From: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org (avalon-digest) To: avalon-digest@smoe.org Subject: avalon-digest V9 #58 Reply-To: avalon@smoe.org Sender: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk avalon-digest Thursday, March 4 2004 Volume 09 : Number 058 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [AVALON] Knee deep in the Hoopla [Chandla911@aol.com] [AVALON] Ticket Prices [Aleks Kocan ] Re: [AVALON] Ticket Prices [KB Porter ] Re: [AVALON] The Price of Tickets (They cost you more when you have to pay) [KWil632057@aol] Re: [AVALON] Ticket Prices [KWil632057@aol.com] Re: [AVALON] The Price of Tickets (They cost you more when you have to pay) [Jane Fraser to turn up and play, for > which he is paid. > The promoter sets the price of the tickets. > The ticket agencies sell the tickets. Only Hampton > Court are charging the high prices, and you can always complain to the > owner about that. > These are not difficult concepts. Sorry Chris, you are often right, sanguine and sane about these things, but not this time. You are right when you say the promoter/venue decides the price but it's because they need to cover Bryan Ferry (and the band's) fee. As this is a festival, we can see that BF is not charging the maximum because Van Morrison and Joaquin Cortes will each cost 65 pounds, and Bryn Terfel (with a full orchestra mind, not just an 8-piece band) 60 pounds, for the 'best seats'. [BTW someone said a few days ago to look at the seating plan and they were right - the top price seats are at the back under cover, the cheapest at the front (but to the sides) and the mid price tickets are in front of the stage.] So there are those that charge even more to PLAY than Bryan Ferry and the tickets are more expensive accordingly. But in the same series of shows, Nigel Kennedy (and another orchestra) will cost just 45 pounds, while Denise Van Outen; Jools Holland and his R&B orchestra + two guest singers; Hayley Westenra, a full orchestra, a choir for God's sake, performing the festival's finale (with fireworks) will only cost 38.50. I don't think Van Morrison and Bryan Ferry are being milked by a hard-nosed promoter who recognises their Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams like appeal in 2004 and so pushes the prices up - as Chris says, they play in front of larger audiences for less. The promoter is charging more for their gigs (just as Bill McCormick confirmed before the Hammersmith Apollo Roxy dates) because they set the fee for playing and the promoter divides the fee by the number of seats, plain and simple (of course, keeping some back for him/herself). So why do Van and Bryan require more for their band's appearance than the younger artists who have numerous orchestra musicians to pay? Because retirement is beckoning and they are shoring up their pensions, that's why. It's human nature to milk the cashcow while you can but, even if the 'tired set list' is their life's work, surely it would be common sense to occasionally seduce the ticket buyers with some other less often trotted out works from the oeuvre? So can we please stop the lionising of Bryan Ferry and recognise that he's maximising profit, just like anyone else in the business from the Stones down. The promoter may be typified by working in the shadows, making shadowy deals with even shadowier people, but at the end of the day, the artist is setting the prices just as soon as he demands a fee for playing rather than a share of the take. Best wishes Richard Mills n/p Bella Vista - Harold Budd [Dan Lanois] ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 04:40:29 -0800 (PST) From: Aleks Kocan Subject: [AVALON] Ticket Prices - --- Thomas Wallace wrote: > Clapton is charging #40 & #50 his Glasgow show so I > decided not to go this > time round and you get less chance to see him than > Ferry on his never ending > tour. I doubt very much if I'll be willing to pay > this sort of money for > Ferry either, personally i don't think any band is > worth that sort of money. Main problem is that the "golden oldies" like Clapton, Stones, Elton John were charging reasonable prices a few years ago, but now they've discovered that they can get away with charging #50+ per ticket and still fill the Arenas as the audience generally tend to be more affluent middle-aged types. I went to see Clapton a few years ago, paid #30 and sat on the front row - am I prepared to fork out #50 now and sit in the rafters? I don't think so. As far as Bryan Ferry is concerned, most of his shows in the smaller theatres are averagely priced (maybe #30/ticket) it just seems that this Hampton Court show is major dough. Like they say though, it's up to the individual whether they want to buy tickets or not, IF Ferry changed the set-list i'd buy a ticket for this leg of the tour. One way or the other there will still be enough demand and it's better than no tour at all. Having said that I wonder if HE really wants to do the same old set list over and over again? Or is he just treating it as a source of steady income and going through the motions (again)? Is it just becoming a job for him rather than being something creative and new? Aleks __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what youre looking for faster http://search.yahoo.com ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 10:05:11 -0500 From: KB Porter Subject: Re: [AVALON] Ticket Prices "... IF Ferry changed the set-list i'd buy a ticket for this leg of the tour." Alex, I think you, among others, have correctly implicated the crux of reasonable complaint concerning BF's current modus operandi! Mr. Ferry's potential repertoire is so vast and glorious that it is difficult to understand why his set lists are not more varied with song selection (Doesn't he get bored with the same old story?). And I don't buy the 'he's obligated to play all the hits at every concert' spiel, either. A huge opportunity is being squandered - BF could be as fresh and interesting today, as he was in the past, with a bit of set list tweaking at each performance. "Having said that I wonder if HE really wants to do the same old set list over and over again? Or is he just treating it as a source of steady income and going through the motions (again)? Is it just becoming a job for him rather than being something creative and new?" Wish we knew, Alex. Sometimes I wonder if Bryan Ferry, himself, knows! Best wishes. KBP ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 09:57:18 EST From: KWil632057@aol.com Subject: Re: [AVALON] The Price of Tickets (They cost you more when you have to pay) Surely this can't be the same Chris Turner who was complaining about the new Singles Collection? Sadly flogging a dead horse has become Ferry's career of late. Yes we are fans Chris, but we are not brain dead sheep. Ferry's lifes work contains more the the dull setlist you seem so pleased to settle with. Until Ferry realises the potential of chucking in some other (dare I say new) songs (Speddings on the tour, why not rehearse and perform some material from that era?) the tour is going to get something that Bryan Ferry should never be: Boring. J In a message dated 02/03/2004 19:42:35 GMT Standard Time, roxyrama@yahoo.co.uk writes: > > sigh...OK, here we go for the 1757th time... > > Ferry doesn't set the price of the tickets. His only responsibility is to > turn up and play, for > which he is paid. > The promoter sets the price of the tickets. > The ticket agencies sell the tickets. > > These are not difficult concepts. > > The price of tickets on the rest of the tour is #26 - a perfectly reasonable > price for a night's > entertainment. Try getting into a West End show or a Chelsea match that > cheaply. Only Hampton > Court are charging the high prices, and you can always complain to the owner > about that. Here's > her details: > > Mrs E Windsor > Buckingham Palace > The Mall > London > > Apparently she needs the money. > > Of course, if you're not happy with the cost of tickets, the setlist or > anything else, you also > have the right not to go. That's your prerogative. > > Oh, and as for the 'tired old setlist?' Those songs are Bryan Ferry's life's > work, and the reason > we're all here. You are fans, right? > > Chris ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 10:02:54 EST From: KWil632057@aol.com Subject: Re: [AVALON] Ticket Prices In a message dated 03/03/2004 14:59:36 GMT Standard Time, kbporte@attglobal.net writes: > A huge opportunity is being squandered - BF could be as > fresh and interesting today, as he was in the past, with a > bit of set list tweaking at each performance. Hear, hear!! J ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 19:54:19 +0000 From: Jane Fraser Subject: Re: [AVALON] The Price of Tickets (They cost you more when you have to pay) On Tuesday, March 2, 2004, at 05:28 PM, KWil632057@aol.com wrote: > > > He's in his fifth year of touring now and frankly the novelty has long > since > worn off. I can't believe that (a) the casual fans will buy tickets at > these > prices and (b) many of us die hards will be wanting to pay the high > sums to > hear the same tired old set list. > The Hampton Court prices don't seem to putting many people off. According to the link from vivaroxymusic.com the 2 blocks of most expensive seats are either sold out or back to row Z after just 3 days on sale. Jane ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 20:15:05 -0000 From: "Routley" Subject: Re: [AVALON] The Price of Tickets welllve been reading about the ticket prices . how can ferry expect people to pay those prices ? people say that ferry doesnt set the prices ,which is fine but how come some artists are cheaper than ferry at the same venue? and as for it beening [in some cases] being national trust land ,so thats why the ticket prices are higher ? cant work that one out ever? l ride mountain bike races down here [in surrey] and the hire of the land for a day costs about 500 pounds .[national trust] and you get over a thousand riders in that day as well as spectators ,cars and out side food venders . > > > > > > >___________________________________________________________ >Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" >your friends today! Download Messenger Now >http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html > > >___________________________________________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 20:00:09 EST From: Go2Sweeney@aol.com Subject: Re: [AVALON] The Price of Tickets In a message dated 03/03/2004 20:24:27 GMT Standard Time, routley@smither.freeserve.co.uk writes: > people say that ferry doesnt set the prices ,which is fine but how come > some > artists are cheaper than ferry at the same venue? > exactly, I posted somethong like that yesterday, but it didn't go through. BF at SBE London was more expensive thatn John Cale at SBE London, or Soft Cell at SBE London, and many more people I've been to see at SBE London. Goodie N.P. Earl Slick - Zig Zag ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 07:57:55 -0000 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Ole-Petter_Dr=F8nen?= Subject: [AVALON] Ticket Prices Ticket prices??? What a silly and boring discussion!!! Ole ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 03:54:12 EST From: KWil632057@aol.com Subject: Re: [AVALON] Ticket Prices Then (a) don't take part in it or (b) say something interesting (and sensible) for once. J In a message dated 04/03/2004 08:01:48 GMT Standard Time, haus_legekontor@hotmail.com writes: > Ticket prices??? > > What a silly and boring discussion!!! > > Ole ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ End of avalon-digest V9 #58 *************************** ======================================================================== For further info, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info avalon-digest