Earlier this week, I took a look at how hot concert tickets are moving this summer – despite the high prices of gas specifically, and inflation in general. Live Nation is reporting record sales, and many of you commented that you’ll be personally attending a number of shows during the next few months.
In an effort to make sure you’re properly prepared for the experience – especially if you’re just getting back into the groove of going to live shows – today’s edition of the JacoBLOG is dedicated to summer concertgoers. I sincerely hope you enjoy this year’s live fare, and that our three stories about concerts prove to be helpful.
Item #1: The high cost of concert tickets – A couple weeks ago, I happened across a story about how Classic Rock concert tickets are the most expensive of any music genre. But now we find out that when it comes to getting the best deal for your favorite concerts, timing is everything.
A expansive study by FianceBuzz shows that even when a concert is sold out, when buying tickets in the secondary market (like on sites like StubHub), concert fans can get still get a great deal.
Josh Koebert reports the conventional wisdom suggesting buying tickets well in advance of the show, it turns out the closer you wait until the opening act goes on stage, the better deal you’re likely to get.
In fact, consumers spend 33% less the average when the buy on the resale market on the day of the show; they shell out 27% less when they purchase tickets the day before.
Interesting only about 7% of ticket sales take place on the day of show – even though the data shows that’s when the deals are best:
Similarly, festivals work pretty much the same way. In general, the longer you wait – right up until the day the festival starts – the better deal you’re likely to get.
For radio stations, it may be a bit of a fine line. But rather than buying tickets and giving them away weeks before an event, waiting to do both a day or so before might have more upside.
Consumers might be especially excited to attend a show they were probably convinced they wouldn’t see. And the station would likely pay less for those tickets in the resale market.
So you can rest assured you’re getting the best deal, finance Buzz recommends you check prices against other sellers via Capital One Shopping.
Item #2: Will there be an encore? – Of course there will. But just to be sure, it’s important you show your enthusiasm with the time-honored method of holding up a lighter.
These days, more and more concertgoers hold up their phones, including the flashlight function.
But the old school way of begging the band to return to the stage is a BiC lighter. And now the Rolling Stones are attempting to cash in on this ritual with their own branded BiC.
Mike Stern saw this ad show up on his Instagram:
But it doesn’t stop there. Note the ad tells you there are eight different lighter styles. A few clicks later, I happened across this:
Collect ’em all.
As the Stones celebrate their 60th anniversary, there may be no merch limits.
Gene Simmons has to be wondering why he didn’t think of this.
Item #3: No ticket, no problem – One of the downsides of the Internet age, especially e-commerce – is that we’re losing tangible memorabilia in the form of concert tickets. That is, proof positive that you actually attended the show.
These days, those tickets are simply in the cloud, mere apparitions of bits and bytes, QR codes that get you admission to a concert – without giving you a receipt.
Until now.
Leave it to the wizards at Stubforge to solve the problem. They’ve come with the solution that lets you legally “forge” concert tickets, not to use at an event, but as a collector’s item:
You can customize replica tickets for whatever show you missed or misplaced a ticket stub, whether it was last week’s McCartney show or a Doors concert from 1967. Or maybe it’s a big birthday party, a wedding, or a station event.
At roughly $5 apiece (the more you buy, the cheaper they get), you can buy some cool collectibles for a lot less money than giving away pairs of actual concert tickets.
The paper stock, the font, and the style are all made to look like Ticketmaster. This very short video shows you all you need to know about how Stubforge works:
So now you know about the latest and great concert innovations. And you know precisely when to buy those tickets.
Now go grab a $10 beer, and get into that long restroom line.
This summer’s going to rock.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Fred,
Once again you capture something that was on our minds and in our conversations! Stubs have come up with those of us who saved them, and those of us who were in the business, where the guest list often times left us without a physical memory of the event. The Setlist site has helped in many cases, as many of us wonder “did I see that show?” – not so sure now.
Matt Mills – one of Boston’s radio giants, had his office door covered top to bottom with tickets. I’ve also seen them framed, and have done it a few times after traveling. It is a badge of courage for us, and a great reminder that experiences are always better than things – but things can be……hence the word “souvenir.”
I have checked the setlist site a time or two myself. But I’m not a collector, so I’ve been a bit surprised how many people have told me they collect/save/scrapbook their ticket stubs.
When I see a product like Stubforge, the former PD in me gets excited because it’s another way for stations to add a cool angle to a the music lover’s job of seeing a live show.
Thanks, as always, for the kind comment, and for reading the blog.