Ticket prices. This is not for you (the fans).

GlowGirl

NM70698 said:

Well maybe I’m wrong.  A big part of the confusion is neither the band nor TM has stating the official pricing schedule.  Why shroud it in mystery? It’s like the band can’t bring itself to admit nobody can buy a ticket to their concerts for less than $200

You could buy a ticket for less than $200. Everyone who got Ten Club lottery tickets did. And those that got into the verified fan sales earlier also had a chance. It is just that all that is left is the PJ premiums. If all those tickets were standard price, they would also be gone by now and the show would be sold out. They are the tickets leftover because they are slower to sell. If after a while they don't sell, Ticketmaster will start lowering the price on them. But we were told clearly in advance by Ten Club that a certain amount of tickets would be higher priced for PJ premiums. Those are what you are seeing because the rest of the standard priced tickets already sold out.

Get_Right

SHZA said:

Get_Right said:

PJ_Soul said:

Get_Right said:

ponner1us said:

Get_Right said:

It is amazing how naive and uninformed many fans are about ticket pricing and the concert industry, and how much has changed since the band took on ticketmaster 30 years ago!  The band could charge much more than $185 if they really wanted to be greedy. The non-10C high prices you see now will be adjusted to reflect true demand as the shows get closer. This is the new reality, micro management of each individual seat. Do not buy now, but there is no guarantee prices will go down for high demand shows. When I have had to bite the bullet, it was a decent seat for MSG around $500.

Yes, most of us are bumbling idiots, thank you for the expansive education, it was very enlightening. I feel as if I now understand all of the intricacies involved in the current pricing system. I had no idea that capitalism, free market, and supply & demand were all factors to consider… Wow!!!

Free market has nothing to do with it. And yes, many people are just bashing the band without knowing the real reason why tickets are more expensive. And they cannot cite one band other than the Cure that is not charging more for their tickets.

What? I can site every band I've ever seen at the same local venue. I have literally never been to a show there where the worst upper level tickets were set at $208 face value. It is an insane price.

There must be some accounting involved where it makes more financial sense for the band to offer tickets at the same price across the venue, but we will never get visibility to those numbers. 

Virtually every other arena and stadium event uses a range of prices across the venue. Extremely doubtful that PJ has an accounting method that shows a single price makes more financial sense 

It is extremely likely that there are accounting calculations to determine the revenue derived from fixed price ticket sales, regardless of level. No question about it. And then there are accounting forecasts from what might be realized from premium/dynamic pricing.  Do you think there is no discussion of revenue calculations in contract negotiations?

BF25394

GlowGirl said:

NM70698 said:

Well maybe I’m wrong.  A big part of the confusion is neither the band nor TM has stating the official pricing schedule.  Why shroud it in mystery? It’s like the band can’t bring itself to admit nobody can buy a ticket to their concerts for less than $200

You could buy a ticket for less than $200. Everyone who got Ten Club lottery tickets did. And those that got into the verified fan sales earlier also had a chance. It is just that all that is left is the PJ premiums. If all those tickets were standard price, they would also be gone by now and the show would be sold out. They are the tickets leftover because they are slower to sell. If after a while they don't sell, Ticketmaster will start lowering the price on them. But we were told clearly in advance by Ten Club that a certain amount of tickets would be higher priced for PJ premiums. Those are what you are seeing because the rest of the standard priced tickets already sold out.

Again, don't assume that standard-priced tickets have sold out. Ticketmaster may be refraining from showing them to suggest false scarcity to get people to pay premium prices.

Your first point is excellent and important. Tens of thousands of people-- probably more than a hundred thousand-- got tickets through the lottery for less than $200.

PJ_Soul

BF25394 said:

PJ_Soul said:

Get_Right said:

ponner1us said:

Get_Right said:

It is amazing how naive and uninformed many fans are about ticket pricing and the concert industry, and how much has changed since the band took on ticketmaster 30 years ago!  The band could charge much more than $185 if they really wanted to be greedy. The non-10C high prices you see now will be adjusted to reflect true demand as the shows get closer. This is the new reality, micro management of each individual seat. Do not buy now, but there is no guarantee prices will go down for high demand shows. When I have had to bite the bullet, it was a decent seat for MSG around $500.

Yes, most of us are bumbling idiots, thank you for the expansive education, it was very enlightening. I feel as if I now understand all of the intricacies involved in the current pricing system. I had no idea that capitalism, free market, and supply & demand were all factors to consider… Wow!!!

Free market has nothing to do with it. And yes, many people are just bashing the band without knowing the real reason why tickets are more expensive. And they cannot cite one band other than the Cure that is not charging more for their tickets.

What? I can site every band I've ever seen at the same local venue. I have literally never been to a show there where the worst upper level tickets were set at $208 face value. It is an insane price.

How many of them have you seen in 2024? The funny thing is that the Vancouver shows are among the cheapest on the whole North American tour. U.S. shows are either US$185 or US$175 before taxes, for the most part. (There are obstructed-view Fenway tix that are US$131. I'm not sure about Wrigley.) The CAD$208 translated to US$155 when I bought my tickets. And there was no tax added. Vancouver was US$44.50 less than Las Vegas, which has the highest taxes and highest U.S. "standard" ticket price of $199.58 after tax.

Well thanks for pointing out that it's even worse in the US. Holy cow!

SHZA

Get_Right said:

SHZA said:

Get_Right said:

PJ_Soul said:

Get_Right said:

ponner1us said:

Get_Right said:

It is amazing how naive and uninformed many fans are about ticket pricing and the concert industry, and how much has changed since the band took on ticketmaster 30 years ago!  The band could charge much more than $185 if they really wanted to be greedy. The non-10C high prices you see now will be adjusted to reflect true demand as the shows get closer. This is the new reality, micro management of each individual seat. Do not buy now, but there is no guarantee prices will go down for high demand shows. When I have had to bite the bullet, it was a decent seat for MSG around $500.

Yes, most of us are bumbling idiots, thank you for the expansive education, it was very enlightening. I feel as if I now understand all of the intricacies involved in the current pricing system. I had no idea that capitalism, free market, and supply & demand were all factors to consider… Wow!!!

Free market has nothing to do with it. And yes, many people are just bashing the band without knowing the real reason why tickets are more expensive. And they cannot cite one band other than the Cure that is not charging more for their tickets.

What? I can site every band I've ever seen at the same local venue. I have literally never been to a show there where the worst upper level tickets were set at $208 face value. It is an insane price.

There must be some accounting involved where it makes more financial sense for the band to offer tickets at the same price across the venue, but we will never get visibility to those numbers. 

Virtually every other arena and stadium event uses a range of prices across the venue. Extremely doubtful that PJ has an accounting method that shows a single price makes more financial sense 

It is extremely likely that there are accounting calculations to determine the revenue derived from fixed price ticket sales, regardless of level. No question about it. And then there are accounting forecasts from what might be realized from premium/dynamic pricing.  Do you think there is no discussion of revenue calculations in contract negotiations?

Having discussions and a calculation that shows what is optimal financially are two different things. The fact that PJ is pretty much the only example of uniform pricing for a 15,000+ person venue is pretty strong evidence that it is not the optimal financial strategy. As someone else mentioned, it may be what they determined is the best method to keep prices lower across the board -- i.e., if they reduced the price of the uppers, they'd have to raise the price of the lowers. It seems that they prioritized that goal over what was optimal financially. 

southernmanfan

charlesyoung39 said:

I really wish people would stop blaming the band for the cost of goods and services in 2024. I’d be willing to bet that they are not making much more profit per show than what they were 10 or more years ago. It takes significant infrastructure to put on a tour that travels the world, and these prices actually compares favorably to many other concert experiences. 

Thank you. I agree. 

TheGossman

chrisdrake88 said:

I've been a 10C member off and on for ten years now (I am aware that this is not the longest membership, but this isn't a measuring contest) and I am absolutely appalled by the prices of tickets for this tour.  The one thing thaalways stood PJ apart from all other bands was its connection to the fans, the determination to make it as great an experience as could be and the refusal to let its fans be ripped off and exploited in the name of capitalism (See PJ vs Ticketmaster).

The best example of this has always been the Ten Club, where we get rewarded for our loyalty by being allowed to buy tickets at a reasonable price, right down the front where the proper fans are, without needing to pay an absolute fortune for the privilege. These tickets for the Dark Matters tour UK dates are £160. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY POUNDS. The cheapest tickets in the house are £120.

Pearl Jam, you have completely lost your way.  You are not the band of the people that you once were, you will have lost the respect of thousands of fans with this blatant profiteering and the fact that you are doing this alongside Ticketmaster, of all companies, is frankly insulting.

I for one, will not be renewing my membership next time around and will be interested to see how many others will also leave.

I'm just disappointed.

If you don't like it don't go.  Thats what I'm doing.  I live in NC and I'm tired of flying to another state to see a band that has the same boring tour schedule every few years.    My fanclub runs out in 2 months and I'm not renewing.  So many other bands out there that play to all their fans.

Lerxst1992

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

Using the ticket master filters, I see no difference between the “Standard” and “PJ Premium” prices.  The only difference is seat location.  Searching Sacramento and Los Angeles, the cheapest “standard” tickets were uppers for $175 plus fees.  All lowers were priced close $500 and up.  As best I can tell, the high $400 range is the starting “face value” price for any section were you would actually want to sit.  Am I wrong?  Did any person buy lower bowl seats for less than $500 per ticket with fees?

Everyone who won in the lottery got lower bowl seats for $185 per ticket with fees, which is the "Standard" price.

You say you don't see a difference but then say you see "standard" for $175 and "premium" for $400+. How is that not a difference between standard and premium pricing? 

The “standard” price for lower bowl starts around $470 and goes to to roughly $900 or more.  But you answered my question about 10 club seats in the lower section.  I was genuinely confused because I got 10 Club waitlist and then got off the waitlist.  My 10 Club code gave me the privilege of buying a single lower bowl seat in the range of $500 to $900 with fees and tax. 

The $470-$900 prices aren't standard though. Anything above $185 is "PJ Premium." If you only saw high-priced tickets in the lower bowl, that just means standards are currently sold out.  

I think the fan club misses the picture the harmful impact of Pearl Jam’s economic policies in whole.

Selling its most valuable products, GA and best seats, at way below FMV is a price control. This drives up prices that are not being controlled 

that’s why PJ premium, and  stub hub, seat geek, for PJ are so out of line with comparable concerts. 

Also, guaranteeing a subset of fans this premium product for below cost, drives up demand in their class of consumers as well. Fans are going to see five to ten shows that they normally would not invest in, of prices weren’t under control.

. As these fans will invest in airfare, hotels, etc for additional shows they would normally not see, because they know they are getting something worth $1000 for $180. This drives down supply which ALSO increases prices of the FMV tickets, AKA PJ Premium.

 

Get_Right

SHZA said:

Get_Right said:

SHZA said:

Get_Right said:

PJ_Soul said:

Get_Right said:

ponner1us said:

Get_Right said:

It is amazing how naive and uninformed many fans are about ticket pricing and the concert industry, and how much has changed since the band took on ticketmaster 30 years ago!  The band could charge much more than $185 if they really wanted to be greedy. The non-10C high prices you see now will be adjusted to reflect true demand as the shows get closer. This is the new reality, micro management of each individual seat. Do not buy now, but there is no guarantee prices will go down for high demand shows. When I have had to bite the bullet, it was a decent seat for MSG around $500.

Yes, most of us are bumbling idiots, thank you for the expansive education, it was very enlightening. I feel as if I now understand all of the intricacies involved in the current pricing system. I had no idea that capitalism, free market, and supply & demand were all factors to consider… Wow!!!

Free market has nothing to do with it. And yes, many people are just bashing the band without knowing the real reason why tickets are more expensive. And they cannot cite one band other than the Cure that is not charging more for their tickets.

What? I can site every band I've ever seen at the same local venue. I have literally never been to a show there where the worst upper level tickets were set at $208 face value. It is an insane price.

There must be some accounting involved where it makes more financial sense for the band to offer tickets at the same price across the venue, but we will never get visibility to those numbers. 

Virtually every other arena and stadium event uses a range of prices across the venue. Extremely doubtful that PJ has an accounting method that shows a single price makes more financial sense 

It is extremely likely that there are accounting calculations to determine the revenue derived from fixed price ticket sales, regardless of level. No question about it. And then there are accounting forecasts from what might be realized from premium/dynamic pricing.  Do you think there is no discussion of revenue calculations in contract negotiations?

Having discussions and a calculation that shows what is optimal financially are two different things. The fact that PJ is pretty much the only example of uniform pricing for a 15,000+ person venue is pretty strong evidence that it is not the optimal financial strategy. As someone else mentioned, it may be what they determined is the best method to keep prices lower across the board -- i.e., if they reduced the price of the uppers, they'd have to raise the price of the lowers. It seems that they prioritized that goal over what was optimal financially. 

It is not about what is optimal financially, otherwise prices would be even higher.  It is about hitting a revenue target AND keeping prices lower across the board. That my friend is an accounting calculation. It always comes down to money and the amount of money to be made is calculated by accountants.

Shibari

“All the members of Pearl Jam remember what it’s like to be young and not have a lot of money,” Stone Gossard told lawmakers. “Many Pearl Jam fans are teenagers that do not have the money to pay $30 or more that is often charged for tickets today. It is well known in our industry that some portion of the service charges Ticketmaster collects on its sale of tickets is distributed back to the promoters and the venues. It is this incestuous relationship and the lack of any national competition for Ticketmaster that has created this situation we’re dealing with today.”

Quote Stone Gossard

Stone Gossard continued, “As a result, our band which is concerned with keeping the price of tickets low will almost always be in conflict with Ticketmaster, which has every incentive to try to find ways to increase the price of the ticket it sells.”

When you are corrupted by money you forget the statements you once made


and again, no one expects prices like they were 20 years ago. Attitude was once a trademark of the band, the emphasis is on "was"

BF25394

Shibari said:

“All the members of Pearl Jam remember what it’s like to be young and not have a lot of money,” Stone Gossard told lawmakers. “Many Pearl Jam fans are teenagers that do not have the money to pay $30 or more that is often charged for tickets today. It is well known in our industry that some portion of the service charges Ticketmaster collects on its sale of tickets is distributed back to the promoters and the venues. It is this incestuous relationship and the lack of any national competition for Ticketmaster that has created this situation we’re dealing with today.”

Quote Stone Gossard

Stone Gossard continued, “As a result, our band which is concerned with keeping the price of tickets low will almost always be in conflict with Ticketmaster, which has every incentive to try to find ways to increase the price of the ticket it sells.”

When you are corrupted by money you forget the statements you once made

Yes, because the value of the dollar and the nature of the music industry and the revenue it generates are exactly the same as they were in 1994. Also, people who were teenagers in 1994 are still teenagers in 2024.

SHZA

Lerxst1992 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

Using the ticket master filters, I see no difference between the “Standard” and “PJ Premium” prices.  The only difference is seat location.  Searching Sacramento and Los Angeles, the cheapest “standard” tickets were uppers for $175 plus fees.  All lowers were priced close $500 and up.  As best I can tell, the high $400 range is the starting “face value” price for any section were you would actually want to sit.  Am I wrong?  Did any person buy lower bowl seats for less than $500 per ticket with fees?

Everyone who won in the lottery got lower bowl seats for $185 per ticket with fees, which is the "Standard" price.

You say you don't see a difference but then say you see "standard" for $175 and "premium" for $400+. How is that not a difference between standard and premium pricing? 

The “standard” price for lower bowl starts around $470 and goes to to roughly $900 or more.  But you answered my question about 10 club seats in the lower section.  I was genuinely confused because I got 10 Club waitlist and then got off the waitlist.  My 10 Club code gave me the privilege of buying a single lower bowl seat in the range of $500 to $900 with fees and tax. 

The $470-$900 prices aren't standard though. Anything above $185 is "PJ Premium." If you only saw high-priced tickets in the lower bowl, that just means standards are currently sold out.  

I think the fan club misses the picture the harmful impact of Pearl Jam’s economic policies in whole.

Selling its most valuable products, GA and best seats, at way below FMV is a price control. This drives up prices that are not being controlled 

that’s why PJ premium, and  stub hub, seat geek, for PJ are so out of line with comparable concerts. 

Also, guaranteeing a subset of fans this premium product for below cost, drives up demand in their class of consumers as well. Fans are going to see five to ten shows that they normally would not invest in, of prices weren’t under control.

. As these fans will invest in airfare, hotels, etc for additional shows they would normally not see, because they know they are getting something worth $1000 for $180. This drives down supply which ALSO increases prices of the FMV tickets, AKA PJ Premium.

 

True. The newer 10c members who wind up with $175 upper level tickets are also subsidizing the members who land $185 GAs and prime seats.

Shibari

BF25394 said:

Shibari said:

“All the members of Pearl Jam remember what it’s like to be young and not have a lot of money,” Stone Gossard told lawmakers. “Many Pearl Jam fans are teenagers that do not have the money to pay $30 or more that is often charged for tickets today. It is well known in our industry that some portion of the service charges Ticketmaster collects on its sale of tickets is distributed back to the promoters and the venues. It is this incestuous relationship and the lack of any national competition for Ticketmaster that has created this situation we’re dealing with today.”

Quote Stone Gossard

Stone Gossard continued, “As a result, our band which is concerned with keeping the price of tickets low will almost always be in conflict with Ticketmaster, which has every incentive to try to find ways to increase the price of the ticket it sells.”

When you are corrupted by money you forget the statements you once made

Yes, because the value of the dollar and the nature of the music industry and the revenue it generates are exactly the same as they were in 1994. Also, people who were teenagers in 1994 are still teenagers in 2024.

No, most Pearl Jam fans are well over 40. They also earn more and can afford more than they did 30 years ago. But back then it was all about affordable tickets. That's why poorer people could and can see the shows. This doesn't concern me personally. I could afford several shows, but I don't support these criminals from Ticketmaster and see it like back then. Art has to be affordable for everyone and this path that the band itself once took... with their TM lawsuit... they are now leaving it. That's what I'm criticizing. and please excuse my bad English

Get_Right

SHZA said:

Lerxst1992 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

Using the ticket master filters, I see no difference between the “Standard” and “PJ Premium” prices.  The only difference is seat location.  Searching Sacramento and Los Angeles, the cheapest “standard” tickets were uppers for $175 plus fees.  All lowers were priced close $500 and up.  As best I can tell, the high $400 range is the starting “face value” price for any section were you would actually want to sit.  Am I wrong?  Did any person buy lower bowl seats for less than $500 per ticket with fees?

Everyone who won in the lottery got lower bowl seats for $185 per ticket with fees, which is the "Standard" price.

You say you don't see a difference but then say you see "standard" for $175 and "premium" for $400+. How is that not a difference between standard and premium pricing? 

The “standard” price for lower bowl starts around $470 and goes to to roughly $900 or more.  But you answered my question about 10 club seats in the lower section.  I was genuinely confused because I got 10 Club waitlist and then got off the waitlist.  My 10 Club code gave me the privilege of buying a single lower bowl seat in the range of $500 to $900 with fees and tax. 

The $470-$900 prices aren't standard though. Anything above $185 is "PJ Premium." If you only saw high-priced tickets in the lower bowl, that just means standards are currently sold out.  

I think the fan club misses the picture the harmful impact of Pearl Jam’s economic policies in whole.

Selling its most valuable products, GA and best seats, at way below FMV is a price control. This drives up prices that are not being controlled 

that’s why PJ premium, and  stub hub, seat geek, for PJ are so out of line with comparable concerts. 

Also, guaranteeing a subset of fans this premium product for below cost, drives up demand in their class of consumers as well. Fans are going to see five to ten shows that they normally would not invest in, of prices weren’t under control.

. As these fans will invest in airfare, hotels, etc for additional shows they would normally not see, because they know they are getting something worth $1000 for $180. This drives down supply which ALSO increases prices of the FMV tickets, AKA PJ Premium.

 

True. The newer 10c members who wind up with $175 upper level tickets are also subsidizing the members who land $185 GAs and prime seats.

I've been in the 10C 25+ years and i went for the $175 seats at MSG because I knew there would be less demand. I got great seats! Going for P2 was the smart move for MSG.

SHZA

Get_Right said:

SHZA said:

Lerxst1992 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

Using the ticket master filters, I see no difference between the “Standard” and “PJ Premium” prices.  The only difference is seat location.  Searching Sacramento and Los Angeles, the cheapest “standard” tickets were uppers for $175 plus fees.  All lowers were priced close $500 and up.  As best I can tell, the high $400 range is the starting “face value” price for any section were you would actually want to sit.  Am I wrong?  Did any person buy lower bowl seats for less than $500 per ticket with fees?

Everyone who won in the lottery got lower bowl seats for $185 per ticket with fees, which is the "Standard" price.

You say you don't see a difference but then say you see "standard" for $175 and "premium" for $400+. How is that not a difference between standard and premium pricing? 

The “standard” price for lower bowl starts around $470 and goes to to roughly $900 or more.  But you answered my question about 10 club seats in the lower section.  I was genuinely confused because I got 10 Club waitlist and then got off the waitlist.  My 10 Club code gave me the privilege of buying a single lower bowl seat in the range of $500 to $900 with fees and tax. 

The $470-$900 prices aren't standard though. Anything above $185 is "PJ Premium." If you only saw high-priced tickets in the lower bowl, that just means standards are currently sold out.  

I think the fan club misses the picture the harmful impact of Pearl Jam’s economic policies in whole.

Selling its most valuable products, GA and best seats, at way below FMV is a price control. This drives up prices that are not being controlled 

that’s why PJ premium, and  stub hub, seat geek, for PJ are so out of line with comparable concerts. 

Also, guaranteeing a subset of fans this premium product for below cost, drives up demand in their class of consumers as well. Fans are going to see five to ten shows that they normally would not invest in, of prices weren’t under control.

. As these fans will invest in airfare, hotels, etc for additional shows they would normally not see, because they know they are getting something worth $1000 for $180. This drives down supply which ALSO increases prices of the FMV tickets, AKA PJ Premium.

 

True. The newer 10c members who wind up with $175 upper level tickets are also subsidizing the members who land $185 GAs and prime seats.

I've been in the 10C 25+ years and i went for the $175 seats at MSG because I knew there would be less demand. I got great seats! Going for P2 was the smart move for MSG.

MSG's a different beast 

Get_Right

SHZA said:

Get_Right said:

SHZA said:

Lerxst1992 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

SHZA said:

NM70698 said:

Using the ticket master filters, I see no difference between the “Standard” and “PJ Premium” prices.  The only difference is seat location.  Searching Sacramento and Los Angeles, the cheapest “standard” tickets were uppers for $175 plus fees.  All lowers were priced close $500 and up.  As best I can tell, the high $400 range is the starting “face value” price for any section were you would actually want to sit.  Am I wrong?  Did any person buy lower bowl seats for less than $500 per ticket with fees?

Everyone who won in the lottery got lower bowl seats for $185 per ticket with fees, which is the "Standard" price.

You say you don't see a difference but then say you see "standard" for $175 and "premium" for $400+. How is that not a difference between standard and premium pricing? 

The “standard” price for lower bowl starts around $470 and goes to to roughly $900 or more.  But you answered my question about 10 club seats in the lower section.  I was genuinely confused because I got 10 Club waitlist and then got off the waitlist.  My 10 Club code gave me the privilege of buying a single lower bowl seat in the range of $500 to $900 with fees and tax. 

The $470-$900 prices aren't standard though. Anything above $185 is "PJ Premium." If you only saw high-priced tickets in the lower bowl, that just means standards are currently sold out.  

I think the fan club misses the picture the harmful impact of Pearl Jam’s economic policies in whole.

Selling its most valuable products, GA and best seats, at way below FMV is a price control. This drives up prices that are not being controlled 

that’s why PJ premium, and  stub hub, seat geek, for PJ are so out of line with comparable concerts. 

Also, guaranteeing a subset of fans this premium product for below cost, drives up demand in their class of consumers as well. Fans are going to see five to ten shows that they normally would not invest in, of prices weren’t under control.

. As these fans will invest in airfare, hotels, etc for additional shows they would normally not see, because they know they are getting something worth $1000 for $180. This drives down supply which ALSO increases prices of the FMV tickets, AKA PJ Premium.

 

True. The newer 10c members who wind up with $175 upper level tickets are also subsidizing the members who land $185 GAs and prime seats.

I've been in the 10C 25+ years and i went for the $175 seats at MSG because I knew there would be less demand. I got great seats! Going for P2 was the smart move for MSG.

MSG's a different beast 

We can agree on that!

BF25394

Shibari said:

BF25394 said:

Shibari said:

“All the members of Pearl Jam remember what it’s like to be young and not have a lot of money,” Stone Gossard told lawmakers. “Many Pearl Jam fans are teenagers that do not have the money to pay $30 or more that is often charged for tickets today. It is well known in our industry that some portion of the service charges Ticketmaster collects on its sale of tickets is distributed back to the promoters and the venues. It is this incestuous relationship and the lack of any national competition for Ticketmaster that has created this situation we’re dealing with today.”

Quote Stone Gossard

Stone Gossard continued, “As a result, our band which is concerned with keeping the price of tickets low will almost always be in conflict with Ticketmaster, which has every incentive to try to find ways to increase the price of the ticket it sells.”

When you are corrupted by money you forget the statements you once made

Yes, because the value of the dollar and the nature of the music industry and the revenue it generates are exactly the same as they were in 1994. Also, people who were teenagers in 1994 are still teenagers in 2024.

No, most Pearl Jam fans are well over 40. They also earn more and can afford more than they did 30 years ago. But back then it was all about affordable tickets. That's why poorer people could and can see the shows. This doesn't concern me personally. I could afford several shows, but I don't support these criminals from Ticketmaster and see it like back then. Art has to be affordable for everyone and this path that the band itself once took... with their TM lawsuit... they are now leaving it. That's what I'm criticizing. and please excuse my bad English

Thank you for clarifying for me that people age. I must not have been thinking clearly when I suggested otherwise. My excuse is that it's my wedding day and it's raining, and there are spoons everywhere. A knife, a knife, my kingdom for a knife!

bootleg

My thought is there was likely some negotiation that had to take place to be able to get as many fanclub tickets as possible.  Ticketmaster has been trying to wrestle back fan club allotments for the past 20 years.  Almost all of the venues are in business with Ticketmaster so you can just say give us every seat or we’ll play somewhere else.  It didn’t work out great when they tried that on the No Code tour.  So they have to negotiate.  TM prob says we will give you this many fan club tix but we want 10% to be PJ premium and so they sign off on it.  By all accounts it seems like a ton of the best tix are still going to fan club members.

Now the standard pricing I think could use a little work.  Who knows what goes into determining the price but I think they could alleviate some of the issues by having more pricing tiers.  A GA ticket should cost more than one on the back of the floor or lower bowl.  An upper deck ticket should cost less.  So split that into 4 or more tiers.  Make GA 250 a ticket, Front lowers 200, back lowers 150, upper deck 100 etc… however the math ends up working out.  Let people pick which levels they are comfortable paying up to and whatever level you end up getting in the lotto that’s what you pay.  I think a lot of people didn’t pick P2 as an option in the drawing because either 1 they didn’t want to pay almost the same price for an upper deck ticket as a GA ticket or 2 because they just assumed they would find a better ticket in the regular or fan to fan sale and it could become difficult to offload a P2 ticket if the demand wasn’t high enough because you can’t sell for a loss.  F2F is a nice option to have but should also be able to let people sell for less than what they paid if the demand for their show isn’t as high as others.

efroten2

bootleg said:

My thought is there was likely some negotiation that had to take place to be able to get as many fanclub tickets as possible.  Ticketmaster has been trying to wrestle back fan club allotments for the past 20 years.  Almost all of the venues are in business with Ticketmaster so you can just say give us every seat or we’ll play somewhere else.  It didn’t work out great when they tried that on the No Code tour.  So they have to negotiate.  TM prob says we will give you this many fan club tix but we want 10% to be PJ premium and so they sign off on it.  By all accounts it seems like a ton of the best tix are still going to fan club members.

Now the standard pricing I think could use a little work.  Who knows what goes into determining the price but I think they could alleviate some of the issues by having more pricing tiers.  A GA ticket should cost more than one on the back of the floor or lower bowl.  An upper deck ticket should cost less.  So split that into 4 or more tiers.  Make GA 250 a ticket, Front lowers 200, back lowers 150, upper deck 100 etc… however the math ends up working out.  Let people pick which levels they are comfortable paying up to and whatever level you end up getting in the lotto that’s what you pay.  I think a lot of people didn’t pick P2 as an option in the drawing because either 1 they didn’t want to pay almost the same price for an upper deck ticket as a GA ticket or 2 because they just assumed they would find a better ticket in the regular or fan to fan sale and it could become difficult to offload a P2 ticket if the demand wasn’t high enough because you can’t sell for a loss.  F2F is a nice option to have but should also be able to let people sell for less than what they paid if the demand for their show isn’t as high as others.

I've often wondered if they have to do some sort of deal with TM in order secure enough fanclub seats per show. Does any other band have a similar fanclub structure to PJ?

And I totally agree they should start staggering the prices based on seat location. It shouldn't be almost $200 for upper desk AND up front.

Zod

BF25394 said:

Shibari said:

“All the members of Pearl Jam remember what it’s like to be young and not have a lot of money,” Stone Gossard told lawmakers. “Many Pearl Jam fans are teenagers that do not have the money to pay $30 or more that is often charged for tickets today. It is well known in our industry that some portion of the service charges Ticketmaster collects on its sale of tickets is distributed back to the promoters and the venues. It is this incestuous relationship and the lack of any national competition for Ticketmaster that has created this situation we’re dealing with today.”

Quote Stone Gossard

Stone Gossard continued, “As a result, our band which is concerned with keeping the price of tickets low will almost always be in conflict with Ticketmaster, which has every incentive to try to find ways to increase the price of the ticket it sells.”

When you are corrupted by money you forget the statements you once made

Yes, because the value of the dollar and the nature of the music industry and the revenue it generates are exactly the same as they were in 1994. Also, people who were teenagers in 1994 are still teenagers in 2024.

Yah.  A $200cdn ticket to me now, hurts less than tickets I bought in my youth.  I remember Seattle 2000 being particularly rough on me, The Candian dollar was in the gutter, so it was 1.60 for a USD, so those tickets cost a lot to a university student with minimum income.

Now? eh....