Concert Prices are Getting Too Expensive

[MIGrandma]

I just checked the casino near us, as The Judds are going to be here November 27 and I would have enjoyed seeing them one more time since they are together again for a short while.

It would have been $175 for 2 tickets, and they weren't close seats either, they were in the back few rows.

Way too expensive for that far away. We won't be going.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I was priced out of the live event market long ago. It surprises me that people are willing to spend so much money for concerts, sporting events, plays, etc. Other people seem willing to pay it, so I don't fault them for charging that much. An event isn't overpriced if it sells out.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I agree, the ticket prices are getting way too high. The most frustrating thing to me is the darn service fees...they can tack on an additional $20-25 per ticket. Then add in $20 to park, $7 for a soda or beer, etc, etc. We used to love to go to concerts, but now we could go away for a weekend for the same cost of a couple hours at a concert.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I agree, the ticket prices are getting way too high. The most frustrating thing to me is the darn service fees...they can tack on an additional $20-25 per ticket. Then add in $20 to park, $7 for a soda or beer, etc, etc. We used to love to go to concerts, but now we could go away for a weekend for the same cost of a couple hours at a concert.

That's the part that bugs me too. It's not just a $50 ticket, that I can handle, but then there's fee A, B, C & D and it's now a $75 ticket! I remember I wanted to see Chelsea Handler a few months ago and the tickets were $95 each, for kind of crappy seats (center but very far back). I was like, uh... no.

 

[ckay87]

I'm a HUGE live music fan and I do complain about this as well. But I also recognize that the live show is how musicians make their money anymore. And staging the live show is very expensive. It's true that artists just aren't making it on record sales alone anymore. And the little guys barely make it at all. You look at the smaller acts, they tour non-stop for this reason.

Speaking of smaller acts, though....if you are a music fan and you like the concert scene, pay attention to what's going on. Seek out new music, find up and coming or indie artists you enjoy and live music becomes very affordable (and much more fun, IMO).

Other things I do to make it more affordable is buy from the box office, where possible. Oh, and I don't take my husband! Ha ha....I mean, you're right....ticket price x 2 from the same back account gets to be a lot. My concerts tend to be girls-night-out or even solo!

 

[LuvOrlando]

It's a shame entertainment has gotten so expensive, but then again so have the entertainers salaries. Whether I can afford it or not is less an issue than the idea of whether the experience is worth the price. I can't think of anyone I would pay hundreds of dollars to hear or see live. If I have to shell out hundreds I'm going on vacation.

The weird thing is I wonder if musicians ect. realize how much damage these prices are doing to the industry. It used to be that concerts & shows brought about a strong fan base but now that doesn't exist, everyone is a flash in the pan with no concept about how to keep fans for decades. It's a shame but they do it to themselves.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

First off, my fiance is in the entertainment business as a touring sound engineer. So I see both sides of this ordeal. First of all the crew, artist themselves, dancers if the artist is using any, and touring bills need to be paid. While yes all of that adds up, some bands out there are over-crewed, and spend way too much money on the production of a show, some of these too massive and could be easily toned down to something more reasonable. Some of these artists are overpaid for what their live show actually consists of, I.E a massive production with a mediocre show, and or a show that is being phoned in (lipsynced; my fiance wont mix shows that are not 100% live, a 3 year old kid can run audio for a show thats lipsynched). And there are also instances of the crew being overpaid, some crew guys can walk away from a year of touring with $250,000, although they are not paid when they are not on the road. My fiance works for lesser bands, although known ones from the classic rock genre.

From the fans point of view... Many artists spend too much money on the production of their live shows, and when they do this, we as the fans suffer because ticket prices have to be set accordingly to off set the bills that a tour demands (I.E Staging, Busses, Plane Tickets, Hotels, Lighting, Audio, Video, Trucking, Crew Payroll which includes per diem, Private Jets, Security which all gets paid by the week by off chance a tour would get cancelled) some of those expenses are in the million and beyond category. I also do realize that this is the way artists make money these days, but at the same time a lot of them do over-spend and are not very good at saving their money but that is a fault of their own. What a lot of these artists don't realize is that more than 90% of their fans are lower to middle class citizens and are not doing a superior job at gearing ticket prices towards these people which is why you dont hear of many artists selling out venues. These days its not possible to sell out an arena, none the less a stadium, and some artists ticket prices are so pricey that they cant even sell out theaters. A lot of artists are just plain greedy and want top dollar, but if they keep doing that less and less people will buy tickets and before they know it they are playing to half empty arenas.

Since I do see both sides of this the artists need to make a compromise and go out with a smaller production, which will in return reduce ticket prices and make shows fan friendly again. Until artists drop their ticket prices so they are reasonable, I refuse to buy tickets to see anyone.

 

[MIGrandma]

First off, my fiance is in the entertainment business as a touring sound engineer. So I see both sides of this ordeal. First of all the crew, artist themselves, dancers if the artist is using any, and touring bills need to be paid. While yes all of that adds up, some bands out there are over-crewed, and spend way too much money on the production of a show, some of these too massive and could be easily toned down to something more reasonable. Some of these artists are overpaid for what their live show actually consists of, I.E a massive production with a mediocre show, and or a show that is being phoned in (lipsynced; my fiance wont mix shows that are not 100% live, a 3 year old kid can run audio for a show thats lipsynched). And there are also instances of the crew being overpaid, some crew guys can walk away from a year of touring with $250,000, although they are not paid when they are not on the road. My fiance works for lesser bands, although known ones from the classic rock genre.

From the fans point of view... Many artists spend too much money on the production of their live shows, and when they do this, we as the fans suffer because ticket prices have to be set accordingly to off set the bills that a tour demands (I.E Staging, Busses, Plane Tickets, Hotels, Lighting, Audio, Video, Trucking, Crew Payroll which includes per diem, Private Jets, Security which all gets paid by the week by off chance a tour would get cancelled) some of those expenses are in the million and beyond category. I also do realize that this is the way artists make money these days, but at the same time a lot of them do over-spend and are not very good at saving their money but that is a fault of their own. What a lot of these artists don't realize is that more than 90% of their fans are lower to middle class citizens and are not doing a superior job at gearing ticket prices towards these people which is why you dont hear of many artists selling out venues. These days its not possible to sell out an arena, none the less a stadium, and some artists ticket prices are so pricey that they cant even sell out theaters. A lot of artists are just plain greedy and want top dollar, but if they keep doing that less and less people will buy tickets and before they know it they are playing to half empty arenas.

Since I do see both sides of this the artists need to make a compromise and go out with a smaller production, which will in return reduce ticket prices and make shows fan friendly again. Until artists drop their ticket prices so they are reasonable, I refuse to buy tickets to see anyone.

Thanks for responding, I enjoyed hearing your take on both sides of it.

I personally would rather see a toned-down concert, and just listen to the performer and their band. I don't see the need for a dozen costume changes between songs, or pyrotech stuff, huge decorated sets, et. I can do without all that, and would really prefer it.

And I agree about charging so much that they can't fill the venues. These Judds tickets have been on sale for weeks and they still haven't sold out at this fairly small casino. I thought they might be sold out since The Judds haven't been together in quite awhile, and people would want to see them together again. I guess not.

It's just sad that ticket prices, fees, etc. have gotten so expensive than many of us can't (or rather, won't) spend that much $$ to go.

Like someone else said, DH and I can go away for a weekend on what it would cost to go to a 2-hour concert.

 

[bicker]

@RockAndRollBallerina Interesting perspective. I think, though, that one of the benefits to the business of what you're calling "over-production" is that it justifies the higher-margin prices. For a direct parallel, head to a restaurant like Cheesecake Factory. The portions are utterly huge. There is no need for that much food on the plate. However, that much food on the plate helps justify the prices charged, and the higher the price charged, the more profit can be injected into the pricing. (We've had discussions about this on the Restaurant Board, how half portions of a $25 meal would cost just a few dollars less, and that's why restaurants generally "over-produce" entree portions - because consumers won't respond well to getting so little but yet still paying so much.) And just like Cheesecake Factory has to answer first to its owners, and also to its employees, so do all aspects of the music industry. When we Americans, especially, invest our money in, or time working for, a company, we expect high returns on that investment. Profitability is the engine that helps satisfy those overriding obligations and expectations. The consumers invariably take care of themselves: If the prices are too high, then consumers don't buy. So as long as a company doesn't try to derive so much profit that they drive consumers away, they're doing a good job living up to the responsibility they have to their owners and their employees.

 

[BunsenH]

........
Speaking of smaller acts, though....if you are a music fan and you like the concert scene, pay attention to what's going on. Seek out new music, find up and coming or indie artists you enjoy and live music becomes very affordable (and much more fun, IMO)............

This is my solution. We just saw Little Feat at a local theater for $30/seat. No dancers or hydraulic lifts or fog machines, but 2+ hours of fantastic music. The crowd was loving it all.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

and that's why I'm glad I live near places that don't all use ticketmaster/live nation. It's been a long time since I've been to a show at a huge venue because of the high cost of tickets/fees, but I can go to the smaller venues and see some of my favorite artists for rather inexpensive and little to no fees. Makes me glad I'm not into many big mainstream artists.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

Blame The Eagles.... they were the first concerts to go over $100... for their Hell Freezes Over tour. Before that, in my area, the best seats were about $50.

BTW, I still have the stub from my 1st concert..... Yes with Lynyrd Skynyrd... general admission was $4.75.

 

[TheZue]

When Yo Gabba Gabba came through this area it was $88/ticket before all the fees and such for a mediocre seat. Who would pay that much to bring their toddler to a concert

 

[BunsenH]

Blame The Eagles.... they were the first concerts to go over $100... for their Hell Freezes Over tour. Before that, in my area, the best seats were about $50.

BTW, I still have the stub from my 1st concert..... Yes with Lynyrd Skynyrd... general admission was $4.75.

That beats my 1st concert ticket to see Santana (through a smokey haze) for $5.50!

 

[C.Ann]

Supply and demand.. I would never pay that much for two concert tickets - don't care who it is..

 

[nerdylightbulb]

It really depends on what kind of concert you're going to. The open floor concerts are usually a lot cheaper, depending on the venue/what bands are performing. There's a pretty small venue around here where the tickets are usually about $15, but they don't tend to draw in the bigger bands.

I think the most expensive concert I've gone to was $15, but I'm going to one in December where each ticket cost about $35 (those are VIP tickets though, so I get to meet the band; the non-VIP ones were $25).