| | Headline | High Ticket prices |
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| Author | Comment | Søren
Nov-30-2005, 10:29 GMT
IP:
Denmark
 | Hi all. This is kind of off topic, but still with some relevance,I guess.
I remember there was a lot of talk of the very high ticket prices on the Old Friends Tour. Now, I´m a long time Billy Joel fan (of his early stuff, I might add!) and recently found out that he is about to go on his first solo tour in many years. For the fun of it I was checking out the ticket prices on his shows at MSG, where he has three shows.
I was shocked!!!
Take a look for yourself at http://www.madison-square-gardens.com/
Note that this is the official ticket sale! The lowest price I could find at all was $130, and that´s for a seat behind the stage just below the ceiling. For a just half descent seat with front to the stage and at normal altitudes you will have to pay at least $300!
Well, there goes my plans of taking my girl to NY for a great concert.
Let´s hope this trend will not be continued on the PS tour coming up within the end of this decade (we all hope!). If this is the price level we can expect in the futute I guess we should all start saving... | | | | Klausi
Nov-30-2005, 10:57 GMT
IP:
Germany
 | If the new PS-album is not a big success, that means, if it will be like YTO, selling about 1 or 1,5 million units worldwide, we have this problem "only" in the US and UK.
Or, if he plays at small places of up to 3.000 people.
Last prices in Germany were 90 Euro in Hamburg 2000 (sold out) and about 60 Euro in 2002 at larger places, not sold out, you could get the tickets cheaper at ebay.
So, in this respect we Europeans are in a better position than the people in the US and UK (which does not belong to Europe for most of their inhabitants - or only, if they can get money from the EU). | | | | Søren
Nov-30-2005, 11:39 GMT
IP:
Denmark
| You are fortunately right about that, Klausi. Even the Old Friends tour concert here in denmark was not too expensive (under 70 euros for standing right in front of the stage!). The problem is, as you say, that at places where the demand for tickets is high, the artist (or their promoters/managers/tour holders perhaps) just seem to have no decency left, whatsoever. I mean, $130 for a seat directly behind the stage so high that you need a pair of binoculars to even see the piano man´s piano! Come on, they should be giving them away for no more than $50! ;) | | | | Bodo
Nov-30-2005, 12:23 GMT
IP:
Austria
 | I´m happy we live in Europe, the ticket prices are really very different here from country to country.
Example - the S&G concert in Germany costed around 150 - 180 Euros in 2004 - and in Switzerland 60 Euros.
I don´t know why it is allowed in the usa to sell tickets official overpriced, there are hundreds of companies doing that, they earn thousands of Dollars on these tickets, and they haven´t done anything.
I think this problem counts especially for the USA because the difference between rich and poor is so big. For rich people it is nothing to pay 200 or 300$ for a ticket, and the mass has to buy the 50$ tickets somewhere behind the stage.
Concerts should be held at open football fields, everyone has to stand (thats possible for 2 hours) and all tickets should cost the same.
The really sad thing is that musicians will not come if the people pay not enough. Paul or S&G will never come to Eastern European countries - well they will even not come to Spain, because people there will not pay 70 Euros for a ticket.
In Rome the city paid for the last Paul Simon and S&G concert (free does not mean that THEY are doing it for free, the city paid the full concert)... the culture-minister there is maybe a fan...
I guess the last Paul 2002 tour in Germany was a dissaster for Marek Lieberg, who manages the German tour.
Paul get´s 300.000 USD cash for every show and most of the venues weren´t sold out.
I can´t remember the ticket prices all, but for me Munich was the most expensive (75 euros), Berlin costed around 45 Euros, and I think Hamburg was also something like that - I think 56),
I bought the Hamburg tickets on ebay and got them very cheap (one of the advantages of Paul Simon...no one knows him)
But Paul isn´t that big seller, I think he will not cost much more in the next years. But it could happen that he will not come anylonger if no one is going to pay him his 300.000 USD :-)
| | | | Klausi
Dec-01-2005, 09:40 GMT
IP:
Germany
| I agree to some points and disagree to others. Paul Simon once said, that playing at large places is a crime for the music because of the bad sound.
Before the Graceland-Tour he mostly played at small places and made losses, knowing that before. Concerts were more important for album-promoting than today. Of course he played Madison Square Garden 1n New York in 1976 because of the huge demand. But in 1980 he played three nights at Hammersmith Odeon in London instead of one time at a large place.
Today concerts are a more important source of income. I think, having lost about 5 to 10 Million Dollars with a musical gives Simon the right, to make as much money as he can.
He was always keen to be paid high, because it is also a sign for the quality of what he is doing.
And Nobody in the 60`s and 70`s could expect to have such a huge income longer than, let`s say, a basket-ball-player or a tennis-crack.
And we only remember the big successes, not the guys like Jonah Levin.
The easiest way to make money is playing Las Vegas every night with the same band, no travelling, always sold out, ticket prices of 300 or 500 Dollars.
Hope Simon will never do that.
| | | | Bodo
Dec-01-2005, 10:07 GMT
IP:
Austria
| I think this must be the most boring thing a musician could do...not only boring, also you loose your creativety then.
Celine Dion was/is doing that... ?
Someone must be in serious trouble (money...drugs) before he plays every night in Las Vegas :-) They even write in the tourist brochures that you should leave Las Vegas after 2 days... | | | | Søren
Dec-01-2005, 13:48 GMT
IP:
Denmark
| If Celine Dion is playing there every night, I´m not sure I would come in first place ;-) | | | | Nathgertsch
Dec-01-2005, 17:55 GMT
IP:
France
 | But if she could remain in Las Vegas for the rest of her life and doesn´t come to France anymore, I would thank her !! ;-) | | | | Marieno
Dec-01-2005, 18:27 GMT
IP:
France
| Amen, Nath... | | | | Bodo
Dec-01-2005, 22:42 GMT
IP:
Austria
| I´ve just found that
http://www.paul-simon.info/PHP/showpic.php?id=740&
amp;name=740_berkeleyticket.jpg
Look at this ticket prices, 20 USD, Orchestra seating...
And now, 18 years later, 200$ :-) | | | | Bodo
Dec-01-2005, 22:43 GMT
IP:
Austria
| Ok, and thats the real funny part
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/CatalogDetail.aspx?I
temNumber=BCT870227&ProductTypeID=T8&Categ
oryID=&Pos=73&Total=171&KeySetID=6c002
53b-7d7a-40e5-8786-672a1cf46c59
They want to sell this paper now for 19$ :-) So they only loos, 1$ :-) | | | | Klausi
Dec-02-2005, 07:58 GMT
IP:
Germany
| "200 Dollars that`s the price on the street, if you wanna get some quality..."
I would be prepaired to pay 100 Dollars for the original ticket Paul Simon got in the railway station in "Homeward Bound".
And then sell it at ebay very fast... | | | | |
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