There is a story about two guys walking thru the woods when a Grizzly Bear appears thru the trees ahead of them. One of the men opens up his backpack, removes his hiking sandals and puts on his running shoes. The other man notices this and say’s “What are you thinking, you can’t outrun that bear” to which the man responded, “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!”
So let’s pretend that the “Recession” is the Grizzly Bear for a moment and talk about how ticket sales for summer concerts are alarmingly low.
There are a million theories as to why, but the most common is that it’s the economy.
I won’t argue that the economy is not contributing, however, I would bet it has more to do with a few of the following.
1) Class System
The first 10 rows of concerts were once filled with people who camped out to get tickets and they provided a bit of the entertainment during the show for the others. It kind of made you feel better about being there because you saw a group of people so excited right in front of you. Now those people are sitting behind rows of executives with their kids who spend the whole time texting and talking. At some point, even the most passionate people’s enthusiasm will dampen if they are separated from their musical heroes by a wall of ungrateful privileged people. Kind of like having the children sit on the couch while their parents surround the tree and open presents on Christmas morning. The people who are the most excited and appreciative should be in the front. By the way, artists I have spoken with find it harder to put on a great show when the energy in the front rows is not there.
What if we offered the best seats to people based on how many shows they had attended and music they had purchased?
2) Groundhog Day Show
Have you ever gone to a show and seen the band play the identical set list and say the same “genuine” things between songs? It’s one of the biggest “buzz kills” in the music business. I bet 15-25% of every audience comes to more than one show.
If you knew you could please that many people by rehearsing a couple different songs at sound check and giving some thought to what you say between songs, you probably would.
3) Just like the CD
No one goes home from a concert and emails all their friends to say that the band sounded just like the album. If people rave about the show, it’s probably because the artist did something “Spontaneous” or “Collaborated” with the opener. The Barenaked Ladies used to make up a song for each town and played it each night. People went nuts! It was usually a mess with a couple moments of genius but it was real. Brandi Carlile puts down her guitar and walks to the front of the stage and sings a song without any amplification.
That’s what people go home and tell their friends about.
4) Movie Theater Pricing
The reason popcorn and drinks are so expensive at movie theatres is because the film companies take most of the gate receipts. The same thing happens at concerts. Some artists demand 115% of the gross receipts from a show so the promoter has no choice but to charge $8 for a beer. We all have our threshold and I have to think that people are having a hard time prioritizing $8 for a beer.
How about we align interests and look at the ticket price, parking fees & concessions as one economy and negotiate a split between the artist & promoter based on overall success?
We will never be able to outrun the bear but we can certainly outrun the competition.
Andy