An exclusionary ticket policy?

HailHailLeatherman · July 2008

gettingright wrote:

if pj charged me $300/ticket, i would still consider it a bargin....

Uhhhhh, let's not get too nuts here.

pjalive21 · July 2008

we are paying for all the good that was done earlier by the band when they lost alot of money keeping tickets prices low and they had noone but themselves to take care of

now they have families and need money, so they are making up for all the years they missed out on the cash flow

it is, what it is

i will say i bought tickets to Ed's solo show, but 85 bucks a pop is a little steep for just him

John Budge · July 2008

Kel Varnsen wrote:

It is true bands make very little of the money that is paid for a CD. But at the same time PJ CD sales have gone down drastically. Ten sold over 9 million copies, VS around 6. "Pearl Jam" on the other hand sold about 700,000. So even if the band is only making a dollar per cd that is a huge amount of lost revenue (when at the same time their personal and business expenses are going up).

Personally I think it is kind of funny that people are complaining about ticket prices on an INTERNET message board. I mean if someone is in a position where raising ticket prices from $40-$70 could actually hurt them financially, maybe they should get rid of their internet connection. Or maybe they should use some of the time they spend posting message to look for or train for a higher paying job.

But, he wasn't complaining. He was just asking if the band had explained the rise in ticket prices. :rolleyes:

Its Evolution Baby · July 2008

1994: cost of filling up my tank $30
cost of PJ ticket around $30

2008: Cost of Filling up my tank $75
Cost or PJ ticket $75

So a Pearl Jam ticket will always equal a tank of Gas!!!

Bezdelnik · July 2008

Yikes, I'm getting my ass bit off. Let it be known that I live in Michigan, where I have had relatively easy access to all of the recent tours. Let it also be known that I have not had trouble getting/affording tickets. Furthermore, I am lazy and did not bother to look for other threads on the topic.

I was curious if there have been explanations for a number of policies that seem to make it more difficult for the average fan to see a show. This includes price increases, selectivity of venues and a fan club policy that makes it so large numbers of out of towners attend shows (presumably pushing back/out locals). I am troubled by measures that (to me) seem exclusionary and against the previous philosophy of the band.

I still love the band and its their prerogative to charge and do whatever the hell they want. I would certainly feel better about it, however, if they said they were using it for carbon offsetting, charity donating, etc.

CityMouse · July 2008

Bezdelnik wrote:

I was curious if there have been explanations for a number of policies that seem to make it more difficult for the average fan to see a show. This includes price increases, selectivity of venues and a fan club policy that makes it so large numbers of out of towners attend shows (presumably pushing back/out locals). I am troubled by measures that (to me) seem exclusionary and against the previous philosophy of the band.
.

all of the explanations are given here in the responses. the band has not gone against it's previous philosophy in the least- they keep ticket prices down, they make sure fans get the best seats. I thought that's always been their philosophy on these matters.

cincybearcat · July 2008

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

1994: cost of filling up my tank $30
cost of PJ ticket around $30

2008: Cost of Filling up my tank $75
Cost or PJ ticket $75

So a Pearl Jam ticket will always equal a tank of Gas!!!

That's not something I'd want my ticket prices to compare with.

HailHailLeatherman · July 2008

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

1994: cost of filling up my tank $30
cost of PJ ticket around $30

2008: Cost of Filling up my tank $75
Cost or PJ ticket $75

So a Pearl Jam ticket will always equal a tank of Gas!!!

Or you could buy a more fuel efficient car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $75 to fill er up???

JOEJOEJOE · July 2008

Bezdelnik wrote:

Yikes, I'm getting my ass bit off. Let it be known that I live in Michigan, where I have had relatively easy access to all of the recent tours. Let it also be known that I have not had trouble getting/affording tickets. Furthermore, I am lazy and did not bother to look for other threads on the topic.

I was curious if there have been explanations for a number of policies that seem to make it more difficult for the average fan to see a show. This includes price increases, selectivity of venues and a fan club policy that makes it so large numbers of out of towners attend shows (presumably pushing back/out locals). I am troubled by measures that (to me) seem exclusionary and against the previous philosophy of the band.

I still love the band and its their prerogative to charge and do whatever the hell they want. I would certainly feel better about it, however, if they said they were using it for carbon offsetting, charity donating, etc.

Not to get too technical, but people who live in the heavily populated cities that get a lot of concerts are paying a premium to live in said cities.

When living in a less populated city, you usually pay less rent, and the cost of living is much less.

Many people choose to work in a city but live in the suburbs so that they can afford a better house/apartment, however, in exchange for the improved digs, they usually have a longer commute. This is tantamount to living in a small area and being faced with having to travel in order to see a band.

Most businesses will shut-down if their current location is doing poorly. In a sense, PJ has "shut-down" in some cities due to lack of demand. No matter how much they may care about their fans, it wouldn't make sense for them to play a show in an area where not enough people would show up.

mpg82 · July 2008

Smarter_Than_U · July 2008

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

1994: cost of filling up my tank $30
cost of PJ ticket around $30

2008: Cost of Filling up my tank $75
Cost or PJ ticket $75

So a Pearl Jam ticket will always equal a tank of Gas!!!

I am assuming you didn't have a 30 gallon tank in 1994. Gas prices were barely over a dollar a gallon then.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_history.html

Gas has way more than doubled since the early 90s. More like 4X.

Bezdelnik · July 2008

mikeg19_82 wrote:

Now THAT is funny.

Flannel Shirt · July 2008

Hey look people, the tickets are expensive. Simple as that. Especially in todays world. Lets not insult others who find this expensive. I am sure everyone would be on better financial footing if they could be. I paid the 85 bucks for Mansfield and I will again, but I have no problem with people who have issues with the pricing. The points those people make are good points.

This is a band that championed low ticket prices. Their prices are now high compared to other acts. Thats a fact. They held these beliefs 15 years younger, with no families, and a giant record company behind them, whey they were at the height of their popularity. Things change.

All that's sacred, comes from youth
Dedication, naive and true
With no power, and fuckin' nothing to do
I still remember, why don't you...don't you...

CityMouse · July 2008

Flannel Shirt wrote:

Hey look people, the tickets are expensive. Simple as that. Especially in todays world. Lets not insult others who find this expensive. I am sure everyone would be on better financial footing if they could be. I paid the 85 bucks for Mansfield and I will again, but I have no problem with people who have issues with the pricing. The points those people make are good points.

This is a band that championed low ticket prices. Their prices are now high compared to other acts. Thats a fact. They held these beliefs 15 years younger, with no families, and a giant record company behind them, whey they were at the height of their popularity. Things change.

All that's sacred, comes from youth
Dedication, naive and true
With no power, and fuckin' nothing to do
I still remember, why don't you...don't you...

yeah but the tickets being expensive aren't a complaint to direct at the band, it's a complaint against the entire state of the economy (or at least the live music business as a whole). In the face of that, the band is doing a great job at keeping them as low as possible. That's how much tickets cost now, and it's on the low end. No one is denying that concert tickets are expensive, but you can't blame the band for that. We're just pointing out that relatively speaking, pearl jam still does a good job keeping prices as low as they can and hasn't gone against what they "used" to stand for.

Kilgore_Trout · July 2008

soon theyll just play las vegas like elton john and celine dion

Cosmo · July 2008

Add in the cost of running a Carbon Neutral Tour... trying to offset the pollution created by the trucks and busses, the use of electricity, etc... It is cheaper to go the pollution route, but better to at least try to do something about our living environment.
And all the people who complain about Fan Members with lower membership numbers... you KNOW they would be hitting as many shows as possible if they had number 42,958 instead of 429,580.

Its Evolution Baby · July 2008

Smarter_Than_U wrote:

I am assuming you didn't have a 30 gallon tank in 1994. Gas prices were barely over a dollar a gallon then.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_history.html

Gas has way more than doubled since the early 90s. More like 4X.

To be honest I wasn't driving until 1997 but I tried to remember what my mom paid!

Plus in CA it does cost around $75 when its $4.50 a gallon. Sometimes it sucks to be a Californian. I guess we pay for the weather.

So honestly a PJ/Eddie ticket is still considered a bargain especially in CA.

Cosmo · July 2008

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

To be honest I wasn't driving until 1997 but I tried to remember what my mom paid!

Plus in CA it does cost around $75 when its $4.50 a gallon. Sometimes it sucks to be a Californian. I guess we pay for the weather.

So honestly a PJ/Eddie ticket is still considered a bargain especially in CA.

...
Yeah... $75.00 to fill the tank of a Durango.
So, i budget in the increased cost and taper back on my luxury items... mostly, driving from Orange County to Hollywood to catch local gigs at small clubs. I still go.. but, have cut back a bit.
I will still go to concerts... another luxury item... but, with the hassles the scalpers are creating on the TicketMaster site.. it makes me less enthusiastic about trying for tickets.
...
And I remember when when a Led Zeppelin ticket cost $8.50... and people complained. It's all relative when it comes to money. People who complain about ticket prices today as compared to 10 year ago really need to understand this one thing... it ain't ten years ago any more.

smokenatree · July 2008

I think it is too much because they also sell bootlegs of their shows and make a boatload of money that way where other bands do not do this. Just my 2 cents.

i am a target · July 2008

cincybearcat wrote:

I agree with this and part of the reason why I've always been against stealing music.

bands make next to nothing on album sales. stealing music increases exposure and allows me to actually give the band money by seeing them play live and paying for merch. if you really wanted to give a band your money you'd buy a cd or lp at the show you went to.

you want a better reason? saturation of the market with shit flavor of the month music.

do a little research. for 500,000 copies sold a band will make on average $100,000

An exclusionary ticket policy?

Comments

Categories