Blink-182 Ticket Fiasco
When the news broke of Blink finally reuniting, my wife and I couldn't wait to see if they were coming to Cleveland. Indeed- they were!
We had our heyday and grew up listening to bands like Blink-182, Weezer, Green Day, and tons of others. The thing back then we didn’t have to compete with was the digital ticketing age. At least nowhere near as much, or as bad. Sure, you might have had to wait outside for hours to score those sought-after tickets, but at least back then, they were yours and for the price they listed.
What I think we’re all seeing and agreeing on more than ever is the need to make a change for the fans and consumers. It needs to start with the artist and management or agent and grow from there with fan support.
If the mega players own most of the venues- why not get creative and find other locations or a more creative way to keep tickets for fans affordable?
I remember growing up, to see a legendary act like The Eagles was a few hundred dollars. Now, just to go a step above local, you’re shelling out nearly $80–100 on tickets, parking, and fees before you even make it through the door. Not to mention increased merchandise prices, drink prices, the list goes on.
I understand entirely that the cost of transportation, staffing, etc has also gone up, but until the artist takes a stand against the mega-corporations or at least speaks up on making a better change, this is not going to stop.
Even a MEMBER OF THE BAND himself, couldn't get tickets after “attempting twice” that is a sad situation for the entertainment industry where greed beyond prevails. Do they not have enough? Have they not done enough? “They” being names I will not name due to legal implications…
On the business side of things, what most average fan fails to realize is it works like this (most of the time)
Major Band has big demand
Major Concert Company will offer said act an upfront payment of say $40 million dollars to do 35 shows exclusively for their brand and venues.
Band, Agent, and Management immediately get paid at least a large sum upfront or a deposit from a large concert promoter.
This is where the prices immediately leave the artist's hands and they claim the “promoters” hands as well hence where the third-party sales and ticket reseller programs come into play. Most I would assume are owned and operated by the same concert promotion company to drive up prices and make it extreme for the consumer. At some point, this needs to be stopped. They have tried all sorts of legal ramifications. The issue is, it still has to truly start with the artist.
So many of us wanted to go to the Blink tour, and don’t get me wrong, plenty will still attend, but when it comes to the cost of 1 night for myself and my wife or a 1-week family vacation somewhere relaxing with our son about equal in price…I’m taking the family choice here at this point. Like many, I’ll be stuck watching others' cell phone videos online and reliving my memories digitally.
I guess this is growing up.
