Popdose: Dw. Dunphy On… Pay To Play, the 2000 Way
Old_Davy
· 9 months ago
Next week, The Eagles are going to be playing in a college town about 30 miles away from me. The ticket prices range from $115 to $522. Now, I am an Eagles fan, and would like to see them in concert, but I would never ever EVER pay $115 to see a show, much less $522. For $115 I could practically buy the entire Eagles CD catalog.
In my opinion, a rock concert should cost no more than $50 tops for front row seats. This is why I haven't been to a major concert in about 15 years, or right about the time that CSN&Y started charging over $100 for a ticket. Well, that AND the fact that Ticketmaster is run by Beezlebub himself.
DwDunphy
· 9 months ago
Mostly, I think the timing couldn't have been worse. Artists now need live performance since recordings are ether-valued. Audiences need distraction from the financial blues. Huge ticket prices will appeal to the elite among us who still can afford it, but it really socks it to the "everyman"...
JonCummings
· 9 months ago
It seems to me that, at some point about 10-15 years ago, the economics of arena rock shifted for good and we've just been in denial. With few exceptions, the biggest artists hit the road these days knowing that the vast majority of tickets for their shows will be thoroughly out of reach for the people who made them who they are. An act like the Eagles knows full well that their concerts will be attended by the wealthy and by those who have access to tix purchased by corporations for clients, etc.
We remain in denial because we hear occasionally about an artist bucking the system, like Springsteen, or about an artist ranting about Ticketmaster-- or because we see that the bottom tier of tickets for some acts remains in the vaguely-affordable range. We conveniently forget that those bottom-tier tickets are actually for the highest tier in the arena (and the back of the tier, at that), and that those tickets are still being snapped up by scalpers and resold at 2-3 times face value.
We need to stop thinking about arena concerts as events that SHOULD be as affordable as they used to be, back when we lined up outside the arena at 4 a.m. and bought third-row tickets for $25. Even in this recession, there will probably remain a market for $522 Eagles tickets (and for $115 tickets that are resold for $400). It's we who need to adjust our expectations, no matter what Ticketmaster or Live Nation do.
At least club gigs are (usually) still affordable.
luffy66
· 9 months ago
I recently purchased tickets for Styx/REO/Cheap Trick playing at the local ampetheater this summer. The tickets were a very reasonable 50.00 for good seats. The Live Nation service charge was 25.00 PER TICKET! Making it 75.00 Total per ticket
Really???? a 50% percent markup. If this is the change we are in for I am going to be staying home and paying more attention to my lawn this summer.
The Eagles discussion is ironic- werent they the first group to really start charging premium prices on their tickets with the Hell Freezes Over tour? I seem to remember average ticket prices going from 30-40.00 to 100-150.00 and up overnight. My memory is fuzzy though.
jabartlett
· 9 months ago
Purely anecdotal and going on memory here, but I believe you're right about this. Ticket prices had risen steadily over a 20-year period to something like $30 for top seats, but then the Eagles and Barbra Streisand went on tour in '94 and '95 with top tickets close to $100, and everybody else in the industry followed suit.
Ted
· 9 months ago
I agree that club gigs are affordable, and sometimes are much more exciting than arena rock concerts. I know that folks like Tom Petty played the Fillmore (West) and booked a week's worth of shows years ago, and it didn't seem to hurt his pocketbook. I wonder if that model of touring (i.e., smaller venues/longer duration in one city) for major acts would make money for the band and lower the ticket price for the audience. It would certainly spare many bands the tedium of touring, and maybe result in less sucky shows.
All Comments
In my opinion, a rock concert should cost no more than $50 tops for front row seats. This is why I haven't been to a major concert in about 15 years, or right about the time that CSN&Y started charging over $100 for a ticket. Well, that AND the fact that Ticketmaster is run by Beezlebub himself.
We remain in denial because we hear occasionally about an artist bucking the system, like Springsteen, or about an artist ranting about Ticketmaster-- or because we see that the bottom tier of tickets for some acts remains in the vaguely-affordable range. We conveniently forget that those bottom-tier tickets are actually for the highest tier in the arena (and the back of the tier, at that), and that those tickets are still being snapped up by scalpers and resold at 2-3 times face value.
We need to stop thinking about arena concerts as events that SHOULD be as affordable as they used to be, back when we lined up outside the arena at 4 a.m. and bought third-row tickets for $25. Even in this recession, there will probably remain a market for $522 Eagles tickets (and for $115 tickets that are resold for $400). It's we who need to adjust our expectations, no matter what Ticketmaster or Live Nation do.
At least club gigs are (usually) still affordable.
Really???? a 50% percent markup. If this is the change we are in for I am going to be staying home and paying more attention to my lawn this summer.
The Eagles discussion is ironic- werent they the first group to really start charging premium prices on their tickets with the Hell Freezes Over tour? I seem to remember average ticket prices going from 30-40.00 to 100-150.00 and up overnight. My memory is fuzzy though.