter. This put most of the financial risk...
When I worked at a mid-size venue ~10 years ago the artists generally arranged a price and were paid upfront, regardless of ticket sales, by the show promoter. This put most of the financial risk on the promoter, as the real money maker for the venue is usually alcohol sales. But for these larger shows Ticketmaster is the promoter and the venue owner, so I assume they pay the artists some paltry amount and pocket the rest, often twice over as their tickets can only be resold on their own marketplace which they also take a cut of.
I just saw Gary Numan for $70 because I goofed up on timing and my only chance was a resold ticket, but I don't usually pay more than $50, except that one time I paid $500 for pit at a Nine Inch...
I just saw Gary Numan for $70 because I goofed up on timing and my only chance was a resold ticket, but I don't usually pay more than $50, except that one time I paid $500 for pit at a Nine Inch Nails show, which didn't seem too far off retail anyway.
Arena performers are ridiculously priced. People blame LiveNation and Ticketmaster but the venue I go to most was bought and their prices are the same, usually less than $50 for the ticket and parking. That NIN show was $80 for nosebleed and $50 for reserved parking ($75 day of, if you were there before it sold out, in Los Angeles).
Basically I'm agreeing that these big name pop stars seriously overestimate their value in a way that is out of touch with their fanbases.
I got to see The Marias for 60 bucks pretty close to the stage because I bought from a reseller the day of. Some people paid twice that for worse seats. So that varies for me. Kali Uchis is coming...
I got to see The Marias for 60 bucks pretty close to the stage because I bought from a reseller the day of. Some people paid twice that for worse seats. So that varies for me. Kali Uchis is coming here in a few weeks and I’ve been waiting to see if the reseller prices lower enough to make it worth it (I don’t like going to concerts if I’m way back and can only see them as a blur).
Sticker price on the ticket is $100. By the time all of the bonus charges are applied it is $180 per ticket. Parking is $20. A babysitter is at least $50. One beer each is another $20. All in for...
Sticker price on the ticket is $100. By the time all of the bonus charges are applied it is $180 per ticket. Parking is $20. A babysitter is at least $50. One beer each is another $20.
All in for a couple to see a show is 400 dollars best case scenario. Easily 500.
I might be a hundred dollars interested in a Post Malone show (well, maybe not since he decided to be a country singer). I am never 500 dollars interested in a Post Malone show.
Also throw in the fact the modern events are pretty miserable. In the last few years, I only managed one music act but I work in conventions, sports and stage shows when I travel. Beyond the...
Also throw in the fact the modern events are pretty miserable. In the last few years, I only managed one music act but I work in conventions, sports and stage shows when I travel. Beyond the endless seas of phones and rowdy crowds, really feels like there no more effort from the organizers side. Concession stands are far less and of worse quality. Similar thing with merch which are mostly crappy blanks with even worse prints. Stewards and security beyond the main seating is lacking and often have no clue how to handle a crowd. Constant software bugs, poor signage and miscommunication everywhere from parking to tick check and dispersing afterwards. Ton of places with seats that are essentially a waste of money for the experience you get. Don't know if its just me or a new trend, but the last comedy show, a hospitality convention and a circus act all had horrible AV.
The only show I have planned for this year is the new run of Rocky Horror Show and not keen to waste time or money anywhere else.
I am always grateful that my music tastes have generally no interest in the mainstream. I average between 2 & 3 concerts per month and they're always about $25-$50, depending on which venue and...
I am always grateful that my music tastes have generally no interest in the mainstream. I average between 2 & 3 concerts per month and they're always about $25-$50, depending on which venue and how popular they are for their genre. I did go to see Waxahatchee with MJ Lendermann last month and those tickets were $100 but that was very much outside of my normal concert.
I also agree with @akir in that most concerts for major artists are extremely overproduced. I get that it's all an experience--it's the music, and it's the performance, the staging, the effects, etc., and that works for their audience usually I suppose. But I just want to see the bands I like get on stage and play the songs I like in a room with 200-1,000 fans yelling along with the lyrics.
While I acknowledge this "blue dot fever" thing is a problem, I'm glad it's one I've never had to remotely worry about. I'm in the same boat as you. I mostly go to metal shows, and even the...
While I acknowledge this "blue dot fever" thing is a problem, I'm glad it's one I've never had to remotely worry about. I'm in the same boat as you. I mostly go to metal shows, and even the biggest names I see top out around $50, and most shows I go to are in the $20-30 range. More intimate bar settings, smaller crowds, and a great view of the performers. I'm also lucky to live in a big metro area and am not a far drive from two others.
We do get a bit fleeced with merch ($30 records, $40 shirts... yikes) but I guess that's not a unique problem.
I legitimately forgot for a moment that I’m living in a major metropolitan area and that it’s not normal to be able to wait for artists to eventually tour something nearby. I feel like a lot of...
I legitimately forgot for a moment that I’m living in a major metropolitan area and that it’s not normal to be able to wait for artists to eventually tour something nearby.
I feel like a lot of major artist tours are dramatically overproduced. I recently went with my husband to see a concert from a European group and they had this massive screen behind them with a CG robot, and he later complained to me that apparently in the European tour they featured a real robot. Why? It’s a music act! On the other hand, the best show I’ve seen remains seeing King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard at the Hollywood Bowl, whixh was basically just them playing for hours while a VJ did an impromptu show with the screens built into the venue.
I live in Albuquerque, the biggest city in New Mexico, and we get some shows but we have to go out of state for the big artists. For example if I wanted to go see Billie Eillish during her tour, I...
I live in Albuquerque, the biggest city in New Mexico, and we get some shows but we have to go out of state for the big artists. For example if I wanted to go see Billie Eillish during her tour, I would have to go to Austin stay there overnight just for the concert.
No lie, in the 2010s it seemed like Las Cruces got better shows at the Pan Am than Albuquerque or El Paso, with rare exceptions. In North Carolina, Charlotte generally gets more of the Latino...
No lie, in the 2010s it seemed like Las Cruces got better shows at the Pan Am than Albuquerque or El Paso, with rare exceptions. In North Carolina, Charlotte generally gets more of the Latino shows than Raleigh or Durham.
It's that everything is a moneygrab in the United States. Everyone want to charge as much as possible while doing as little as possible to make it a good experience. Concerts are egregious...
It's that everything is a moneygrab in the United States. Everyone want to charge as much as possible while doing as little as possible to make it a good experience. Concerts are egregious examples (and I'm glad LiveNation/Ticketmaster is seeing this happen to their extortion model), but it's such a part of life that people are being squeezed anytime they step foot out of the house.
I usually see shows in Raleigh, and the saving grace is that there are outdoor venues like Walnut Creek, NCMA, and Red Hat Amphitheater where I can get general admission tickets in the $30-$75 range. I just bought Grupo Frontera ticket for $32 out the door as an early purchase for their summer series - I think it just became a $50 ticket. Also, thank goodness for places like Pour House that make it possible to see small acts. But if you want a hard plastic seat bolted into concrete that mostly designates where to stand, you're probably paying over $100 at minimum.
The article goes into a lot of the more major factors. Which is economics, we're in an affordability crisis, and these artists are charging insane prices. The average ticket price this year being almost 150 is insane. Most of these artists shouldn't be charging more than, I don't know, 70 bucks. I do find it interesting that instead of lowering the ticket prices, or changing to a smaller venue, they just cancel dates across the board instead. Seems defeatist.
Also a lot of these artists just aren't, like popular, or good, or haven't been doing good upkeep on their art. Zayn's album was kind of a flop, and after that initial boost when he left One Direction he's been mostly unpopular especially when you compare it to Harry Styles's success. Meghan Trainor has had maybe three big hits, and those were all like over ten years ago at this point. And Post Malone completely abandoned the artistic style that made him famous in favor of Country, and even had Jelly Roll tag onto the tour. So those are more artistic reasons why, but I'm sure if the crisis wasn't happening and/or their tickets were cheap they would be selling more.
I know some artists have the ability to set the pricing, but I was under the impression that most ticket sales for smaller bands go to the venue and ticket seller. The big payout for artists is the merch stand. Is that not the case?
I assumed that the monopoly and vertical integration of Ticketmaster was also a likely culprit of this huge spike. Is that not true?
When I worked at a mid-size venue ~10 years ago the artists generally arranged a price and were paid upfront, regardless of ticket sales, by the show promoter. This put most of the financial risk on the promoter, as the real money maker for the venue is usually alcohol sales. But for these larger shows Ticketmaster is the promoter and the venue owner, so I assume they pay the artists some paltry amount and pocket the rest, often twice over as their tickets can only be resold on their own marketplace which they also take a cut of.
I just saw Gary Numan for $70 because I goofed up on timing and my only chance was a resold ticket, but I don't usually pay more than $50, except that one time I paid $500 for pit at a Nine Inch Nails show, which didn't seem too far off retail anyway.
Arena performers are ridiculously priced. People blame LiveNation and Ticketmaster but the venue I go to most was bought and their prices are the same, usually less than $50 for the ticket and parking. That NIN show was $80 for nosebleed and $50 for reserved parking ($75 day of, if you were there before it sold out, in Los Angeles).
Basically I'm agreeing that these big name pop stars seriously overestimate their value in a way that is out of touch with their fanbases.
I got to see The Marias for 60 bucks pretty close to the stage because I bought from a reseller the day of. Some people paid twice that for worse seats. So that varies for me. Kali Uchis is coming here in a few weeks and I’ve been waiting to see if the reseller prices lower enough to make it worth it (I don’t like going to concerts if I’m way back and can only see them as a blur).
Sticker price on the ticket is $100. By the time all of the bonus charges are applied it is $180 per ticket. Parking is $20. A babysitter is at least $50. One beer each is another $20.
All in for a couple to see a show is 400 dollars best case scenario. Easily 500.
I might be a hundred dollars interested in a Post Malone show (well, maybe not since he decided to be a country singer). I am never 500 dollars interested in a Post Malone show.
Also throw in the fact the modern events are pretty miserable. In the last few years, I only managed one music act but I work in conventions, sports and stage shows when I travel. Beyond the endless seas of phones and rowdy crowds, really feels like there no more effort from the organizers side. Concession stands are far less and of worse quality. Similar thing with merch which are mostly crappy blanks with even worse prints. Stewards and security beyond the main seating is lacking and often have no clue how to handle a crowd. Constant software bugs, poor signage and miscommunication everywhere from parking to tick check and dispersing afterwards. Ton of places with seats that are essentially a waste of money for the experience you get. Don't know if its just me or a new trend, but the last comedy show, a hospitality convention and a circus act all had horrible AV.
The only show I have planned for this year is the new run of Rocky Horror Show and not keen to waste time or money anywhere else.
I am always grateful that my music tastes have generally no interest in the mainstream. I average between 2 & 3 concerts per month and they're always about $25-$50, depending on which venue and how popular they are for their genre. I did go to see Waxahatchee with MJ Lendermann last month and those tickets were $100 but that was very much outside of my normal concert.
I also agree with @akir in that most concerts for major artists are extremely overproduced. I get that it's all an experience--it's the music, and it's the performance, the staging, the effects, etc., and that works for their audience usually I suppose. But I just want to see the bands I like get on stage and play the songs I like in a room with 200-1,000 fans yelling along with the lyrics.
While I acknowledge this "blue dot fever" thing is a problem, I'm glad it's one I've never had to remotely worry about. I'm in the same boat as you. I mostly go to metal shows, and even the biggest names I see top out around $50, and most shows I go to are in the $20-30 range. More intimate bar settings, smaller crowds, and a great view of the performers. I'm also lucky to live in a big metro area and am not a far drive from two others.
We do get a bit fleeced with merch ($30 records, $40 shirts... yikes) but I guess that's not a unique problem.
I legitimately forgot for a moment that I’m living in a major metropolitan area and that it’s not normal to be able to wait for artists to eventually tour something nearby.
I feel like a lot of major artist tours are dramatically overproduced. I recently went with my husband to see a concert from a European group and they had this massive screen behind them with a CG robot, and he later complained to me that apparently in the European tour they featured a real robot. Why? It’s a music act! On the other hand, the best show I’ve seen remains seeing King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard at the Hollywood Bowl, whixh was basically just them playing for hours while a VJ did an impromptu show with the screens built into the venue.
I live in Albuquerque, the biggest city in New Mexico, and we get some shows but we have to go out of state for the big artists. For example if I wanted to go see Billie Eillish during her tour, I would have to go to Austin stay there overnight just for the concert.
No lie, in the 2010s it seemed like Las Cruces got better shows at the Pan Am than Albuquerque or El Paso, with rare exceptions. In North Carolina, Charlotte generally gets more of the Latino shows than Raleigh or Durham.
It's that everything is a moneygrab in the United States. Everyone want to charge as much as possible while doing as little as possible to make it a good experience. Concerts are egregious examples (and I'm glad LiveNation/Ticketmaster is seeing this happen to their extortion model), but it's such a part of life that people are being squeezed anytime they step foot out of the house.
I usually see shows in Raleigh, and the saving grace is that there are outdoor venues like Walnut Creek, NCMA, and Red Hat Amphitheater where I can get general admission tickets in the $30-$75 range. I just bought Grupo Frontera ticket for $32 out the door as an early purchase for their summer series - I think it just became a $50 ticket. Also, thank goodness for places like Pour House that make it possible to see small acts. But if you want a hard plastic seat bolted into concrete that mostly designates where to stand, you're probably paying over $100 at minimum.