[potsie]

Yesterday I went to buy a $32 ticket to see Matthew Good on ticketmaster. There were $12 in fees and $16 in shipping because ticketmaster no longer has outlets in Canada if you want hard copy tickets. That's FUCKED! That's double the price of the ticket with fees all in..and how much do you think the band gets from that $60?

A recent article I read mentioned that the artist gets approximately 74% of the total ticket price in today's market. I just paid $70 to see Midnight Oil on their upcoming reunion tour ($55 base price + $15 in Ticketbastard fees), and I actually consider that a bargain, especially since they're playing the mid-sized Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. 10 or 20 years ago I NEVER would have paid that much to see any band live other than maybe U2 or Springsteen. I would have considered it an outrageous price. But today, $70 actually seems reasonable for a top level band. It's crazy.

I've become numb (although not comfortably!) to concert ticket prices and fees. I'm now amazed if I can get into a great show for under $100. I first crossed the $200 ticket barrier with Tom Petty in 2012 and I crossed the $300 barrier with U2's upcoming tour. This is an insane amount of money but I've simply resigned myself to the fact that this is the new reality for live music. It is certainly being driven (at least in part) by the decreased revenue from album sales.