40 replies to this topic

[Tony]

so i logged in this morning to buy presale tickets to see beck at dodge theater. i generally don't like going there, but i figured if i had great seats to see beck (who i haven't seen before) i could overlook it.

the tickets are $42.50 each, which i think is pretty steep. again, willing to overlook it.

i entered my order and learned there is a $9 per ticket convenience fee.

so my 2 tickets had an extra $18 surcharge.

then a $5.50 order processing fee.

so my $85 order had an additional $23.50 in fees. this is a little over 27%.

am i out of my fucking mind in thinking that this is a little ridiculous?

i decided not to go see beck.

[unluckycharm]

give the finger to the rock and roll singer as he dances upon your paycheck ....

[eraser]

I hate ticket fees, too, it's pretty ridiculous and I actually think people would be slightly more will to pay (if they're able) whatever the resultant price was from all of those fees if they were just put up front instead of looking like all of those ridiculous fees are tacked on.

One thing I found out is that in some cases it's the venue and how their pricing is set up that has more of an effect on those fees.

We had to use Ticketmaster for the Phoenix Improv Festival. I absolutely hated the idea, but because it was held at the Herberger and they only use Ticketmaster, I had to choke down my bile for those bastards.

At least in the our case / Herberger's case, the ticketmaster handling fee was surprisingly minimal and was supposed to not be reflected at all in the ultimate price.

Our tickets were supposed to be $15 each, no fees reflected at all. Because of how the Herberger's website / ticket system is set up, though, they had our tickets listed at $12 and then when people bought them they would get charged a $3 fee per ticket. So, it looked like they were getting hit with a 25% surcharge. It's really dumb and now I'm feeling that anger over it bubble up again.

[Quezo]

It's really dumb and now I'm feeling that anger over it bubble up again.

Simmer down Bruce Banner! I'm too young to die~!

[donald]

Onetime I saw Beck for Free at Gammage,
the Flaming Lips opened up for them.


I was at casey moores and Bobby L. just finished watching the flaming lips and asked me if I wanted to see beck, I said yes, he said here are my tickets I saw what I wanted.

I missed the flaming lips, but I got to see beck, he was amazing.

[hunter]

Paying more than 15 bucks for a show is stupid. Any more than 10 for a local show is stupid (and they'd have to have some really good bands, not ones that play every week.)

Though, a lot of people don't realize, bands and music scenes revolve mostly around money. Very few are in it for the "artistic" purpose. Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album to make more money, it's all about money. Shrug.

[innerear]

Paying more than 15 bucks for a show is stupid. Any more than 10 for a local show is stupid (and they'd have to have some really good bands, not ones that play every week.)

Though, a lot of people don't realize, bands and music scenes revolve mostly around music. Very few are in it for the "artistic" purpose. Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album, it's all about money. Shrug.

Because recording a record has no "artistic" purpose?
What a stupid thing for bands to spend money on.

[hunter]

Paying more than 15 bucks for a show is stupid. Any more than 10 for a local show is stupid (and they'd have to have some really good bands, not ones that play every week.)

Though, a lot of people don't realize, bands and music scenes revolve mostly around music. Very few are in it for the "artistic" purpose. Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album, it's all about money. Shrug.

Because recording a record has no "artistic" purpose?
What a stupid thing for bands to spend money on.

I've recorded quite a few albums in my day and I've never approached them as works of art -- and I'm a pretty devoted musician. I just don't think music turns out to be "works of art" more often than not, especially with punk, indie, metal, etc. Sure it was cool to make an album but it was a tool to make money to try and live off of. And let's be honest, most of the VGM albums aren't really "works" of art.

And nobody is saying how bands spend their money is stupid. I'm just saying, it's all about the money and we shouldn't be surprised at all these fees.

[innerear]

Paying more than 15 bucks for a show is stupid. Any more than 10 for a local show is stupid (and they'd have to have some really good bands, not ones that play every week.)

Though, a lot of people don't realize, bands and music scenes revolve mostly around music. Very few are in it for the "artistic" purpose. Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album, it's all about money. Shrug.

Because recording a record has no "artistic" purpose?
What a stupid thing for bands to spend money on.

I've recorded quite a few albums in my day and I've never approached them as works of art -- and I'm a pretty devoted musician. I just don't think music turns out to be "works of art" more often than not, especially with punk, indie, metal, etc. Sure it was cool to make an album but it was a tool to make money to try and live off of. And let's be honest, most of the VGM albums aren't really "works" of art.

And nobody is saying how bands spend their money is stupid. I'm just saying, it's all about the money and we shouldn't be surprised at all these fees.

The fees that are being spoken of are not going to the band. So what your saying anyways is completely irrelavent.
And honestly the majority of bands/musicians I know play shows and tour just so they can keep making records because they feel that is part of the art they make. The profit off of records is nothing.
Things are changing now because the cost of touring is so much more then it ever has been. So I wouldn't be suprised at ticket prices going up but not the ticket fees.

[hunter]

Paying more than 15 bucks for a show is stupid. Any more than 10 for a local show is stupid (and they'd have to have some really good bands, not ones that play every week.)

Though, a lot of people don't realize, bands and music scenes revolve mostly around music. Very few are in it for the "artistic" purpose. Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album, it's all about money. Shrug.

Because recording a record has no "artistic" purpose?
What a stupid thing for bands to spend money on.

I've recorded quite a few albums in my day and I've never approached them as works of art -- and I'm a pretty devoted musician. I just don't think music turns out to be "works of art" more often than not, especially with punk, indie, metal, etc. Sure it was cool to make an album but it was a tool to make money to try and live off of. And let's be honest, most of the VGM albums aren't really "works" of art.

And nobody is saying how bands spend their money is stupid. I'm just saying, it's all about the money and we shouldn't be surprised at all these fees.

The fees that are being spoken of are not going to the band. So what your saying anyways is completely irrelavent.
And honestly the majority of bands/musicians I know play shows and tour just so they can keep making records because they feel that is part of the art they make. The profit off of records is nothing.
Things are changing now because the cost of touring is so much more then it ever has been. So I wouldn't be suprised at ticket prices going up but not the ticket fees.

Music is a business. Venues aren't in the business of art. They're in the business to make money and F over musicians and give them as little as possible.

It's all very relevant.

[bob]

though, as inner ear says, it's not relevant to the topic because ticketmasters' fees are not going to anyone playing music, i wanted to politely disagree.

anyone in arizona making music is doing it for the 'art'. maybe there are exceptions like calexico or jimmy eat world. (JEW probably no longer lives in AZ.) if they were writing riffs for money, they'd move to LA, New York or Portland or Seattle. i mean i guess one could argue that the only reason one would live in phoenix is to make a living because who the fuck would want to live there full time? unless you have a terminal phobia of cold weather and parallel parking, but i won't go there. anyways, though i think hunter is right: paying more than 15$ for a show is dumb, and paying more than 10$ for a local show is silly, i can also see the other side. it was 5$ to see a punk show in 1981. how much was gas in 1981? a dollar a gallon? probably less than that. i can understand a band with the pull raising the door price to their shows. and i don't think it necessarily reflects poorly upon them. (and one of my all time favorites is fugazi).

now what ticketmaster does has nothing to do with this and they should probably just die.

[innerear]

Paying more than 15 bucks for a show is stupid. Any more than 10 for a local show is stupid (and they'd have to have some really good bands, not ones that play every week.)

Though, a lot of people don't realize, bands and music scenes revolve mostly around music. Very few are in it for the "artistic" purpose. Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album, it's all about money. Shrug.

Because recording a record has no "artistic" purpose?
What a stupid thing for bands to spend money on.

I've recorded quite a few albums in my day and I've never approached them as works of art -- and I'm a pretty devoted musician. I just don't think music turns out to be "works of art" more often than not, especially with punk, indie, metal, etc. Sure it was cool to make an album but it was a tool to make money to try and live off of. And let's be honest, most of the VGM albums aren't really "works" of art.

And nobody is saying how bands spend their money is stupid. I'm just saying, it's all about the money and we shouldn't be surprised at all these fees.

The fees that are being spoken of are not going to the band. So what your saying anyways is completely irrelavent.
And honestly the majority of bands/musicians I know play shows and tour just so they can keep making records because they feel that is part of the art they make. The profit off of records is nothing.
Things are changing now because the cost of touring is so much more then it ever has been. So I wouldn't be suprised at ticket prices going up but not the ticket fees.

Music is a business. Venues aren't in the business of art. They're in the business to make money and F over musicians and give them as little as possible.

It's all very relevant.

Venues don't get the fees either. You should become more educated on the subject matter before you just bitch to bitch.
Maybe music is business for you but for several other people I know music is art...

[hunter]

I'm not posturing on who gets the fees or where it ultimately goes. I'm simply stating the fact that music in general is a business, and more often than not, it's designed to make as much profit as possible. That's why you can expect high ticket prices and ridiculous surcharges. You can be certain that the people involved in ticket sales aren't breaking even. They're doing it to make money. I'm not certain you have proof to back up your statements that these fees aren't going to Ticketmaster, or the Venue, but whatever. I'll accept your argument that they don't go to venues. (Though if you don't think the venue figures out how much band guarantees are and the services they require then figuring out how to squeeze the most money to make profit out of their ticket sales, then you're just crazy / stupid.)

Doesn't matter WHO is getting the money. All that matters is SOMEONE is getting the money.

I also never said whether or not music was business for me, personally. (To the contrary, I said I was an ardent musician at heart.) However, GENERALLY SPEAKING, MUSIC is a business wherein the goal is to make money. I'm not talking about the stupid local bands who are together for 6 to 12 months and then are never heard of again except for the dumb "WITH EX-MEMBERS OF X_DUMB_BAND" on fliers. Those are the bands who are in it for the art -- yes, because they never go anywhere. (Because being "artistic" isn't in the successful business model.)

[guitarduane]

Onetime I saw Beck for Free at Gammage,
the Flaming Lips opened up for them.


I was at casey moores and Bobby L. just finished watching the flaming lips and asked me if I wanted to see beck, I said yes, he said here are my tickets I saw what I wanted.

I missed the flaming lips, but I got to see beck, he was amazing.

didn't the flamming lips play as beck's band that night? i found out a week after the show i could have gone for free. son of a ...

but i later saw beck for free at the fair, and that was cool.

i'd see beck again for $40. $9 convenience fee! wow.

[innerear]

"I've recorded quite a few albums in my day and I've never approached them as works of art -- and I'm a pretty devoted musician. I just don't think music turns out to be "works of art" more often than not, especially with punk, indie, metal, etc. Sure it was cool to make an album but it was a tool to make money to try and live off of."

Your quote- "a tool to make money"
Sounds like a business plan to me.

I never said ticket master doesn't get the money. I'm not disagreeing that there is a music business I'm just stating that music is music and music business is music business. But your orginal point was that people were involved in music for the financial reward.
"Whether it's buying that round of beers or that T bag of coke, or financing the next studio album to make more money, it's all about money"

I agree I would never pay that much money to ever see a show. But there are other costs on the business side of the things such as tour managers, sound engineers, sets, and yadda yadda yadda yadda.. that add up quick that would make a show become much more expensive then your average show.