Should U2 Raise Ticket Prices?

[FullonEdge2]

Seeing as how scalpers have succeeded in acquiring large quantities of tickets, especially GA, which everyone seems to want, the actual cost a lot of people are going to be paying for tickets is going to be a lot higher than face value.

Is this an instance of U2 failing to price their tickets in order to reach equilibrium with the demand?

If U2 raised their ticket prices, scalpers would have more trouble scalping, and U2 would benefit from the extra money that people are already going to be paying for their tickets.

I think either the band should add many more shows than what appears to be planned, or they should raise ticket prices.

 

[U2@NYC]

Do not give up the fight. Continue faxing today (I will re-fax the ones I sent yesterday to both offices).

Principle Management NY : +1 (212) 765-2372
Principle Management Dublin: + (353) 1 6777 276

 

[clip51]

You will see most cities will add another show or 2 once they sell out the first ones... I know I read somewhere SD is already planning this...

Raising ticket prices is just gonna stick it to us more. Scalpers will sell them no matter how expensive they get

 

[Halup]

Raising ticket prices only raises the resale price of tickets. The GA tickets are fantastic when you can get them as they are the closest tickets to the stage, as well as being, along with the worst of the nosebleed tickets, the only affordable tickets. Paying over $100 per ticket to see U2 in an arena is ridiculous. It actually would make sense if to balance things out if U2 raised the GA prices to around $75-80, while dropping the highest ticket prices down. You really feel screwed having to pay $160 and up per ticket when you know the guy standing on the floor just below you payed $50. You most likely are going to stand the entire show anyway, so the seat does you little good while U2 is onstage.

The only time I've ever payed more than about $75 to see U2 was when I payed a KROQ radio contest winner $200 for their second ticket to see U2 perform live for KROQ radio at Universal Studios in 2000. The difference was that this was to a crowd of only 200 people and I knew it was 5 months before the tour itself would start, so I was willing to part with that much.

 

[U2girl]

Raise the ticket prices to what ?

165 USD, 85 GBP, 85 EUR...that's more than enough already.

 

[Yahweh]

They should fix there website and sell there tickets themselves without bringing ticketmaster into it thats my opinion...The ticket prices are the least of the concern for people. Ticketmaster insiders probably have all the GA tickets and are selling them on Ebay.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Raise ticket prices?

LOL...

 

[AtomicBono]

Yeah, U2 totally needs to raise ticket prices, because as of yet no one has been complaining about the current prices.

It would make sense, though, to raise the GA prices a bit and lower the others, so everything is a little more even. A range from $50 to, what, $165 is a little insane... I agree with what Halup said, basically, though U2 ticket prices are already expensive as they are. I mean, Wilco charges $30 (or is it $25?) for every ticket, period. I know they're not as big as U2, and that U2 needs to make sure they actually make money on tours and not go broke like Popmart, it'd be nice if prices were lower...

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Raising the prices is the most idiotic idea possible. If GA tickets were more expensive, they'd still be in the scalpers' hands as of right now due to their backdoor dealings with Ticketmaster, and they would get to charge even more money because the regular price is now higher than it was.

The band should have reserved every GA seat for fan club members. I don't think they had any idea just how Ticketmaster works.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

GA doesn't guarantee good seats/ place.... What would be the point of raising those ticket prices?

 

[FullonEdge2]

If the band should raise any ticket prices, it should definitely be for GA tickets. It has become obvious that GA is the most in demand. Ticket scalpers are especially attracted to GA because they know people are willing to pay much more than what U2 are charging for those tickets, and hence, the scalpers can make that much more of a profit.

You might say it's ridiculous to pay $200 to see U2, but people are paying that much.

By raising prices, tickets lose scalper value since there eventually is a limit to how much people are willing to pay scalpers. It seems that scalpers are dominating the trade of GA tickets, which means GA prices are dramatically inflated.

How else can U2 combat scalpers?

 

[BigMacPhisto]

How else can U2 combat scalpers?

All they had to do was offer all of the GA tickets to fan club members. Then the scalpers would've only got a hold of a few GA tickets if they joined the fan club. So the next best thing for the scalpers would be the seats, and nobody is going to pay much more than the current seat prices.

Instead, U2 let Ticketmaster (and its employees) get away with backdoor shenanigans that have so far led to nearly all of the U2 GA Floor tickets on sale on eBay for $$$$$$

 

[cudar]

Just because scalpers are posting GA tickets on ebay does not mean that they have them in hand or even bought them during the presale. To think that the scalpers on ebay bought all the GA tickets available during the presale is obsurd.

 

[Sicy]

All the tickets should be the same, $49.50. They are already outrageous. It's not like the need the money. Arent most 'normal' concerts around $50 for tickets??

I dont get it

 

[Popmartijn]

All the tickets should be the same, $49.50. They are already outrageous. It's not like the need the money. Arent most 'normal' concerts around $50 for tickets??

No, Madonna charged about $250-$300 for her top tickets, as did the Rolling Stones. Same with Billy Joel & Elton John or The Eagles. That is the league U2 is in, not Wilco, Prince (at the moment), Elvis Costello, Dropkick Murphys or The Strokes.

BTW, on a slightly related/unrelated note, before the tour started, many on this forum were hoping/almost demanding that the tour would be an arena tour again. Well, it is now, but you also immediately see the consequences of it. Less seats available thus a smaller chance to actually get tickets.

C ya!

Marty

 

[one4u2]

What the hell was the title of this thread?

I'm in NY and I've noticed for some annoying reason that tickets are more here than in other cities

 

[PurpleSeven]

$1,000 per ticket.
It'll keep the riff-raff out.
Only the truly loyal will attend.
If you have to sell a kidney to afford it, so be it.
At least we'll know your allegiance to the band.

 

[Sicy]

No, Madonna charged about $250-$300 for her top tickets

Good lord!!

I guess I dont get out much

 

[mkdominatr]

i read somewhere (maybe rolling stone) that this tour will earn between 250- 275 million dollars. should last em till the next tour..

 

[one4u2]

$1,000 per ticket.
It'll keep the riff-raff out.
Only the truly loyal will attend.
If you have to sell a kidney to afford it, so be it.
At least we'll know your allegiance to the band.

Where is it $1000?

I will have to sell an organ after this

 

[Weeze2666]

I'm not sure why anyone would want GA tickets anyway....even if they are about 50$, that is a lot to pay to be crushed and see nothing!! I don't mind paying a bit more to have a seat (not that my butt sits in it) and not get killed on the floor!! As for what the price should be, who knows. All bands charge too much as it is!

 

[Flying FuManchu]

I demanded an arena tour b/c IMO U2 was going to charge the same for stadiums anyways. I'd rather lose out on getting a ticket than going to show in a huge stadium where the band is a speck. If they do another POPmart then I would consider stadiums.

 

[bonoed]

They should fix there website and sell there tickets themselves without bringing ticketmaster into it thats my opinion...The ticket prices are the least of the concern for people. Ticketmaster insiders probably have all the GA tickets and are selling them on Ebay

They can't. Clear Channel owns all the arenas, all the radio stations, and is in bed with TM.

Didn't Pearl Jam try that themselves, and then had nowhere to play. Oh well U2 could maybe do a deal with a city and play on a beach, all the cities need extra money.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Didn't Pearl Jam try that themselves, and then had nowhere to play. Oh well U2 could maybe do a deal with a city and play on a beach, all the cities need extra money.

Yep, and Pearl Jam now uses Ticketmaster for some of their venues because it's impossible to avoid.

I would go to a U2 beach show.......they could have The Beach Boys or Brian Wilson open up the shows.

 

[STING2]

I think they should stop with the multiple price levels and just go with one ticket price. That is what they did for every tour prior to POPMART.

Boy $4
October $6.50
WAR $9.50
UF $13.50
Joshua Tree $19.50
ZOO TV $30


POPMART $37.50 , $52.50

ELEVATION $45 , $85 , $130

VERTIGO $49.50 , $95 , $160


Since the average price on Vertigo is supposed to be $90 just make all the tickets $90.

 

[njelevation06]

I think they should sell tickets very very close to the show that way scalpers and brokers simply don't have the time to start selling and thus they won't flood ticketmaster. In addition, the dates couldn't be released as well.

 

[njelevation06]

Oh yeah.... I feel better about the high ticket prices by reminding myself that I spent $0 on the Brooklyn show I went to .

 

[BWU2Buffs]

Yes - they should raise prices so that the price reflects supply and demand. Seems to me they have the pricing backwards --- the cheap seats should be nosebleeds and the expensive seats should be on the floor. The best seats possible for the lowest price available invites the mess that exists -- IMHO the only reason U2 and other bands maintain some pricing sanity is for the public relations value -- I disagree with the notion that higher GA prices worsens the scalper problem; seems to me it reduces the demand and consequently the need for scalpers as concert goers trade off how close they want to be to Bono's mug versus what they can afford.

 

[FullonEdge2]

Yes - they should raise prices so that the price reflects supply and demand. Seems to me they have the pricing backwards --- the cheap seats should be nosebleeds and the expensive seats should be on the floor. The best seats possible for the lowest price available invites the mess that exists -- IMHO the only reason U2 and other bands maintain some pricing sanity is for the public relations value -- I disagree with the notion that higher GA prices worsens the scalper problem; seems to me it reduces the demand and consequently the need for scalpers as concert goers trade off how close they want to be to Bono's mug versus what they can afford.

That is exactly what I was getting at.

 

[BWU2Buffs]

Econ 101 to me -- but hey, I paid $150 for a shot at the heart in Oakland last time out; luckily, it worked. 1983 I paid like $12 to see em in Boulder -- a long time, and a lot of hair ago.