home
page | news
index | 2004 News » Page 5
News
and professional editorials |
|
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,121045,00.html |
May
27, 2004
Story:
What
would force a 45-year-old multi-millionaire pop icon [Madonna] to
go on the road once again, especially if it meant risking health and
taking time from her family? One would think Madonna is past all that.
I'm sure as she cancelled her Los Angeles show last night for the
flu and read the negative reviews of opening night, she was thinking
the same thing.
But the
pop queen must go on. In fact, Madonna needs to tour, and here's the
simple answer to why she'd put herself through all this: cold cash.
Even with her vast wealth, investments, etc, the singer probably needs
it by now.
You see,
Madge — for whom no one will be having a telethon anytime soon
— is not the money machine she was in the late 1980s. According
to Forbes, Madonna has only made their Celebrity 100 list three times
in the last 11 years and once in the last five years. True, in 2002
she grossed $43 million from her Drowned World Tour, but she finished
overall at number 17 for money earned among entertainers.
On the
other hand, she landed at number 4 for the amount of power she wielded
that year. One thing's for sure, Madonna gets a lot of press even
when she's not raking in the bucks.
If Forbes
is right, in 2003 Madonna made less than Bill Clinton, who picked
up $9 million for writing his book and doing speaking engagements.
Madonna's
problems earning fresh income from songwriting royalties or publishing
began once she stopped using professional songwriters for her hits
and started writing songs that weren't hits on her own.
For example:
although they are closely identified with her, Madonna did not write
her most popular hits "Holiday," "Borderline,"
"Papa Don't Preach," "Like a Virgin" or "Material
Girl." (For "Borderline," one of Madonna's first hits,
Reggie Lucas actually just cannibalized another of his hits, Stephanie
Mills' "Never Knew Love Like This Before."
They
are almost interchangeable.) On most others, like "Into the Groove"
and "Like a Prayer," she shared credit with at least one
songwriter. Still radio staples in 2004, those songs make money for
their writers and not for Madonna.
Before
1990, Madonna rarely even put her name on a song for a co-writing
credit. If she did, it was for filler, not a hit. She only started
that practice around that year, with the "Like a Prayer"
album, adding her name to songs by Patrick Leonard and by Stephen
Bray, each of whom had previously written for her. Not a great songwriter,
she "contributed" to the songs' composition and wisely took
a cut of the publishing royalties.
Only
one track of the 17 on Madonna's greatest hits album, "The Immaculate
Collection," issued in 1990, is credited solely to her: "Lucky
Star." Of the other 16, five lack her name completely. The other
11 are collaborations, with two of them getting only "additional
lyrics" by Madonna, thus diminishing her cut of the profits.
But after
1990, Madonna — believing she'd become a great writer —
changed collaborators. Bray and Leonard were succeeded by Shep Pettibone,
William Orbit and Mirwais. The sound went from pop to electronic,
and, in the process, traded sensuality for mechanics.
It's
almost impossible to name a Madonna song or even hum one that's come
out since 1990 even though many of them were video or radio hits.
How about "Mer Girl"? Don't know that one? What about "Deeper
and Deeper," "Bad Girl," "Bedtime Story,"
or "Frozen"? The theme from "Die Another Day"?
Nothing, huh? "Ray of Light," a hit, was more admired than
it was beloved.
Essentially,
she has her name on a lot of forgettable records.
Madonna's
new publishing philosophy of adding her name to songs was almost done
too late. By that time, the damage was done and the big hits were
credited to others. Madonna's plight, you could say, was similar to
those of other great singers and performers from the pre-singer/songwriter
era who only recorded but didn't write their hits.
That's
because there is no performance royalty for airplay. When you hear
a song on the radio, only its writer is paid a royalty. If the singer
is just singing it, even if it's a hit, they are not getting any benefit
from it other than fame. Oldies radio staples from Motown, Stax, the
Brill Building era and even Elvis Presley are included in this.
The decline
in album sales overall for artists of her generation hasn't helped
the bottom line either. Madonna's last album, "American Life,"
never even went platinum, selling a meager 637,000 copies, according
to SoundScan. Those numbers are frightening when you have to support
a husband, children, staff, a manager and a personal lifestyle that's
platinum card, five-star and over the top.
For example,
Madonna reportedly gave the Kabbalah organization a $5 million gift
to build a London headquarters. She also turned over royalties from
her two children's books, which sold well enough and probably generated
some income. At the rate things are going, she may be asking for all
of it back any day now.
|
|
From
New York Daily News |
June
2004
In fact,
Madonna could have packed Giants Stadium for several nights. But her
drawing power isn’t as strong in some other cities, so her show
had to be scaled for 20,000-seaters rather than the 50,000-seat jumbo
types.
|
|
June
2004
Excerpts:
“How
tragic that sixty years after feminism rightly demanded that women
cease being treated as the lecherous man’s plaything and instead
be accorded the dignity of an equally intelligent and dignified member
of society, Madonna has been allowed to undo so much of that progress
with barely a whimper of protest.
“But while it is unbecoming of responsible feminist leaders
not to speak out at Madonna’s wholesale vulgarization of the
female image, it would be downright scandalous for Jewish religious
leaders not to object to Madonna being promoted as the foremost practitioner
of Judaism in the world. Judaism and Kabbalah are, above all else,
moral disciplines that demand a striving for moral excellence. Stripping
on stage and calling oneself a Kabbalist are mutually exclusive.
“For
Madonna to put herself forward as a spiritual spokesperson while continuing
to degrade women by simulating sex acts at music concerts, portray
full nudity in her movies, and to ridicule lesbians by performing
same-sex kisses merely for TV ratings, is a mockery of her claims
to a life of spiritual renewal based on the teachings of the Kabbalah.
|
|
June
1, 2004
During
his show Prince took a few digs at some other artists currently on
tour.
"Las
Vegas, you made the right choice tonight," Prince said, making
a clear reference to the Madonna concert going on at the same time
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
He also
said several times that there was "no lip-syncing going on here
tonight," nor canned music, a gentle swipe at Britney Spears
as well as Madonna.
|
|
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/25326.htm
by
By Julia Gorin, from The New York Post |
June
8, 2004
ISN'T
Madonna supposed to be controversial and independent? Then why did
she cancel all three Israel stops on her "Reinvention Tour"?
At least now we know how she's reinventing herself: as someone who
plays it safe.
The whole
tour, in fact, plays it safe.
It takes
nothing to spout antiwar messages and to bash Republicans, President
Bush and the U.S. military. Nor is there any longer anything provocative
about getting naked and simulating heterosexual and lesbian sex.
Antics
that target "decent folk" aren't risky — she's made
herself very rich over the years by selling that tired shtick.
The
truth is, Madonna hasn't pushed any envelope in a long time. Similarly,
she understands that it's a lot safer to diss Jews than to diss Arabs.
Jews only kvetch; Arabs might kill.
To be
fair, Madonna is still shameless. After all, she's snubbing the Jews
after flaunting her study of the Kabbalah for years now.
It gets
more pathetic.
Madonna
told "Access Hollywood" that it's her manager who isn't
letting her do the Israel shows, and that if she had her way, she
would go.
No,
Madonna isn't one to get her way.
Contrast
this with Melanie Chisholm (formerly Sporty Spice), who played a concert
in Tel Aviv in 2001 just months after Intifada II broke out.
The
Associated Press reported then that she told the sold-out crowd, "I
am not at all afraid to be here. I have seen reports of what is going
on in this country. I have fans here, and if they are living here
and are OK, then I'm OK, too."
In other
words, the former Material Girl turns out to be more timid than a
Spice Girl.
|
•
Madonna Loses Maverick Label
June
2004 |
»
Madonna
Loses Label
June
14, 2004
She might
still be a Material Girl, but Madonna 's no longer a Maverick.
Ending
a nasty legal battle over the future of her Maverick Records, Madonna
and Warner Bros. have reached a deal that ends her control of the
label she cofounded 12 years ago.
Madonna
and her partners, Guy Oseary and Ronnie Dashev, teamed up with Warners
to form Maverick, essentially a vanity label for Madonna to play music
mogul. Madonna, Oseary and Dashev controlled 60 percent, while Warners
owned the remaining 40 percent.
Despite
some huge early success with Alanis Morissette 's Jagged Little Pill
and a roster that now includes Michelle Branch , Maverick has struggled
of late.
With
the partnership deal due to expire this year, Madonna and her two
pals reportedly tried to sell their stake in Maverick to Warner Bros.
for $60 million. But those talks fell apart, and, in March, Madonna
& Co. filed a $200 million lawsuit accusing Warner Music and parent
company Time Warner of breach of contract, gross mismanagement and
creative accounting.
Warners,
in turn, launched its own lawsuit against Madonna, Oseary and Dashev,
claiming Maverick was a poorly run black hole sucking to the tune
of $66 million in red ink since 1999. Warners said Madonna and her
partners would have to cough up close to $100 million if they wanted
sole control of Maverick.
Monday's
deal scotches the dueling lawsuits. Terms of the payouts were not
disclosed, but reports say that Warners bought out Madonna for less
than the $20 million she initially sought.
Under
the new deal, Madonna will have no say in Maverick, but she will keep
recording for Warner Bros., her home base since 1984. Warners also
bought out the shares controlled by Dashev, who was Maverick's chief
operating officer. Oseary will keep his shares and stay aboard as
the label's A&R chief.
"This
new joint-venture agreement is clearly a win-win for both WMG and
Maverick," Warner Music boss Lyor Cohen said in a statement.
In the
same press release, Oseary thanked Madonna and Dashev and said he
welcomed "the new independent spirit at Warner Music." (The
label was acquired in November by an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman
Jr.)
There
was no immediate comment from Madonna, who is in the midst of her
re-Invention Tour in support of her underwhelming latest disc, American
Life.
Even
without Maverick to worry about, Madonna still has plenty of extracurricular
activities to amuse her. Aside from the touring, recording and child-rearing,
she is getting ready to publish her next two Kabbalah-flavored kiddie
books, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, due out next week, and The Adventures
of Abdi, slated for release Nov. 8.
»
E!
Online News - Madonna Loses Label
June
14, 2004
She
might still be a Material Girl, but Madonna's no longer a Maverick.
Ending
a nasty legal battle over the future of her Maverick Records, Madonna
and Warner Bros. have reached a deal that ends her control of the
label she cofounded 12 years ago.
Madonna
and her partners, Guy Oseary and Ronnie Dashev, teamed up with Warners
to form Maverick, essentially a vanity label for Madonna to play music
mogul. Madonna, Oseary and Dashev controlled 60 percent, while Warners
owned the remaining 40 percent.
Despite
some huge early success with Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill
and a roster that now includes Michelle Branch, Maverick has struggled
of late.
With
the partnership deal due to expire this year, Madonna and her two
pals reportedly tried to sell their stake in Maverick to Warner Bros.
for $60 million. But those talks fell apart, and, in March, Madonna
& Co. filed a $200 million lawsuit accusing Warner Music and parent
company Time Warner of breach of contract, gross mismanagement and
creative accounting.
Warners,
in turn, launched its own lawsuit against Madonna, Oseary and Dashev,
claiming Maverick was a poorly run black hole sucking to the tune
of $66 million in red ink since 1999. Warners said Madonna and her
partners would have to cough up close to $100 million if they wanted
sole control of Maverick.
Monday's
deal scotches the dueling lawsuits. Terms of the payouts were not
disclosed, but reports say that Warners bought out Madonna for less
than the $20 million she initially sought.
Under
the new deal, Madonna will have no say in Maverick, but she will keep
recording for Warner Bros., her home base since 1984. Warners also
bought out the shares controlled by Dashev, who was Maverick's chief
operating officer. Oseary will keep his shares and stay aboard as
the label's A&R chief.
"This
new joint-venture agreement is clearly a win-win for both WMG and
Maverick," Warner Music boss Lyor Cohen said in a statement.
In the
same press release, Oseary thanked Madonna and Dashev and said he
welcomed "the new independent spirit at Warner Music." (The
label was acquired in November by an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman
Jr.)
There
was no immediate comment from Madonna, who is in the midst of her
re-Invention Tour in support of her underwhelming latest disc, American
Life.
Even
without Maverick to worry about, Madonna still has plenty of extracurricular
activities to amuse her. Aside from the touring, recording and child-rearing,
she is getting ready to publish her next two Kabbalah-flavored kiddie
books, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, due out next week, and The Adventures
of Abdi, slated for release Nov. 8.
»
Madonna
label loses millions - Tiscali Music News
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/music/news/040421_madonnalabellosesmillions.html
By Tamara
Conniff
LOS ANGELES
(Hollywood Reporter) - Madonna’s Maverick Records label, home
to the Material Girl as well as Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch,
has lost $66 million (37 million pounds) since 1999, according to
recently unsealed court documents filed by its adversary and partner,
Warner Music Group.
Last
month, Maverick sued Warner Music for $200 million, claiming breach
of contract and fraud. The Warner documents were part of a pre-emptive
claim filed in a Delaware court asking a judge to find that the company
had fulfilled its commitment to Maverick.
The documents
claim that in order for Maverick to get out of its joint venture with
Warner Music, which is up at the end of the year, Maverick will have
to pay $92.5 million, in addition to the value of Warner’s interest
in the label. The price tag includes the $66 million in losses, a
$20 million loan and $6.5 million in unrecouped fees.
According
to Warner Music’s filing, if Maverick cannot raise the money
needed to buy itself out the joint venture, Warner can convert the
label into a "purely passive economic interest", taking
all control of the label away from Maverick. In this case, Maverick
would reap no profits from the label until the losses were repaid
»
See
also:
»
Entertainment
News.org - Madonna Loses Label
»
NME.com
- Madonna's label loses millions
»
Much
Music - Madonna Loses Maverick
»
www.smh.com.au
- Madonna settles label feud
»
My
Way - Madonna's Label a $66 Million Loser
|
| |
June
14, 2004
»
See:
»
Ananova
Madonna
dresses up for new video
Madonna
has recorded a glamorous new video in which she wears £15
million worth of vintage jewellery.
She
also dresses up as a string of famous actresses from the 1920s through
to the 1970s in the promo for new single Hollywood.
The
video, directed by photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, is described
as a cross between Vogue and Express Yourself.
The
track is the second single from her American Life CD.
It
tells a bittersweet tale about Madonna's relationship with Hollywood
and movies.
Some
of the expensive jewellery worn once belonged to the legendary actress
Mae West, reports The Sun.
»
The
Sun UK
and
»
Strike
a Pose
|
|
by
Mary Hunh |
June
16, 2004
Maybe
Madonna's "Re-Invention Tour" needs a little retooling.
Thousands
of tickets are still available for the Material Mom's six-night stand
at Madison Square Garden that begins tonight — many at cut-rate
prices.
Late
yesterday, Ticketmaster, the official retail outlet for Madonna concert
tickets, had seats in all price ranges ($50 to $300) for all six nights.
And some
ticket brokers — who usually offer seats at a premium —
were desperately trying to clear their bloated inventories with discounts
of up to 30 percent off face value.
"We're
losing money on these tickets," said one broker offering deep
discounts. "The bottom line is she's doing too many shows."
Besides
the six MSG shows, the 45-year-old musical artist has two shows slated
for Continental Airlines Arena across the Hudson in New Jersey next
month as part of her 19-city world tour.
"Tickets
are selling well, but not as well as anticipated," said Mi chael
Issac, president of broker Preferred Ticket.com. "Three years
ago was a much stronger tour."
That
tour, "Drowned World," "was a whole other ballgame,"
Issac said. While his agency isn't discounting tickets for this stand,
the last tour drew prices "five times" the current stand.
A broker
at greattickets.com said the phone was ringing off the hook, but not
for Madonna — for the NBA's Detroit Pistons, who are close to
winning the league championship series from the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Her
public opinion might be shifting," said the broker, who did not
want to be identified.
A few
brokers remained optimistic yesterday, offering $300 second row center
seats for tonight for up to $1,700.
And a
$300 front row center seat for Sunday's performance was offered for
$2,400.
Front
row seats for tonight may not be available through Ticketmaster, but
as of last night, $300 tickets on the floor in Row L were available
for face value plus the usual processing fees.
The show
was initially reported sold out, but last week hundreds of tickets
were released as more seats became available after the stage was set
up.
Liz Rosenberg,
Madonna's publicist, said she's not worried.
She remained
confident that tonight's show will "absolutely" sell out.
"A
lot of people know that last-minute tickets are available," says
Rosenberg.
She's
doing well nationally. According to Pollstar, the first 10 shows averaged
$2.6 million in ticket sales, selling more than 136,000 tickets over
10 shows in four cities. The average ticket price is $175.
The tour
is on track to be the top-grossing tour of 2004, with a gross in the
$120 million range and attendance of about 920,000. "New York
has always been an exceptional market for Madonna," says Gary
Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar. "It's hard to believe
she's not selling tickets. It could be she held back tickets, and
people are just finding out."
Meanwhile
cable channel Trio TV is having a little fun at Madonna's expense,
hosting three Madonna silver-screen bombs at the Loews Theater on
34th Street.
The schedule:
"Who's That Girl," tonight; "Body of Evidence"
next Wednesday, and "Swept Away," on June 29.
|
|
by
Dean Johnson |
June
17, 2004
Haven't
yet bought your precious tickets for Madonna's four-night stand at
the Worcester Centrum later this month? You might want to wait a bit.
Prices are tumbling.
"I'm
selling tickets at literally half the face value,'' said Jim Holzman,
president of Ace Ticket, a Bay State ticket broker, "and sales
have still just been OK.''
Ace
Ticket actually is offering a second ticket at half price when one
is purchased at full price. Holzman said he's surprised by the sluggish
sales.
"I
think the big problem is that they're calling it the Re-Invention
Tour,'' he added. "People are afraid she's going to come out
and start doing some Kabbalah chants, when it's actually a greatest
hits tour.''
Most
agencies are still selling the most expensive tickets (list $300)
for big bucks, more than $1,000 even. But the cheap seats in Worcester
can be had for as little as $65 for a $90 seat.
If you
really want some bang for your Madonna buck, go to the online auction
site eBay. Yesterday, a pair of seventh-row tickets for the June 27
show ($600 face value) were going for $250, a $300 ticket for $199,
and two $102 seats for $130.
|
| • |
|
 |
Madonna
"Flips Off" Fans During Concert |
|
June
17, 2004
Photo
below: taken during one of Madonna's Reinvention concerts. In the
United States, the hand gesture she is making is a vulgar one which
means "f*ck you."
This
makes the news stories from this time period about her keeping a "swear
jar" during her tour rehearsals ridiculous and hypocritical.
No
matter that since about 1997 Madonna has been marketing herself as
a mature woman who has shunned her raunchy past - stunts such as this
show she is still a piece of white trash who revels in being vulgar:
|
Some
fans paid upwards of $400 to receive this treatment from Madonna.
|
|
|
from
MSNBC.com |
June
18, 2004
"Diva":
The term is just about to move from creative and hip—to annoying.
Four
of America’s top women performers may have all “jumped
the shark” simultaneously: Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna,
and Britney Spears.
“Jumping
The Shark” is the exact moment when quality becomes schmaltz,
when adulation becomes pity. ...
Madonna
Bummed
by Britney’s bad break? Don’t worry, you can still go
see Britney-classic... Madonna.
Plenty
of good seats are available for her tour. After it opened on track
to be the top-grossing junket of the year, the wheels—or the
falsies— have fallen off.
In New
York, Ticketmaster reported thousands of seats, in all price ranges,
were available for her six concerts at Madison Square Garden. Ticket
brokers, the polite term for “scalpers,” are reported
to be offering deep discounts—the polite term for “giving
the damn tickets away.”
This
just in: The Material girl now has a new name. The artist is now going
to be known as the artist- formerly- called- Madonna. She now wants
to be called Esther, a Hebrew name.
"I
was named after my mother. My mother died when she was very young,
of cancer, and ... I wanted to attach myself to another name,"
the singer says in an interview on ABC's "20/20," airing
at 10 p.m. ET Friday. "This is in no way a negation of who my
mother is ... I wanted to attach myself to the energy of a different
name."
|
| •
Madonna's
authentic hypocrisy
By
Jonah Goldberg |
June
19, 2004
From
an ABC News exclusive: "She was in the pages of Playboy, published
her own book on sex and kissed Britney Spears in a live stage performance,
but Madonna tells ABC News' '20/20' she may be through with propelling
her celebrity with sex."
What
courage! What daring! A 45-year-old mother of two has decided to stop
using sex as a publicity tool. Isn't this a little like Saddam Hussein
declaring now that he will abide by all U.N. sanctions?
Full
disclosure: Every columnist has a few topics that serve as a bottomless
well to draw from. For some it's church-state issues, for others it's
the gas tax.
For
me, it seems to be Madonna's penchant for "reinvention."
Actually, that's not fair, because the last three or four times I've
written about Madonna she's been "reinventing" herself into
the same thing: a more responsible working mom.
In 2001,
People magazine ran a breathlessly sycophantic article titled "Balancing
Act," which portrayed Madonna as the Rosie the Riveter of working
moms.
"Like
many working mothers - even those who have an assistant and at least
one nanny on hand, as she does - her life is 'exhausting."' She
told People: "There isn't a second in my day that isn't taken
up looking after my family or thinking (about work)."
The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution declared that her tour should've been called
"Material Mom Puts Family First This Tour."
Of course,
that "reinvention" stood on the shoulders of another, more
or less identical reinvention from a year earlier. In 2000, Madonna
explained in another People magazine article: "I've gone through
all my sexual rebellion and don't need to do it anymore. I worked
it out of my system, it's pretty safe to say."
So imagine
my surprise when ABC broke the "exclusive" that the Material
Girl was prepared to admit that she was ready to put her rebellious
life behind her.
The
exciting news now, other than her embrace of a bogus pseudo-Jewish
mysticism, is that she's now so "traditional" that she actually
- gasp - insists her kids pick up after themselves. In terms of news
value this ranks only slightly above "This Just In: Abraham Lincoln
is Still Dead. Story at 11."
So why
should anyone care?
Excellent
question. I'm glad I asked it for you. First of all, it never hurts
to be reminded that "news" outfits are not above repackaging
the same old shinola in new wrappers.
But there's
something a lot more important, even sinister, about the public treatment
of Madonna. Madonna was a slut when sluttiness worked for her. Oh,
and before you get on some high horse about how it is ungentlemanly
to use such language, all I would say is that the word has no meaning
if it doesn't apply to a woman who glamorized group sex and performed
lessons on oral sex - all aimed at a teenage audience.
When
conservatives - and plain old good parents - criticized or denounced
Madonna for promoting slattern chic, they were uniformly jeered at
as prudes, theocrats, Comstocks, etc. Those who didn't celebrate Madonna's
ability to "transcend bourgeoisie morality" or some other
gobbledygook "just didn't get it."
Well,
now that Madonna's getting older, is a parent herself, and younger
Madonna rip-offs are doing the same thing, she claims to value modesty
and tradition - and the same nattering bandersnatches of the "sophisticated"
media congratulate her on her maturity.
When
Madonna defended her shtick, she was celebrated as "authentic"
- and authenticity is the most important thing in the world. Now,
that she's lewd no more, it's OK for her to criticize lewdness.
But here's
the thing: Lewdness is either right or wrong regardless of Madonna's
personal behavior. It's similar to the outrage at Rush Limbaugh's
alleged drug problem. Since liberals are terrified of being "judgmental,"
they could denounce his "hypocrisy" and not the actual underlying
transgression. It's tantamount to saying that gluttons must condone
gluttony for everyone, because to say otherwise would be hypocritical.
This
is a very real problem in a culture that sees super-rich - and often
very dumb - celebrities as role models. Madonna championed promiscuity
as self-expression for millions of girls who would never grow up to
become kazillionaires like Madonna, who, by the way, has bragged that
she's never changed a diaper (she's got staff for that). That is not
the plight of real "working moms."
Madonna
could always afford her values, as when she had a baby with her personal
fitness trainer. Most people cannot. What solace is it to the women
who followed her advice 20 years ago that she now has realized that
there was something to "bourgeoisie" values all along?
|
|
http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/25/news/newsmakers/summer_concerts/
from
CNN |
June
25, 2004
....
According to Michael Issac, a Las Vegas broker and president of PreferredTicket.com,
brokers who bet heavily on huge demand are now unloading tickets at
below face value. Madonna tickets for her "Reinvention"
tour are a case in point, he noted.
The
music industry overall is having a tough time amid falling CD sales
and rising iPod sales. The live concert business was the one form
of music delivery that seemed immune to competition from the Internet
and downloaders.
But
now a stool and a microphone are no longer enough.
...
It doesn't help that ticket prices are soaring. Since 1996 the average
cost of a concert ticket has nearly doubled, to $50.35 last year,
according to Pollstar.com, the magazine's online edition.
Leading
the way is the Material Girl herself. The average face value for a
Madonna ticket is $175, according to Pollstar, and in Vegas, where
concert ticket prices usually top out, promoters were asking $375
for the best seats.
"We
keep pushing the envelope on ticket prices and I think it's finally
gone beyond the pale a little bit," said Pollstar's Bongiovanni.
"Consumers are voting with their wallets and they're keeping
them in their pockets."
To be
sure, the concert industry isn't on life support. Overall concert
ticket sales reached $2.5 billion in the U.S. last year, up from $1.7
billion in 2000, according to Pollstar.
But
those seemingly rosy figures mask who's making -- and who's losing
-- money.
Unlike
with album sales, the performers themselves pocket the bulk of the
price of a ticket, portions of which pay for five-star hotels, bodyguards
and so on. So when a rock star cancels her tour, her bank account
feels the pain too.
For
promoters, who get a much smaller slice of ticket sales, what matters
most is concert attendance. That's because they make most of their
money off T-shirt sales and other services like parking.
And
fewer ticket sales can mean fewer sales of $85 Material Girl rhinestone
camisoles.
In recent
years growth in ticket sales has been fairly anemic.
After
falling below 2000 levels for two years in a row, the total number
of Top 100 concert ticket sales reached a record 38.7 million last
year, according to Pollstar.com.
Concert
promoters say they've gotten the message -- hence, this month's "$10
ticket Tuesday" Clear Channel offer in San Antonio and a similar
fire sale in San Francisco. More promotions are likely.
"I
think we do need to move very swiftly in creating value for consumers
and reacting to the economics," Brian Becker, CEO of Clear Channel
Entertainment, told CNN/Money. "What consumers are saying is
that they love the music and they will come out but they need a better
value proposition." CCE is owned by San Antonio-based Clear Channel
Communications. (CCU:
Research, Estimates)
It's
rare that concert promoters openly admit that a tour was aborted due
to bleak sales.
But
that's what the producers of "Lollapalooza," the two-day
traveling alternative rockfest that got its start in 1991, said when
they pulled the plug this week on a 16-day tour set to begin in July.
In its heyday, the festival featured the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot
Chili Peppers and other hot bands.
"Our
plight," Lollapalooza co-founder Perry Farrell wrote on a tour
Web site, "is a true indication of the general health of the
touring industry and it is across musical genres."
|
| |
