Site Navigation
|
Audio
Photos
Resources
|
March 25, 2005
 |
| Ticket prices continue to climb. Some people say it's the result of popular demand, but others say the cost has become unreasonable. (MPR Photo/Marianne Combs) |
St. Paul, Minn. — So did you hear that Elton John is coming to town next month? It's true! Want to go? Well, the really good seats are $123.25.
No? I didn't think so.
The nosebleed section still has a few left; those are $43 each. But a $1.75 "building facility charge" and an $8 "convenience fee?" are also added on -- per ticket. It looks like even the cheap seats are going to set you back well over $100. John Work thinks it's outrageous.
"I am surprised there's been no consumer revolt, but I think people just don't know what to do," says Work.
Work, you might be surprised to learn, is the founder of two ticketing agencies in the Twin Cities: Uptown Tix and TicketWorks. One sells tickets for no additional charge, the other offers a flat fee that's stated at the start of the transaction, so customers know what they're in for.
Work started both companies in part out of frustration with other ticket agencies, including the national leader Ticketmaster.
"It's an unfair business model," says Work. "You either go and pay the fees or you don't go. It's a totally hostile business model to the consumer."
Ticketmaster declined a request for an interview for this story.
What frustrates most ticket buyers are these infuriatingly named "convenience fees" which are anything but convenient. Work says it's like this -- producers use ticket vendors to sell their tickets. The producer pays for part of the service upfront, and the rest is collected as a fee from the person buying the ticket.
But Work says some producers are now insisting that ticket buyers pay it all. Work compares it to going to a restaurant and being forced to tip the waiter 20 percent before you've even seen your food.
So why not just increase the price of your ticket? Work says there are two good reasons for keeping the price low. First, it lures more people to the box office. Second, producers often pay taxes based on their ticket prices, so a more expensive ticket means higher taxes.
A convenience fee can hide the true cost of attending the event. Work says this is unfair to the consumer.
"The customer shouldn't sit there and wonder about how much it costs to provide a phone center, and a Web site, and the electricity and the people answering the phones," says Work. "It's not their business. Their business is to buy a ticket."
Work says he thinks the cost of tickets and their fees will keep climbing as long as people keep paying. He says only government regulation or public outcry is going to change anything.
One local organization is going against the trend. Bruce Coppock, president of th St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, believes that classical music should be available to as many people as possible. That's why the SPCO just lowered the price of tickets to its neighborhood concert series.
Next season all tickets will be $25 for adults, $10 for kids. The transaction fee for ordering tickets over the phone is $2.50, with a maximum fee of $7.50. Coppock says there are three major obstacles to getting people to concerts.
"The first is price. The second is convenience -- parking, drive time, babysitters. And the third is that they might not know what to do once they get to the concert," says Coppock. "So we really see this price initiative as part of a larger effort to make SPCO concerts as welcoming as possible."
At $10, it costs less to bring your kids to the concert than to leave them with a babysitter. It also helps the SPCO to grow a fresh young audience for classical music.
Plus, selling a $10 ticket is more profitable than not selling a $50 ticket.
Coppock is quick to point out the SPCO is not the first Minnesota arts organization to make this move. Evan Maurer, the recently retired director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, said that of all the things he's accomplished in the last decade, he's most proud of making the MIA free to the public.
But the MIA has a significant endowment. How is the SPCO going to pay the bills? Coppock anticipates foundations and other funders will look kindly upon the orchestra.
"Ultimately, this is about mission. And we have a belief that organizations that are aggressive about fulfilling their mission for the community will be rewarded with financial stability over time," says Coppock. "So while we certainly have put some higher price ticket revenue at risk in the early years, we are completely confident the community will respond both with higher attendance and greater support."
Coppock says in order for prices to remain low in the long run, the SPCO and other organizations need to cut costs.
In response to an informal Minnesota Public Radio survey, several people claimed they now attend fewer cultural events because of rising prices. One respondent stated she had to know in advance the event was going to be truly fabulous -- in other words, "a 10" -- to justify the money. And live events can change from night to night.
Still, some people think the cost of tickets is no reason for a family to stay home.
Graduate student Nikki Engelbrecht thinks some people use ticket prices as an excuse, when really they're just being lazy. Engelbrecht takes advantage of reduced ticket prices for students. In addition, she says there are plenty of free cultural events -- not just the MIA, but author readings and galleries and sculpture gardens. You just have to know where to look.
Engelbrecht points out most plays and concerts are still cheaper than professional sporting events, and local arts events are cheaper than touring shows. While she hasn't yet been to the pricier Minnesota Opera or the Minnesota Orchestra, she plans to get to each of them in the coming year. So she's saving up.
"The benefits of going out for one night are so high," says Engelbrecht. "Just being able to spend that time, and to be able to enjoy living and to enjoy seeing what other people can create is much more beneficial than sitting home and watching television, and something that's just going to rot your brain."
Engelbrecht says it's all about setting financial priorities. The challenge for arts organizations is to convince potential audiences they deserve to be the priority.
|
|