Article by Aaron Porter
Has the music and ticketing industry gone too far? I think to say it has gone to far would imply that they were ever fair, kind, or concerned for the people consuming “their” product. We can talk about median incomes, and how they’ve not only stagnated but fallen. We can also acknowledge that median income does not actually equate to the spending money the average household has today. There was a time in my life that the price of things felt like it made sense, until I realized that the idea of “demand” could be inflated and manipulated to suit the desire of the supplier. With little exception the US has had a poverty rate of constantly above 12%. When you hear that number it doesn’t sound like much, so it’s not that bad. When you consider what it really means is that over 40 million people in the US are experiencing poverty it doesn’t sound quite as good. To put that in even more perspective, the entire population of Chicago is 2.6 million. When you consider the number of people who are one injury, sickness or victim of price gouging directly or indirectly away from becoming another ignored number in that 40 million–I don’t know about you but I don’t sleep quite as well as I used to. To be a bit more specific I think about the countless blues artists I’ve known over the years that have struggled (even with day jobs) to afford the most basic health care.
You may or may not have heard of a couple recent news stories. The Justice Department along with 30 state attorneys are suing Ticketmaster on the basis they are a monopoly. This in the wake of artists like Jenifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, and the Black Keys to name a few have canceled shows due to poor ticket sales. Of course there are any number of reasons that contribute to or cause these issues, I think it’s safe to say we’re getting to the point we’re tapped out-emotionally, physically, and financially. There was a time I’m sure some of us (not me) could spend a thousand dollars for a ticket to see one of our favorite artists; you could say it was a badge of honor or at least bragging rights. I have to wonder, when did we stop wanting to share music with each other? According to census.gov the last 3 years median household income has decreased thousands of dollars a year–all while prices have continued to rise. Still all the while these companies record profits above any they’ve had before. It’s pretty impressive, serving less people but making more money. It’s almost as if they’re saying only the chosen few will be allowed to have, or to see works of art. Sounds terribly familiar.
It has been said that the price of a thing determines the value of the thing, not the quality of it mind you, just the actual monetary value given to the thing. I’m sure you’ve been to a museum or art gallery and thought, why is that thing $5000, there’s two answers to that question, the first is, the artist has developed a skill like, not unlike a plumber or electrician over years of study, trial and error and dedication. The other reason of course is “because” which seems to have eclipsed the former reason. Mind you, most artists, have nothing to do with the reason because, 90% of artists are low income, and trying to make ends meet. We don't sit behind close doors twirling our mustaches and counting our big bucks.
What’s the point of over pricing and price gouging? What is the end game? If only the very wealthy can afford to purchase anything, who benefits? Looking at Stub Hub for some of the “superstar” tickets they started at $400. To put that into perspective, Buddy Shows start at $50 in most venues. You could also see roughly 20(ish) shows at Legends. We offer 2 live bands every night we’re open for fifteen to twenty five dollars for music that’s every bit as good as many of these bands. If we were just paying for the ticket to see the show that would be one thing, but with the fee’s, the hotel/motel, possibly Holiday Inn, will you, or do you have money left over for dinner? Look its every artists prerogative to charge what they want, but with the ticket companies pilling on fee after fee, I have to wonder how long can this business model sustain itself? Do these companies really think we should go into debt to hear live music?
I could lie and say I’m not trying to tell you what to do with your money, I am, why wouldn’t I, everyone else has an opinion. It’s up to us to make the ticket companies and the record labels change, no one will do it for us. The only way to do that is to support small venues, buy tickets at the door and skip the over priced concerts. Look, this is not some poor attempt at marketing, we’ve had these shows since long before I came along, but the artists that are performing right now in these smaller venues are so impressive and talented. I’m not just saying come to Legends, I’m saying go to any small venue. Any of them, because I’ll be god damned if I’m going to keep letting companies tell us what something is worth. I’m not about to pay $5 for one red pepper when they’re pocketing $4.95 of that, and neither should you. - Porter
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