By Haitianbeatz
A series of low turnouts by some of our top bands has sparked questions about whether the post-pandemic live music boom could be cooling, as consumer spending fatigue meets elevated ticket prices. It’s the same for the American music Industry, Jennifer Lopez Black Eye Peas, Archade Fire just cancelled their Summer tour because of low ticket sales.
The period of explosive growth following the post-pandemic frenzy of live “bals” may in hindsight be seen as a deviation or distortion: People were simply more eager — and more financially able — to go to as many shows as they could after many months locked in their homes.
I get everyone wants to play the inflation card when gouging people but when it’s literally every industry, goods and service doing it there’s a lot less money left over for fun.
The days where there was enough demand to sell tickets for a regular “bals” at top dollar just isn’t there anymore. That’s why we see a decline on attendance at our party scenes. At a time when many of our music fans are struggling to pay for basic needs, people are just not able to afford those prices, therefore, staying away all together.
How do we fix this?
In the past, our artists use to make an album, just for the sake of selling and making good music. Now it’s more about for their survival at the live circuits. Some bands even got into a trend of promoting their own events, right after they’ve released their albums…trying to cash in as much as they can. Some have had success, some have failed.
While the promoters had raised their price for their events because of the “supply and demand” theory right after the pandemic, the bands also jumped on the bandwagon, by raising their price as well, which was understandable. Such realities have collided with a more circumspect party goer. The tickets are too expensive, there’s only a very small amount of people that can really spend $100-125 for a VIP ticket.
It is becoming more a reality that ticket price must go down or the low turnouts at our live events will get worse. What must happen? While some promoters have tried to bring down their ticket price, the bands must collaborate by literaly bring down their asking price as well so the promoters can pass the saving to the party goers.. To the contrary, we see the opposite, the bands have increased their asking price.. even though, it’s almost impossible for any band at the moment, to draw a thousand people at their local events. Some bands are trying to use the Zafem model by asking for an exuberant booking fee. But Zafem was an abnormally. Those days are long gone. Nu look has tried this tactic, with not much success.
A course correction in ticket prices in the HMI is long overdue, as the majority of our bands can’t pull together 500 fans on a given night. I get everyone wants to play the inflation card when gouging people but when it’s literally every industry, goods and service doing it, there’s a lot less money left over for fun, especially when it’s a choice between a ticket and literaly putting food on the table.
Recently, the people who arrived under President Biden's parole program have been the majority of people showing up at our live events. But for how long before their envy of seeing their favorite bands live, begin to diminish? The same way they were locked up in Haiti for years because of insecurity, it is similar to those who were locked up in the US because of the pandemic. Eventullay reality will sink in, they won’t be able to continue to make sacrifices to see a band perform.
I think there are still plenty of people who would love to see their preferred band perform, but not for the prices they’re charging. The ball is in the bands court, they must take the first step by lowering their price and the promoters must make the adjustiment so the fans can go and enjoy their favorite bands, without having to put their other bills on hold.
I report, you decide.
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