Looking at the success of this year's 40th anniversary of Glastonbury, one could easily assume that live music is going from strength to strength at the moment. Unfortunately, the world's biggest festival appears to be an anomaly; this summer has seen numerous concerts and festivals cancelled.
Though things aren't as bleak here in the UK (yet), artists such as Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga have seen tickets still available just a few days before their shows. Other acts, which normally sell out, such as the Eagles and John Mayer, have had to scale back their tours. So, what is going on?
The fall in demand for tickets can partly be blamed on the recession. Spending a few hundred pounds on a festival, or even a concert, forces people with a limited budget to choose one or two events a year (I know people who chose Glasto over a holiday). Bigger artists, who have seen a slump in record sales, want touring to make up for lost revenues and are rumoured to charge up to £3m to headline a festival. Venues and promoters charge exorbitant prices for parking, food and drinks to make a profit after paying the headlining artists. Ticket agencies such as Ticketmaster have ridiculously high service charges. Festival organisers recently called songwriters "money-grabbing" for wanting to raise royalty payments a few percent, from the current 3%, for live music. Considering that's less than what credit card companies get, I think they should consider targeting other culprits.
But could today's announcement that the world's biggest promoters, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are about to reduce the cost of tickets change the recent downturn?
The announcement is certainly a step in the right direction, as everyone involved in the high end of the live music industry needs to lower their monetary expectations (if prices are lowered, people will get back into the habit of going to more shows). But the high cost of going to some live shows can't be the only reason for the slump in ticket sales.
Another reason for festival and gig cancellations is that more people seem to wait until the last minute to buy tickets. The promoters who have shelled out big advances to the artists get nervous about making their money back when the show isn't sold out in advance – and either change the show to a smaller venue or kill it altogether.
In the US, the reconstituted Lilith Fair tour, a "Celebration of women in music" featuring artists like Sheryl Crow, Gossip and Rihanna, has scrapped numerous dates. It's rumoured to be because of weak ticket sales, despite lawn tickets being reduced by Live Nation from $25 (£16.50 – not a very steep price, I'd say) to $10 – a move that, understandably, upset those who had paid full whack. Lawn tickets for American Idol Live and the Rihanna/Kesha tour have also been slashed to $10.
Or could it be that there are just too many concerts and festivals, and a certain "gig-fatigue" is setting in for music fans? It would be a shame for up-and-coming bands if festivals disappeared. It's an unrivalled method for them to get exposure, as festivalgoers often stumble upon acts that they would not buy a ticket for otherwise. As opposed to the headliners, a festival gig is not a money-making venture for these bands – often it ends up costing them money to play.
At least one good thing has come out of this failure to sell enough tickets – touts end up having to sell their tickets for less than they bought them for, if selling them at all. Maybe it'll make them turn to a more worthwhile profession and leave real music fans to access tickets for their actual face value price.
