We're f—ked': California's music festival bubble is bursting (www.sfgate.com)

submitted 1 day ago by take_five_seconds@hexbear.net to c/music@hexbear.net

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The demographics we target are struggling to justify the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars we charge for tickets and we can’t figure out why

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[-] SSJ3Marx@hexbear.net 6 points 15 hours ago

Over my adult life I've watched tickets for major acts go from under a hundred to over a thousand dollars. I used to have friends who would go to concerts every other week and see whoever was in town, but now the only people you can see at a reasonable price are local indie bands, and frankly that scene just doesn't appeal to most people. The music industry is like a sheep farmer who decided to kill and skin his sheep for leather and is now surprised that the wool isn't growing back.

[-] GVAGUY3@hexbear.net 18 points 23 hours ago

Every part of the Music Industry right now is fucked.

[-] Robert_Kennedy_Jr@hexbear.net 19 points 1 day ago

Even without the tickets most people are looking at 300-400 just to get there and pay for food/party favors for the weekend.

[-] take_five_seconds@hexbear.net 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

even more if it's a well known festival, hotel/airbnb rates can jump 300%+ given specific weekends.

[-] GVAGUY3@hexbear.net 8 points 23 hours ago

I've heard that some festivals are trying to beg hotels to not bump up the prices

[-] Tower@lemm.ee 7 points 22 hours ago

Yup, experienced this at EDC 2017. Rates went from ~$120 per night before the dates were announced, to over $300.

Only way I've found to beat the price hikes is, if you know roughly when a festival will be, put in reservations for multiple weekends before the actual dates are announced. Then, after you know which reservation to keep, you cancel the other ones.

Example: EDC happens in early- to mid- May. So book reservations for every weekend in from late April to late May, then cancel the others once the dates are announced.

[-] Jenniferrr@hexbear.net 9 points 22 hours ago

Yup it ends up being like 1k just for lodging for say, Coachella, and 600 for the ticket. It's crazy. Can't make it work

[-] sewer_rat_420@hexbear.net 8 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

There is also the competition with vegas festivals that seem to be getting more and more popular, and have every single band/artist you want to see (when we were young, lovers and friends). There is plenty of cheap hotel options and inventory, and people like going to vegas anyway. Also, easy to get to on budget airlines

[-] GVAGUY3@hexbear.net 8 points 22 hours ago

A friend of mines band played one of those Vegas fests (not the ones you mentioned). All the bands hated it.

[-] sewer_rat_420@hexbear.net 1 points 1 minute ago

I only know a bit about it, but when we were young basically can happen because livenation gave pretty significant advances to a lot of bands who were struggling in 2020-2021 in exchange for a guarantee that the band will play their festivals. As a band back then, a $50k or whatever advance was kinda impossible to turn down. So livenation essentially bought fealty from every emo band and can now host a festival with all of the bands people my age liked in high school.

It is one facet of the disgusting wholesale capture of live music by livenation/ticketmaster. Many venues are also now exclusively run by livenation for the same reason - livenation "rescued" them during the pandemic, but now are reaping massive benefits on what were pretty cheap investments, at a time where there was plenty of cash flowing around for the investors and the venue owners and local promoters were fucked.

[-] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 10 points 22 hours ago

All the bands hated it.

Please tell us more.

[-] GVAGUY3@hexbear.net 7 points 21 hours ago

Nothing damning. Just hot as shit, Vegas having a weird cursed energy, Felt bland. Maybe a stretch to say everyone hated it, but it was not fun at least from what my friend told me.

[-] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 8 points 21 hours ago

I've been to Vegas for a few conventions; the cigarette stench is everywhere and I got laryngitis just being there, so I can understand that.

Also, contemporary Vegas' casinos are just glorified rest homes; a bunch of boomer-themed "slot machines" that are just giant iPads and such, silent as a morgue.