Economic Impact on Touring

[RM]

As the global economy continues to struggle, and layoffs mount, do you think it will affect the number of concerts that musical acts book ?

[charlene]

it could and for those that are booked they might reduce ticket prices.. I believe in the past economic troubles music/stage plays etc. were a way for folks to have some entertainment and relieve their worried minds for a period of time..

[Gord H]

I don't know about that.. I looked into tickets for two acts I thought of seeing and said nope no way... if it's an older act that may not be around much longer then I can probably see the justification for $80-$100 tickets, but I won't pay that much for someone relatively newer.

A lot of people are hurting financially these days and I think concert promoters will find that out real quick.. I'm gonna sound really old here but when GL's concerts were $35-$50 I went to as many as I could, I found that reasonable.

I do realize costs have escalated in the last few years and band members need to be paid and all that.

[SilverHeels]

Ticket prices are certainly NOT falling here in the UK where the 'crunch' is being felt by one and all. IMO greedy artists should think carefully before outpricing themselves. No one wants to perform before half empty auditoriums.

[Auburn Annie]

I dunno ... when things are bad, people will spend money to "treat" themselves or their loved ones for a special night out, and if the artist is someone you REALLY enjoy, they may go for the less expensive cheap seats (by comparison to, say, orchestra or down front seating), but still go. This is especially true if it's a once a year event. When I was frst unemployed in 2002 I still bought tickets for Gord's Massey Hall concert - which, of course, was postponed a while. It involved not only the tickets themselves but an overnight hotel stay in Toronto and gas/tolls, etc. Worth every penny.

In this case the market will let the artist know if the ticket price is too high - sales will drop off, halls will be half-filled, their own income will be falling, too (with tour expenses rising at the same time.)

[timetraveler]

There's a very good chance that it could have some effect, starting with fuel prices for the touring vehicles. Add to that, whether or not a would be concert goer could afford not only fuel for their own car, but the ticket as well as whatever it might cost them to have their car parked, could prove to rather prohibitive. Another added factor is the additional cost to those who might be attending from out of town, as they'll have to reserve a room near the concert site.