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More Stars Cancel Tours: Concertgoers Won't Pay for Subpar Shows

By Elliot Millner on Jul 16th 2010 12:18PM
Filed under: News, The Economy

Comments (59)

A couple of articles recently have addressed the growing trend of major concert tours having a difficult time selling tickets. Even artists as well known as Rihanna have had to cancel tour stops because of poor ticket sales. The obvious reason to give for the recent struggles relating to ticket sales would be the still precarious state of our economy, and the high unemployment rates throughout the country. Though the economy is definitely playing a part in slow ticket sales, it is not the only factor involved. Anyone who has attended concerts over the past 10 years can bear witness to the skyrocketing cost of concert tickets, which were totally out of line even when the economy was doing well. A large chunk of the cost of a ticket are a variety of fees that make no sense and seem to increase by the moment.

Although other companies have attempted to make a dent in its monopoly-like power, Ticketmaster still has a great deal of control over the industry, and this likely will continue given its recent merger with Live Nation. Even the most psychotic of fans has a point at which he or she will say: "I love (insert artist here), but I'm not paying that!" Hopefully, the modifications forced upon the merger by the Department of Justice will allow for more competition, which will lower ticket prices. I wouldn't count on it though.


Aside from financial matters, there may be other reasons as to why people aren't attending concerts. Most of the shows struggling to sell are large arena shows for major mainstream artists. There is something required to put on a good live show that isn't necessary to make a good album... that being talent. In the recording studio, a lack of vocal ability can easily be concealed with a variety of computer tricks; that isn't the case live. So, if a person is paying $100 or more to see an artist, he or she may not be content with watching them dance around stage badly while lip-syncing over a track with little live instrumentation.

Now, there are exceptions to this rule. Adolescents and teenagers usually will go see their favorite artists regardless, largely because it's their parents who are paying for the tickets -- but parents can't afford it anymore. People who have to work for a living require an actual performance for their money. In addition, some talented performers just don't play well in supersize venues. This applies particularly to hip-hip and reggae shows. These shows tend to play better in smaller venues, where the sound quality is usually better and you can actually hear the lyrics (for those who still actually listen to lyrics).

Many of the artists who are still selling out large venues are those who have proven track records for putting on excellent shows, like Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Maybe other artists and concert promoters will take notice and adjust their prices and venues appropriately.

What about you? Have you shelled out top dollar recently to see one of your favorite stars? Was it worth it? Or are you waiting for entertainers to realize that we are in a recession and lower their ticket prices? Leave your comments below!

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