Music Blog: The Price of Good Music

The moment in question was actually during the breaks, when an advertisement for the upcoming Michael Buble tour was aired. Now, I have to admit, I cannot resist a bit of the Buble, and I defy you to find a girl who really can. The advert informed me that O2 Priority Moment customers could access presale tickets 48 hours in advance, which, with myself falling into such a category, had me rushing for my laptop faster than you can say ‘Hasn’t Louis decided to retire yet?’ to get booking.

 

Except for the fact, that the cheapest ticket I could find, for a balcony tier seat, was £56. Now those of you who have indulged in the delights of the fourth floor of the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London may be aware that considering the view you get, this is quite a lot of money. I love live music very much, and Buble’s sultry tones, but it did get me thinking (always a dangerous move). Since when has it been okay to charge such an extortionate amount of money for a gig, and is it worth it?

 

 

There are obviously multiple costs to providing the entertainment required for an arena gig, but I’m sure they cannot justify some of the prices fans are faces with. One superstar (a la Lady Gaga) rolls into town and what is the ‘exception’ of paying slightly higher for a lower price seat suddenly becomes the norm, as the Music Industry takes an artists’ sell out success as an indication that the market is now ready for another financial jump in entry prices. You can easily see why the temptation is there to do this; after all, it isn’t called the ‘music Industry’ for nothing, and like any form of business, profit is its driving force.

 

Girls Aloud (another guilty pleasure) recently announced their highly anticipated reunion tour and I know many people who went to book tickets, only to find that they had not anticipated the price of the tickets being around £80. For most students, such a sum is unrealistic and even if they could have found ‘cheaper seats’, I’m pretty certain these would have been above the £40 barrier. Suffice to say, I do not think we can expect this phenomenon of overpriced tickets to change anytime soon.

 

 

Of course this is a complete contrast to the other growing trend of ‘free’ gigs. ITunes festival (for those lucky enough to win tickets) is in my mind a brilliant concept, reminding us that music should be for the joy of it, not just for those who can afford to go and see the acts they love that have been fortunate enough to hit the big time. There is a reason it has continued to grow in popularity year after year.

 

During the Olympics I was fortunate enough to get to experience the BT’s London Live at Hyde Park, which again put on big name acts for everyone to see, and I hope it is something that they will be able to replicate this summer. In fact, your very own URN (University Radio Nottingham – a casual plug here) regularly puts on free gigs of up and coming acts, the last of which was a free Dog Is Dead gig at Derby Hall. These gigs are obviously worth it for the audience, but also for the exposure the artist can gain from them. The benefit of enticing new fans from a large audience grateful that their wallets have been spared for the privilege of witnessing live music is blatant, and increasingly, becoming a good enough incentive for most artists to want in to this emerging gig culture.

 

It seems bizarre that a happy medium cannot exist between the two. Obviously there is a high demand for such wonderful acts (did I mention Buble’s charm is infallible?) that make arenas often the only venues available to even attempt to meet the demand, and it is unrealistic to expect artists to constantly offer their performances for free. But wouldn’t it be nice to go and see one of your favourite ‘Big Name’ acts, which those who participate in the X factor one day aspire to be, for the more reasonable amount of £20 for a less than perfect seat? This way, the artist and team behind them and the tour can still make some money, and the audience won’t feel guilty for seeing the music they love.

 

The problem though with addressing such an issue is that despite the ludicrous expense, there are people willing to pay such money, and these gigs will sell out. I myself have to admit that despite the £50 charge for a none- too- fabulous seat, Beyoncé’s ‘I Am Sasha Fierce’ tour still remains one of my favourite gig experiences, and even though it was a financial blow, I still to this day believe it was worth it. That’s not to say I would have been prepared to spend £60 on the same seat though, as there does have to be a limit, and it would be a shame if this is the reason in the future more students will miss out on fantastic performances.

 

It looks like for some acts then, we’ll just have to prepare to cough up, and keep it as a special ‘treat’. Arguably, this isn’t a bad way to view things, but I do think more effort should be made to establish how the price is reflected in the show, and I’m not just talking background lighting. For £56, I’d almost expect a tiny portion of Buble’s soul. I acknowledge I’ve only really briefly touched the issue and there is so much more to discuss.

 

I mean, I haven’t even started on the price of drinks at these gigs…