Eagles Ticket Prices

[MikeA]

I guess that article you posted Soda, pretty much restates what we've been saying about the economy and ticket prices...quite a conundrum. People DO need release..an escape! And, to be honest, paying $1,000 for a ticket to the Eagles concerts is better than getting hooked on crank!

Plumeting CD/Album sales is not going to repair itself. No doubt that is a big influence on the necessity of groups like Eagles having to charge more for live performances if they wish to tour and make a profit in a very difficult industry to make a profit in (witness the debate on copyright issues in another thread here on The Border).

But it does seem that there should be some compromise that would be more favorable to those of us who have supported them (i.e. favorite artists of the 70's) for these past 40 years. I guess that audio/video is going to be the compromise....buy a resonably priced CD/DVD and listen to our hearts content and augment it by attending the concerts vicariously through the experiences of fellow Borderers who did attend.

I can live comfortably with that and be thankful for it.

[TimothyBFan]

And here's what I posted 2 days ago. Kinda what that article says also...

wouldn't it be nice to think enough of their fans who are struggling, losing their jobs, taking pay cuts, etc that they might actually want to give their fans an affordable show just to give them a few hours of fun and excitement of seeing their favorite band where they don't have to think about all the things that are going wrong in their lives right now?

I think Mike hit it on the head also when he said-

"But it does seem that there should be some compromise that would be more favorable to those of us who have supported them (i.e. favorite artists of the 70's) for the last 40 years."

Exactly--A little consideration for us fans that have made them what they are today and are struggling to stay afloat in an economy that has tanked!

I NEED my music!! Let me enjoy myself for a few hours because I truly do believe ...

“We’re like alcohol,” she says. “People need music

[Fan_For_Life]

When I saw the Eagles last year I paid $95.00 for a seat that was 3 tiers up right at the stage. If I remember right even the seats that were on the far side of the arena were just as expensive if not more expensive depending on which tier you were in. I don't mind paying a pretty penny for a good seat but wouldn't have paid that much for the seat if it hadn't been right next to the stage because I don't like sitting on the far side of the arena when it comes to my faves. I would rather pay $200 to see them at a fairly close distance than to pay $100 to see them from a seat that is on the far side of the arena and can hardly see the facial expressions without looking on a big screen.

[AzEaglesFan]

I wonder if one of the reasons that Eagles need to have the big buck is because there are a LOT of people on the stage. Then they each have managers, techs and who knows what else. Takes a lot of buses, food, hotel rooms to move all of these people from city to city. Plus I can't see any of the band members putting the stage together so even more people that you never see from in front of the stage.

[MikeA]

It does take a lot of money to put on a concert. But if you have a sellout 30,000 seat venue and have royalties coming in from merchandise sales and you are charging just $100 a ticket, you are bring in a LOT of money and will net a good chunk after expenses. Obviously, you are going to get a lot more if the tickets are $500 or $1000 <LOL>

Oh, I don't know how many the average venue seats on the last LROE tour.

[sodascouts]

Bob Lefsetz blogs about the Eagles not selling out the Hollywood Bowl

[sodascouts]

First off, the positives. Of course I'd like the Eagles to do discounts. Of course I'd like them to embrace Twitter as Timothy has. They did good to get an official MySpace back in 2007, but by the time the Eagles boarded that train, it was already running out of steam. Now MySpace is out, as we talked about in another thread. I'd love to see them on Facebook or Twitter, but since Henley has trashed both social networks, I imagine it is unlikely. This is especially true since they no longer have a brand-new album to promote, which is the only reason why they did the MySpace.

Offering a free live download is actually a pretty clever idea, although if you're going to do a "limited time only" deal you shouldn't limit it to just one day. The promotion would be over as soon as it began and before the word could really get out. Not everyone follows Eagles news as closely as we do! At any rate, it's not exactly an original idea; other bands have done this successfully. The Eagles could do it successfully as well - if they wanted to put the effort into it. Unfortunately, they probably figure that even without a sellout, they're making so much money they don't really need to change anything.

There are a couple things that annoy me about Lefsetz's piece, though. First, the most obvious. I know Lefsetz lusts after Henley and is continually brown-nosing Azoff, but to not even mention Glenn? To call the Eagles "Henley and Company"? I think he's letting his "man-crush" get out of control.

Second, once again, Lefsetz displays his ignorance about ILAA when it comes to the Eagles. The band has never sold platinum packages that included true "backstage access" to any of the members.... unless you count the "$5000 to talk to Joe Walsh for 20 minutes" fiasco they attempted before a few shows last year. That went over like a lead balloon, for good reason.

I have no idea why Lefsetz claims Henley won't do any meet'n'greets. You'd think he'd know enough about the subject of his fascination to realize that Henley has done them in the past. Perhaps Lefsetz thinks that saying Henley wouldn't deign to meet the plebes is some weird way of paying Henley a compliment, raising him above the rest? If so, the nature of Lefsetz's adoration of Henley is even more messed up than I thought!

All these gimmicks to sell tickets... here's a radical thought. If you're not selling 'em, maybe it's because you overpriced 'em. I think Henley found that out the hard way in November when he did his mini-tour. Henley is a great talent, but the market will only bear so much. Perhaps that's what the Eagles are finding out as well.

The question is - do they make more money selling out a venue with lower prices, or having some empty seats but charging more for the ones that are filled?

[TimothyBFan]

With you Soda--some good ideas and points there but he sure does focus on Don as if all decisions live and die by Don's word.

GREAT point you made--do they make more money selling out a venue with lower prices, or having some empty seats but charging more for the ones that are filled? I wonder which they would make more money on. I like to think the before mentioned rather than the latter. Any thoughts here folks?

BTW--Love the reference to Styx and Tommy Shaw. I've been pushing those tickets value to everyone who will listen as you all know. Which reminds me they go on sale at 10 this morning. Do I try or wait ....hmmmm....

[Freypower]

I am so bored with this man and his apparent belief that the Eagles only consist of Don Henley that I cannot take this seriously. Also the band has always been called 'Eagles'. I don't know what Glenn did to him for him to airbrush Glenn out of existence. Glenn doesn't play games with people like Lefsetz, I suppose.

[sodascouts]

I think you might be on to something, FP. Azoff and Solters are apparently happy to use Lefsetz for PR purposes. Henley apparently thinks enough of him to invite him to MusiCares, after which Lefsetz proceeded to write a column that made him look like an arrogant, sexist, fan-hating jackass.

I bet Glenn doesn't give him the time of day.