The whole process of going to a concert has always fascinated me. I go to so many that I have to budget and plan just to see a few major headliners each year. This last year I went to see Green Day for the 6th time. Tickets for the seats were around $60 for the closest seating area and around $30 for the lawn at the Superpages Center in Dallas. Upgrades to "VIP" seating was an extra $25 for seats directly in the middle of the seating area, food and beverage service, and reclining padded seats. For a fan like me, the extra $30 to $55 dollars seems like a great deal. For someone who might be seeing their first concert, it can seem like a money pit.
Ticket sales have declined with the economy, but the prices continue to climb. There's always something more you can purchase with your ticket. The Dallas House Of Blues offers VIP wristbands that can give you perks like food, drinks, and meet-and-greets. You don't even have to be someone special or smooth to get back stage, you can just pay more money to get access. While the perks seem like endless possibilities for profit, the venues are also out to get your money. While food and beverages are always high, you can also pay to cut in line and get in the venue before everyone else.
For fans like you and me, there's not much we can do to counteract this kind of gouging, except maybe sneaking in our own snacks and beverages or skipping the concert all together. Bands that are just starting out have a harder time touring independently now more than ever. This is a problem that the music industry seems to ignore and creates panic in artists to pick up the slacking ticket sales.
Interesting perspective about concertgoing. I too, am an avid concert attendee. When I first started going to concerts, there were not a lot of options as far as amenities go. But nowadays, concert promoters have figured out as many different revenue streams as possible (as they should). It is extremely important to figure out as many different ways of generating sales because with additional revenue streams, it helps keep the ticket prices down.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great insight!