The Tanking Concert Industry

[Jay Funk Dawg]

[NewRider]

[abraxas]

There are a small number of artists out there who want to keep their ticket prices low. I wish I could see Further at bluesfest this year but I will be out of town. I did see Hank III earlier this month for 25 dollars per ticket it was the most fun i've had at a concert in a long time and the cheapest too (besides the number of beers i ended up consuming) tshirts were only 25 bucks too.

I saw Clapton and Beck earlier this year at 200/ticket..

I'm going to see petty and will most likely pay 200 a ticket..

I have tickets for the wall tour at 225/ticket.

Personally I don't really care about the prices but i certainly wouldn't complain if they were cheaper. if demand for the tickets goes down, so will prices but with these tours selling out so fast I don't see them going anywhere but up.

Edited June 24, 2010 by Guest

[phishtaper]

U2 and the Stones go out of their way to make a large proportion of their tix available at reasonable prices. often, they are some of the best seats in the house too ... and credit card name / wristband protected to avoid scalping.

i remember a pearl jam show at maple leaf gardens decades ago when they set up their official merch outside the venue on the sidewalk across carlton as part of their ongoing battle with promoters/agencies/venues over monopolistic pricing and access. i still quite admire them for fighting the good fight.

[Northern Wish]

From the recorded music side of the biz:

Universal Music CEO Sends Out Desperate Plea to Save Failing Record Industry

6/23/2010 By Greg Pratt


Coinciding with the news that the record industry recently had the worst week of record sales in the SoundScan era, a new panic is rising amongst those who rely on music to survive. No, not musicians, but record label CEOs. And it looks as if they’re trying some new tactics to mobilize support.

Universal Music Group Distribution president and CEO Jim Urie recently took to the streets (or at least Outlook Express) and sent an email out to the world rallying for more government action to help with piracy, reports SMN News. We enjoyed lines like, “Never before in American history has an entire industry been so decimated by illegal behavior†and “consider enlisting your entire company to help in this fight,†so thought we’d reprint the entire email below.

Here’s Urie’s email:

I’ve received hundreds of e-mails enthusiastically reacting to my “call to action†at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers convention last month. The music business is facing huge challenges from piracy and theft. Never before in American history has an entire industry been so decimated by illegal behavior. Yet the government has not responded in a meaningful way to help us address this crisis. My call to action is for all of us to become more aggressive in lobbying our government, more outspoken in drawing attention to the problems caused by piracy, and more actively engaged. We cannot win this fight alone.

Governments outside the U.S. are legislating, regulating and playing a prominent role in discussions with ISPs (Internet Service Providers). Sales have dramatically improved in these countries. How is it that the U.S. — with the most successful music community in the world – is not keeping up with places like South Korea, France, the UK and New Zealand?

As I said in my speech, I hope that the industry can negotiate a voluntary deal with the ISPs. We need our government representatives to encourage this. But whether or not we reach a deal with the ISPs, our government needs to know that we’ve got a piracy problem and we need real solutions. To accomplish this, our government needs to hear from all of us, so they know that their constituents are out here. Join me in calling on our elected officials to fight piracy. Please help by forwarding this e-mail to your colleagues, friends — everyone who loves music. And consider enlisting your entire company to help in this fight. Then by clicking on the link below a message will be sent to your representatives in Washington. Help us launch a viral campaign to cut off access to the online sites that are used to steal our music, our property and our jobs. It only takes a second but it can make a tremendous impact.

Sincerely,

Jim Urie

Learn more at www.musicrightsnow.org

Regardless of your thoughts on piracy and record labels, you have to admire/shake your head that it’s gone this far. A president/CEO of one of the biggest record labels in the world sending out an email asking for support? Man, is this getting desperate or what?

[jonyak]

Man I feel sorry for him. he can't buy his 3rd bmw.

[Jakis]

U2 and the Stones go out of their way to make a large proportion of their tix available at reasonable prices. often, they are some of the best seats in the house too ... and credit card name / wristband protected to avoid scalping.

i remember a pearl jam show at maple leaf gardens decades ago when they set up their official merch outside the venue on the sidewalk across carlton as part of their ongoing battle with promoters/agencies/venues over monopolistic pricing and access. i still quite admire them for fighting the good fight.

Maybe Pearl Jam tried to fight it at one point but I think they were full of shit. There are quotes from Vedder in the 90's talking about how he hates how bands charge 50 dollars for tickets when they only charge 20 and how pearl jam will never have high tickets that kids can't afford. Now they charge 100 dollars for tickets. I wonder what changed?

[Northern Wish]

They charge that amount but as a Top Tier touring band, I think they could charge much more.

They have kept their fanclub members happy for years with great seats, special free merch, Christmas 7"'s etc.

I don't shame Pearl Jam for doing this- but Vedder charging $100 for his solo show was a disgrace.

[Jakis]

I also thinks its awful that they were charging something like 65 dollars for lawns last year at molson amplitheatre!

[Jakis]

I like the 50 dollar phish tickets or the 80 dollars I paid for Neil Young floors last year!

[AD]

1. Pearl Jam charged $100 for tix? When / where was that? I don't remember that.

2. My principles and opinions have changed a lot in the last 20 years, and I don't have a business / family to support. I think it's naive to criticize Pearl Jam for changing. Everyone reading this has certainly changed since the early 90s.

[Esau.]

Maybe Pearl Jam tried to fight it at one point but I think they were full of shit. There are quotes from Vedder in the 90's talking about how he hates how bands charge 50 dollars for tickets when they only charge 20 and how pearl jam will never have high tickets that kids can't afford. Now they charge 100 dollars for tickets. I wonder what changed?

$100 a ticket now-a-days is basically $30-40 from early 90s, especially since venues/ticket agencies came up with "graduated ticketing" (closer you are the more it cost). Plus, I think PJ eventually had to submit if they wanted to play venues that didn't leave loads of fans unable to get tickets due to limited capacity since a lot of bigger venues had deals with TM. Not too mention overall cost of living.

Concert tickets back in the later half of the 80s into mid 90s were cheap compared to now-a-days. I mean, I paid $36 for front row stones tickets back in 89 - now-a-days, I'm sure that would be a $250+ ticket. My GD tickets in 93 were only $27.50 (mail order), Neil Young only $43 in 1996. In fact, until about 97-99 most of my stubs don't exceed $50 for bands that now-a-days charge $150-$300 to see today.

[Booche]

I wonder what changed?

Everything.

From insurance premiums to labour costs to the price of gas.........

I am willing to bet Phish would charge a hundred bucks a ticket too, if they could.

[Northern Wish]

I wonder what changed?

360 deals, premium ticket packages, increased % a venue charges for you to sell merch, the death of recorded music sales, need to tour further and longer, increased competition between acts, momopolistic behaviour amongst agents promoters and ticket sellers, online ticket resale market....

[edger]

Twenty years older likely amounts to the need for greater incentive to justify grinding it out on the road too...it ain't all gravy I'm sure.

Having said that I too lament the 'good ol' days' when we could get away with paying thirty bucks for a top notch show, park for five, and smuggle in half my rations for the night.

[phishtaper]

I am willing to bet Phish would charge a hundred bucks a ticket too, if they could.

maybe not the guys themselves, but certainly their greedy management would.

and if anyone really cares, I remember when a bag of chips was a nickle and the priests gave us alter boys a quarter, so all was good.

[NewRider]

Let's bring back gate crashing!!!

[AD]

the death of recorded music sales

Heard a quote somewhere (NPR? CBCR3?) that in 2007 there were 47 million records sold in the USA. Last year (or maybe this year, can't remember exactly) the number is 5 million.

Also found a relevant Vedder quote from Contact Music 2007:

. "A lot of people are getting your music without having to pay, and it's only $12. "I ordered eggs at a little restaurant in Seattle and it was $9.50. I was thinking, 'You can't spend two extra bucks for a record that you put your heart and soul into?' "I think the problem is to charge more for tickets, which is something we've always been abhorrent to do; either that or you're gonna have to start accepting sponsorships, or start selling your music to Viagra. "I'm not sure how we'll do it. I'm glad we gave money away when we did - when it came in from making records. We kind of spread it around and helped people in our community and abroad in different ways."

[NewRider]

I'll never forget seeing Phish at Lakewood 4th of July weekend back in '99. The second the opening notes of Chalkdust were played all these kids came flying over the fence at the back of the lawn and security were chasing and tackling them.

Down there security on the lawn are like ex NFL players. Hilarious.

[The Chameleon]

Even if I had a million dollars I wouldn't pay insane concert ticket prices. I'd love to see Tom Petty but there's no way I would drop that amount of money on seeing him.

I think it's completely ignorant of these nostalgic artists/bands to charge a shitload of money to see them. What is the younger generation supposed to do? They're just discovering this bands or artists music and they'll likely never get to see them live unless their parents are rich or they wanna save up every dime they've earned in the last 6 months working at a shitty job just to see some faded memory of what was once a great live act.

Most of these acts that charge over $200 a ticket have MADE their money off album sales. I'm not going to feel sorry for them because now kids can download their albums with ease. Some artists are intelligent enough to move along with the times too. Look at Neil Young putting out live stuff on vinyl.

The situation is these older/legacy artists like Petty and Clapton etc. Don't care about developping younger fans as they will be dead by the time that generation is 30.

The reality is these artists who made thier names in the 60's and 70's are now in thier sixties and are in the "las time around the track phase". They are currently collecting as much money as possible for retirement so they can sail off into the sunset comforatbly and they can no longer rely on record sales.

Also for the most part, unless they were finacially savy, the money they made off record sales in the 70's is long gone and they are not getting royalty cheques like they once were and cannot rely on that.

Why do you think int he last three years you've seen all these reunions: Police, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, Genesis etc...

This is thier last time around or so.

I personally hate paying anything over $100 for a show but I'll do it to see these legends while I can as the time may soon come where less of them tour.

Let us also not forget that everything has gone up in price dramatically since 1990 and it costs a hell of a lot more to tour a large show than it used to.

Sad but true is the fact that the live show is the last place to make money in music these days on a substantial scale.

Having said that hats of to Phish and Furthur for keeping tickets prices reasonable.

Edited June 24, 2010 by Guest

[Esau.]

I'll never forget seeing Phish at Lakewood 4th of July weekend back in '99. The second the opening notes of Chalkdust were played all these kids came flying over the fence at the back of the lawn and security were chasing and tackling them.

Down there security on the lawn are like ex NFL players. Hilarious.

GD in 93 at Rich we watched as 30 or more folks proceeded to tear down parts of the fence, in the process get beat by or fight with the security and after the show we saw a different section of fence that had been torn down at some point.

Needless to say, between that sorta attitude, the growing number of deaths (2 at that show alone), the growing levels violence in the lots and the overall vibe on tour june 13 1993 was when I hung up my GD touring shoes.

Off topic I know....

[Jakis]

It doesn't really matter too me anyways because I win most my tickets! lol

[phishtaper]

The situation is these older/legacy artists like Petty and Clapton etc. Don't care about developping younger fans as they will be dead by the time that generation is 30.

The reality is these artists who made thier names in the 60's and 70's are now in thier sixties and are in the "las time around the track phase". They are currently collecting as much money as possible for retirement so they can sail off into the sunset comforatbly and they can no longer rely on record sales.

Also for the most part, unless they were finacially savy, the money they made off record sales in the 70's is long gone and they are not getting royalty cheques like they once were and cannot rely on that.

Why do you think int he last three years you've seen all these reunions: Police, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, Genesis etc...

This is thier last time around or so.

well, im not as old as one-foot-in-the-grave sting or david lee roth but god man, way to make those of us over forty feel good about life.

Christmas must be a hoot at your place: " Shit mom, don't give Grampa any more turkey, he's gonna be dead before New Years!"

[Velvet]

In the early 90's when The Tragically Hip were selling out Canadian venues in minutes they did a cross-Canada tour where they promised nobody would have to pay more than $20 to see them. It turns out the Toronto show tickets came to $20.50 with service charges so they hired people to man the doors and give fifty cents back to everyone who walked in.

That's classy.

[Freak By Night]

We'll need a full report on what the crowd is like, FbN

My guess is an audience full of would-be carnies

Holy moly! that free show at the race track / casino was full of would-be, and also several actual carnies.

We got there right when the gates opened, so we went right up front. You should have seen some of the characters up there. One double-fisting, chain smoking, brown toothed fellow, was annoying and hilarious at the same time.

He wrote down his name and asked me to send the photos I shot of the show through facebook. I checked out his profile - everything's in capital letters.

A fun time was had by all.

Getting back to the topic though: I heard that some Lilith Fair concerts were canceled today because of sluggish ticket sales.