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Long time fin fan (15+ yrs?), first time post....
Does anyone know the reasoning behind the huge increase in ticket prices this year? Is it the number 1 album/songs? What is going on?

I have only missed one show in 15 years, last year was by far my favorite, especially w/the accustic set. (INDY @ Verizon) Tickets last year were $55 for lower pavillion. This year they are $86?? come on!! Jimmy is my fav, always will be, but holy cow that is almost a double increase.

My dad lives in Fla., and is also a huge parrothead. He saw the Jacksonville show and loved it (for an indoor stadium), said the whole show is based on the book. But still, $86??? What gives? Any thoughts out there?[/b]

Wish I could offer something helpful. I too, find it rather distressing. The increase was enough to make me (and the people going with me, if we get tickets) literally think twice before deciding to go ahead and take a shot at it. Sigh. If I didn't know better, I'd say SOMEONE SOMEWHERE was getting greedy.

On the lighter side, welcome to BuffettNews!!

The problem is pretty basic, supply & demand, if you can charge it and people will pay it, You CAN do it. You don't HAVE to charge that much, it's your choice, just like we don't HAVE to buy the tickets (but we will). I have been asking myself lately though, How much is enough when you already have more than you could spend two (more?) lifetimes?

For some reason some people are under the impression that Jimmy Buffett set's the ticket prices and is making money based on how much these prices are and how many tickets are sold. Jimmy is a star in the so called "A" list which basically means all his shows are sell outs and the promotors pay him a set price per show, or per groups of shows, before any tickets are sold. All he does is show and play. Based on how much is being paid to the performer and how much is being paid to rent the venue and how much profit the promotor thinks they can get ticket prices are established. Because of the supply and demand issue the promotors are seeing how high people will pay to see him and from the sell outs so far this year people are willing to pay up to 100 bucks a ticket to see him and you can bet next year ticket prices will go up again and they will continue to go until his shows quit selling out. Simply, Jimmy Buffett is a money making cash cow for Clear Channel and anyone else promoting his show and these folks are going milk this cow dry for as long as they can.

I may be not going to a show this year but the ticket prices have nothing to do with, I can't take any time off the week he is going to be playing Great Woods with the Mon/Wed show. However I will try and get Mohegan Tickets (even the 200 dollar ones) but I don't like my odds given the number of seats the arena holds.

I disagree, I think the performers CAN have somewhat of a say on ticket prices. Why does he usually wind up on the top ten money making tours? Because of high ticket prices. Not because of the amount of shows. These guys know us baby boomers will pay and we do. They have us over a barrel. My kids are so lucky, they never pay more than $25.00 to see their favorite bands, usually 3-4 in one night. Heck they saw Green Day at a huge arena for only $30.00 or so. I went with them to the Warped Tour for $40.00. There had to be over 20 bands playing during the day and big radio bands, (some that I even heard of...lol). They just know that we will pay and thats that and someone has to pay for Jimmys new jet and it aint going to be him....heehee. So yes, I do pay, (100.00 for greatwoods, 75.00 for Elton) cause I want to go but doesnt mean I cant complain about it........

photogal wrote:I disagree, I think the performers CAN have somewhat of a say on ticket prices. Why does he usually wind up on the top ten money making tours? Because of high ticket prices. Not because of the amount of shows. These guys know us baby boomers will pay and we do. They have us over a barrel. My kids are so lucky, they never pay more than $25.00 to see their favorite bands, usually 3-4 in one night. Heck they saw Green Day at a huge arena for only $30.00 or so. I went with them to the Warped Tour for $40.00. There had to be over 20 bands playing during the day and big radio bands, (some that I even heard of...lol). They just know that we will pay and thats that and someone has to pay for Jimmys new jet and it aint going to be him....heehee. So yes, I do pay, (100.00 for greatwoods, 75.00 for Elton) cause I want to go but doesnt mean I cant complain about it........

Jimmy ends up in the top ten money maing tours not "just" for his concert ticket prices. Think about it...Margaritaville everything. Im not even going to go into it because there is so much more revenue than just his shows. Ticket prices are supply and demand, its clear cut. I dont blame you for complaining about it, I'm complaining just as much. I will pay it though to see him, but I dont believe it's his main source of revenue.

It comes to this, as another poster said, don't go to the show if you don't like the prices. I'm not being mean, I'm just speaking from my experience because I had a chance to buy Philly pre-sale and insisted that I was NOT going to pay those bloated prices, then I was upset all week for not getting them. Luckily, I was able to get four tickets for the 8/27 and now I don't regret it. After all, how many more chances will we have?

I'd rather die while I'm living than live when I'm dead.

blackjack wrote:It comes to this, as another poster said, don't go to the show if you don't like the prices. I'm not being mean, I'm just speaking from my experience because I had a chance to buy Philly pre-sale and insisted that I was NOT going to pay those bloated prices, then I was upset all week for not getting them. Luckily, I was able to get four tickets for the 8/27 and now I don't regret it. After all, how many more chances will we have?

I'd rather die while I'm living than live when I'm dead.

Well said. I wasn't crazy about $160 for Phily tickets, but how often am I gonna have the chance to sit in the 2nd row? Hell, I've spent more than that on a good night bar-hopping.

It comes down to this - if you wanna play, you gotta pay. If you don't wanna pay, that's fine - there will be a line of folks waiting to take your place.

UpstateNYPH wrote:

photogal wrote:Why does he usually wind up on the top ten money making tours? Because of high ticket prices.

Jimmy ends up in the top ten money maing tours not "just" for his concert ticket prices. Think about it...Margaritaville everything.

Pollstar doesn't factor that in to its annual list of top-generating tours.

And it's not the ticket prices that put Jimmy up on the list - its the fact that he sells out every show he does. Most folks aren't coming close to selling out venues.

Key Lime Lee wrote:Most folks aren't coming close to selling out venues.

Lee is right. The short list in 2004 for consistent sellouts was Buffett, Madonna, Prince, Elton John, DMB and Phish. I think Celine Dion sold out most of her shows too (though, I wouldn't call that a tour).

rednekkPH wrote:

blackjack wrote:It comes to this, as another poster said, don't go to the show if you don't like the prices. I'm not being mean, I'm just speaking from my experience because I had a chance to buy Philly pre-sale and insisted that I was NOT going to pay those bloated prices, then I was upset all week for not getting them. Luckily, I was able to get four tickets for the 8/27 and now I don't regret it. After all, how many more chances will we have?

I'd rather die while I'm living than live when I'm dead.

Well said. I wasn't crazy about $160 for Phily tickets, but how often am I gonna have the chance to sit in the 2nd row? Hell, I've spent more than that on a good night bar-hopping.

It comes down to this - if you wanna play, you gotta pay. If you don't wanna pay, that's fine - there will be a line of folks waiting to take your place.

Sooner or later, there will be no more JB shows. Sure, it can be steep to attend a show, but I approach each show like it may be the last time I get to enjoy the PH experience.

Not being morbid, just savoring the moment.

If the prices are too steep, show up, enjoy the tailgaiting in the parking lot, then see if you can find surplus from a scalper after the show starts.

There's always a way

It's simple economics. Jimmy understands that we will pay. The venues also understand that we will pay. So the fans are getting it from both ends. I'm not complaing, mind you, to me it's worth the money to be able to do the tailgate, see the show, have a great time, and make some hazy memories. But I do draw the line there. It's not the ticket prices that bother me, but the souvenier stand. I just can't justify shelling out such rediculous money for t-shirts and CDs (not just Jimmy's a lot of artists).

Ilph wrote:It's simple economics. Jimmy understands that we will pay. The venues also understand that we will pay. So the fans are getting it from both ends. I'm not complaing, mind you, to me it's worth the money to be able to do the tailgate, see the show, have a great time, and make some hazy memories. But I do draw the line there. It's not the ticket prices that bother me, but the souvenier stand. I just can't justify shelling out such rediculous money for t-shirts and CDs (not just Jimmy's a lot of artists).

So I still dont get why my kids come home with t-shirts for $10 to $15.00?? And these are pretty big bands. They usually get cd's for $10.00 also. Must be the old charge what the market will pay thing eh?

photogal wrote:

Ilph wrote:It's simple economics. Jimmy understands that we will pay. The venues also understand that we will pay. So the fans are getting it from both ends. I'm not complaing, mind you, to me it's worth the money to be able to do the tailgate, see the show, have a great time, and make some hazy memories. But I do draw the line there. It's not the ticket prices that bother me, but the souvenier stand. I just can't justify shelling out such rediculous money for t-shirts and CDs (not just Jimmy's a lot of artists).

So I still dont get why my kids come home with t-shirts for $10 to $15.00?? And these are pretty big bands. They usually get cd's for $10.00 also. Must be the old charge what the market will pay thing eh?

Well there's that, and there's always a "freelance" T-shirt vendor in the parking lot.

I think it sucks that the ticket I paid $65 for last season is gonna cost $86 this year. And at Nissan, if you are in the back 1/3 of the pavilion you may as well be on the lawn. $86 for a lawnview seat is high even in scalper terms in my book.

But in an attempt to find the silver lining - maybe these insane prices will keep some of the goofuses who only come for a drunken party at home (or at least in the lot).

photogal wrote:

Ilph wrote:It's simple economics. Jimmy understands that we will pay. The venues also understand that we will pay. So the fans are getting it from both ends. I'm not complaing, mind you, to me it's worth the money to be able to do the tailgate, see the show, have a great time, and make some hazy memories. But I do draw the line there. It's not the ticket prices that bother me, but the souvenier stand. I just can't justify shelling out such rediculous money for t-shirts and CDs (not just Jimmy's a lot of artists).

So I still dont get why my kids come home with t-shirts for $10 to $15.00?? And these are pretty big bands. They usually get cd's for $10.00 also. Must be the old charge what the market will pay thing eh?

I think that some names try to make it up in quanity...I've been to shows where shirts were $30 and they actually sold out of their supply by the end of the tour, there were none of 'last year tour shirts' for sale at a discount...if you only make $5 a shirt but sell 5,000 of them, you'll make just as much as making $20 and selling only 1,000...

What artists do is set a guarantee, or set price to be booked. This is up to the performer/management. The venues then set prices to (a) meet the performers guaranteed fee, and (b) make a profit after A has been met. So it's a little from both parties. Very few performers work off a percentage of the gate, they need to know they are getting paid before the show takes place.

When the guarantee goes up, so do ticket prices. Jimmy's guarantee is well into six figures, thus the prices have to be enough to cover that plus all the ancillary costs required to maintain the rider (the artist's requirements for food, beverages, backstage amenities, etc.). There are situations where the artist will also set a limit on ticket prices, but this will scare away some promoters and venues, especially if they can't add additional sponsors.
As far as these festivals and "big bands" selling tickets for so much less, you have to remember that these festivals take on tons of sponsorhips and often sell space to exhibitors selling stuff that they think will appeal to everyone at the event.
Now, many artists, Jimmy included, are making up for this increase in ticket prices by playing longer shows. twenty years ago if a concert lasted longer than an hour and a half, you thought you got more than your money's worth. These days, if a show lasts less than two hours you feel ripped off.

so your saying Jimmy could lower his gaurantee? He could also lower the merchandise stuff too. But hey he's got that new Falcon to pay for right? And dont get me wrong I am paying cause I want to go, I can grip about it anyway, sometimes the word gets thru.

At this point, if he lowered his guaranteed, ticket prices probably wouldn't go down (especially since promoters know that people will pay $80 for the good seats). Remember also, what we are calling "his guarantee" has to pay the band (which he is now touring with his biggest band ever), not to mention his (and their) managers, agents, attorneys, personal security, etc.