Misc

First of all, did anyone catch a few minutes of the pathetic MTV Video Music Awards last night? A lot of people tuned in to see the train-wreck aka Britney Spears. There is no need to go into the disturbing details - you have all seen it. Britney went down in flames. And the thing is; everyone knew she would. This includes MTV. They didn’t think it was going to be a good performance, they just knew that they would get a lot of viewers to tune in. They used her for ratings. And you know that within 10 minutes, millions of people turned the ridiculous show off. And did anyone actually pay attention to the song? One word: BRUTAL.

Why would anyone care about this awards show? Did you see the so-called musical guests? What a hopeless time for top-40 radio. MTV has ZERO credibility. It stands for nothing. It means nothing to true music fans and true musicians. The programming in general is so out of touch with the times. MTV is living in the past as its business model gets flushed down the toilet hand in hand with the record labels’ model. What a great channel; shows about uninteresting celebrities, loads of reality TV shows that are completely contrived, horrid videos by mostly talentless losers, etc etc etc. The bottom line is that MTV is a joke. It is an embarrassing entertainment channel aimed at the lowest common denominator. It certainly does not appeal to music fans.
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Saw a set-list from a Van Halen rehearsal and it intrigued me enough to consider buying tickets. Then I saw the actual price range. Wow! Sorry, Azoff and Live Nation priced me out of this one. For a pair of decent seats, I am out over $500. Whether I actually have the funds is not the issue, it is the principle of it. It is one concert, maybe 2 hours long. $250 an hour? What, am I consulting an attorney about a legal issue? This is supposed to be fun, not a way of going into debt. And this show is not sold out! Plan on the promoter papering a lot of the shows on this tour – they certainly did it in 2004 during Hagar’s last hurrah.

But this is the trend right now. The promoter overpays for the artist, then the promoter over-prices tickets, the promoter sells blocks of seats to ticket brokers, the promoter struggles to break even and in some cases takes a massive loss, and the consumer gets completely screwed while the artist/manager/agent walk away with millions in guaranteed money. Oh, I could get some nose-bleed seats for $100+ a pop, but again, why be out $230 for a pair of seats way up in the rafters? Am I insane? Have you ever enjoyed a concert from the stratosphere? Concert grosses are still strong in general because of high ticket prices, but attendance has been dipping. Consumers are getting priced out of shows and it doesn’t seem to be getting better.

Do any artists care about their fans or are they all just greedy? Don't give me Springsteen. "He only charges $75 a ticket...." So what? $75 + taxes + parking + a beverage + a t-shirt = one very expensive night. This is a guy that is worth 9 figures, he can lower the price. Rock concerts are not supposed to be a financial burden or exclusive events for the wealthy. They are entertainment and the prices have become so inflated and out of touch that it is has ruined a once great pastime. What a great business model….