To think pop/rock concert tickets are way too pricey nowadays...

[jobhunter7]

To think pop/rock concert tickets are way too pricey nowadays...

I agree. I love Bon Jovi, used to pay £75 for a golden circle ticket at Milton Keynes bowl, and Wembley. Pricey then, but 100% worth it.
They moved to the o2, and the equivalent ticket was close to £1800.

Pink I'd definitely pay the money for, and would consider taylor swift too. I also love a small band called blue October which are still playing the intimate venues, including meet and greet options at really reasonable prices.

India Arie says she got paid only a tiny royalty for spotify - so would it not be better to not have your records fully streamed or on youtube and take a much better royalty on physical sales and downloads possibly?

I think the really big names in arenas are expensive but I’m not interested in seeing them.
Most gigs at places such as the Academy in Manchester and the Apollo are much more reasonable. Known bands but not super league ones such as Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac or similar cost are reasonable. We paid about £36 to see The Courteeners which was great. . However I’m more than happy to go to places such as the Invisible Wind factory and see indie bands for between £10 -£25. Places like that you can actually see who you’ve pairs to see!

I’ve been going to gigs for about 45 years on a regular basis, usually a couple of times a month, ( covid months not included obv!) sometimes more and nearly always feel like I’ve got my moneys worth whether it was a 100 quid to see Joe Bonamassa or £18 to see The Blinders or £36 to see The Levellers.
I’m not feeling priced out at the moment.

One thing I will say though is there are are absolutely loads of up and coming bands that are playing in small venues all over the county. Tickets can be just a couple of quid and these bands and the venues need everyone’s support to keep music alive. There is something out there for nearly everyone if you know where to look.

Assuming artists get nothing when people download their music from piratebay...

I think the real problem with the streaming situation is that the way people consume music has changed so dramatically. For many people, buying physical albums simply isn't a consideration, so if an artist isn't on streaming services, then they will never get heard by a whole swathe of music consumers that will only ever listen to music in that way.

Without record company backing and promotion, it's hard to compete with content that is available for free online, especially if you aren't 'mainstream' - you need to get your music in front of potential consumers and people aren't listening to the radio, going to record shops etc

If you look at the best selling albums for the last few decades, NSYNC sold 10,000,000 units in 2000 to hit the top spot, but Adele only sold 1,464,000 to get the number one last year.

In fact, between the five years that Taylor Swift has been at the top spot, she has sold a total of 11,142,000 albums!

@DysmalRadius

You may be right. It seems a bit sad to me. Kinda like the way things used to be, mostly.

Suppose more niche online radio stations may help... just playing a song like regular radio used to (and does) but to more specific audiences...

And then artists could rely on download sales or physical sales...

I hope that streaming will become less popular again. Once a band is no longer that popular it can be hard to find their stuff online, apart from maybe their most popular songs. Same with films and wanting to watch something from the 90s say, and theyre not available - so how do we then access what we actually want to watch/listen to? I liked that if I buy a cd and have a cd player then no one else can tell me whether it is considered popular enough to warrant being on a particular platform or not.

Im not even properly old yet but it annoys me so much! I also think its worse for the artists and puts more pressure on them to tour more often

To be fair, if you're paying stadium prices for a band like Rammstein you certainly get what you pay for. I wouldn't be happy forking out the same amount for a lesser show.

Suppose more niche online radio stations may help... just playing a song like regular radio used to (and does) but to more specific audiences
There’s 100s of niche radio stations to cover ever taste! I listen rock station broadcasting from Australia and another one from Denmark. I listen to Hard Rock He’ll radio.

Soundcloud isn’t as popular as it used to be but still has loads of artists to discover.

[quote jobhunter7]@user135644

Cinema tickets are about £15 at my local multiplex... which I suspect is above inflation...[/quote]
DH and D's pay that a month to see unlimited films and I can go free with them once a week with meerkat movies

@notacooldad

So we don't need spotify...

@bruffin

Agree. Those monthly passes are good value. Just it is not so good if you only want to go to the cinema say once a month...

I went to see one of my favourite singers a year before lockdown.

They are now charging £20 more per ticket.

Yanbu.

Someone will be able to tell us how much the ABBA (not ABBA) tickets are. I heard £150 but that sounds mad.

Paul Heaton won't charge more than £40 for a ticket. Seen him every year at least once if not twice a year for the past 6/7 years (apart from 2020). Going to see him again this year and tickets are 37.50 and they're being supported by The Proclaimers! Bargain!

High Flying Birds on the other hand £75!!!! And I'm not even a particular fan!

So we don't need spotify
I’ve not used it for a couple of years now but I’m still discovering and seeing new bands all the time.
I follow record labels of genres I love and venues that put my type of music on to see what’s new. I also follow the artists directly. The small ones chat with you on Fb and twitter.

[quote jobhunter7]Some artists have expressed a moral compass occasionally...

Billy Bragg tickets here for £33 which is not so bad...

www.seetickets.com/event/summer-nights-at-the-bandstand-billy-bragg/kelvingrove-bandstand/2159283[/quote]
I believe Ed Sheeran does this as well? And makes re-sale of tickets next to impossible. Don't think MNetters like him though.

Don't think MNetters like him though
Well I like him and I’m a MNer!

Ed is playing soon at Brighton soon for £44 a ticket which is not too bad I suppose - though doesn't he play on his own... so that should save on the tour wages...

Big arena concerts are pricey! Smaller gigs with less well known but really talented bands are much more affordable. And more enjoyable IMO.

Cinema tickets are about £15 at my local multiplex... which I suspect is above inflation
Blimey that’s dear. Ours cost £2:50 before 1:00pm. £3:00 in the afternoon and £4.00 in the evening.

If I go to see a band, or a musician, I don’t need to see them flying across the stage in a sodding golden bauble (like Taylor Swift, described upthread). I don’t want to see them hanging upside down from a rope doing circus tricks (like Pink). I don’t want to see a load of fire eaters or backing dancers or explosions or Christ knows what else. I don’t want to see artists poncing around in bejewelled leotards like the worst kind of stage school brat (looking at Beyoncé).

All three of those artists are talented and make good music. But, I’d sooner pay £20 less and just see them sing with a live band. I’m not 12. I don’t need to be distracted with glitter cannons or whatever. I don’t go to gigs for opportunities to say, “oooh!” or “wow!” as if presented with special effects from a sodding Bond film.

@notacooldad

that's great value for a cinema ticket - where's that?

@Lysianthus

Someone will be able to tell us how much the ABBA (not ABBA) tickets are. I heard £150 but that sounds mad.

Surely nobody would be that insane.

Or would they? Are there people who would pay £150 each to stand in a stadium bellowing ABBA songs to a recorded soundtrack whilst a group of avatars appear on a screen?