I ran across an article in yesterday’s (3/18/09) edition of USA Today titled “Major artists are making concerts more affordable”.
The article, by Steve Jones, states that “no one knows how the recession will affect concert business this summer, but several major acts are making sure that fans won’t have to dig too deep to afford a ticket” and then points out that The Dave Matthews Band, Keith Urban, U2 and No Doubt have already announced some bargain-priced tickets.
The touring industry has “an ongoing issue with unsold inventory, and they don’t want to exacerbate that situation,” the article quotes Billboard magazine Touring Editor Ray Waddell.
I’d been thinking about running a poll to find out what sound companies have been finding and/or hearing about business prospects for the upcoming summer touring, so please vote below.
The USA Today article, located here, made several other interesting points, among them that many other artists may follow suit on ticket price reductions, which are expected to be $20-$30 per ticket for top tours (stadiums and arenas).