The best way to justify Bruce Springsteen’s skyrocketing ticket costs

MBW Reacts is a sequence of brief remark items from the MBW workforce. They’re our ‘fast take’ reactions – by a music biz lens – to main leisure information tales. The next MBW op/ed comes from Eamonn Forde (pictured inset), a long-time music trade journalist, and the writer of The Remaining Days of EMI: Promoting the Pig. His new e-book, Leaving The Building: The Lucrative Afterlife of Music Estates, is out now by way of Omnibus Press.

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There was, inevitably, loads of pearl-clutching outrage when it was found that some – not all – tickets to see Bruce Springsteen on his 2023 US tour would price as much as $5,000 every on the day they went on sale. 

There was, additionally inevitably, accusations of gross hypocrisy that Springsteen, the daring balladeer of the blue-collar, was pricing tickets at a stage that labored out at 13.47% of the average US annual salary of the very individuals he sings about.  

This real-time, demand-driven, “dynamic pricing” was downplayed by Ticketmaster, which mentioned that solely a fraction of tickets had been going for this worth anyway, keenly stating that 88% of tickets went for face worth and that the average ticket price was $202. 

Springsteen’s long-term manager Jon Landau advised the New York Instances, “Whatever the commentary a couple of modest variety of tickets costing $1,000 or extra, our true common ticket worth has been within the mid-$200 vary. I imagine that in at this time’s atmosphere, that may be a truthful worth to pay to see somebody universally thought to be among the many very biggest artists of his era.”

A large number of columns and op-eds had been rushed out – typically even by individuals who really pay out of their very own pockets to attend concert events! – about how stunning and shameful all of it was, the place fandom was being steamrolled within the dead-eyed push for revenue, and why the reside trade had misplaced the run of itself. 

An apparent query, nevertheless, went unstated. 

Let’s simply droop disbelief about all of it for a minute and ask: if a serious act goes to cost $5,000 for tickets, simply what’s it the fan might obtain to justify such an outlay? 

By all means, cost $5,000 (or extra) for a ticket should you like, however provided that you ensure that the customer feels that what they’re getting in return is value it. 

 

To get the ball rolling for #TeamBruce, I’ve some concepts that I’ll unveil right here as The Ten-Step Validator Of Worth. 

I’ve labored out costs for every element the place the fan can construct their very own $5,000 ticket.

Ticketing corporations can justify it as a brand new kind of “interactive” and “immersive” expertise the place the followers must scramble round to seize all of the parts that make their $5,000 really feel like cash nicely spent.

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1. Distinctive seating ($1,000-$2,000)

If the common ticket worth is $202 then it certainly follows {that a} $5,000 ticket should be precisely 24.75 instances higher than John Q Public and his “common” seat. One of the best seat in the home (the unquestionable $5,000 seat), clearly, is on Springsteen’s shoulders as he grunts and sweats his manner by his superb hits like ‘Gloria’s Eyes’, ‘Used Vehicles’ and ‘The Massive Muddy’. That, sadly, is impractical. So we are going to downgrade a bit and cost $2,000 to sit down in the course of the stage (seat offered) or $1,000 to sit down on the lip of the stage (convey your personal cushion). 

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2. Access to superior drinks and snacks ($200 per beer, $941 per bottle of wine,  $67 for zero-proof spirits + $30 for mixers; eight sizzling sandwiches for $200)

No $10 flat Budweiser for these guys within the massive seats. It’s solely Samuel Adams’ Utopias or Tusk Estate Cabernet Sauvignon being served. For non-drinkers there’s Rasāsvāda. As for “nibbles”, who doesn’t need to see “The Boss” whereas munching on a small hot sandwich platter? Nobody, that’s who. 

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3. Entry to the performer ($2,500)

If somebody has the audacity to cost $5,000 for a live performance ticket, the least they will do is meet the one who paid that a lot cash to allow them to look the pop star in query straight within the eye (for upwards of 1 minute of unbroken staring). 

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4. An expert movie crew to report random bits of the efficiency ($2,000)

A 3-person movie crew will probably be beside you all through the efficiency and can movie in high-res any moments within the present (in bursts of 67 seconds) that you just ask them to. They may assure that they may simply miss the bit the place they sing your favorite lyric and can cease recording half manner by the refrain. It saves you the effort of doing it your self and you may submit one recording on Facebook after which by no means take a look at the remainder of them ever once more.

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5. A legally binding assure that nobody close to you’ll discuss by the present and drown out the efficiency with their inane ramblings or get the lyrics flawed once they sing alongside out of key ($1,500)

To be truthful, most individuals at most gigs at this time would pay for this improve inside three minutes of the act approaching stage as they realise they’ve picked absolutely the worst spot within the venue, with absolutely the worst gig neighbours, however are caught there now. 

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6. The power to select the whole setlist prematurely ($4,999)

Nobody needs to listen to a “new one” or a minor hit that features a horrible interpolation of ‘Working Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ (topical). This manner you possibly can hear precisely what you need within the order that you really want. 

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7. The choice to skip a track ($1,500)

Don’t need to blow all the cash on dictating the setlist? You get one hard-pass choice to skip a horrible track you don’t need to hear, simply as you do on a Spotify or Apple Music playlist. The one clause is it’s important to hit the “kill” button (utilizing the keypad within the arm remainder of your seat) inside 30 seconds, in any other case it counts as a “play” and the act has to complete it. 

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8. The appropriate to get the act to play a track once more ($1,750)

Acts typically throw their greatest songs away halfway within the set. You may need gone to the bathroom and missed it. Otherwise you simply need to hear it once more. Seize the keypad (within the arm remainder of your seat) and hit “replay”. This selection is just good for one track to be performed yet one more time.

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9. A seat on the subsequent board assembly of the ticketing firm, agent or promoter the place you possibly can ask them to do a presentation on why it’s utterly advantageous and regular to cost $5,000 for a live performance ticket (free)

They’re already taking the piss with their pricing so that is the very least they will do. 

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10. A refund when an act performs greater than two hours as nobody – nobody – wants to sit down by a live performance that lengthy (-$55.55 per minute)

On the finish of the common Bruce Springsteen present (3.5 hours), he may find yourself owing you $5,000.Music Enterprise Worldwide