Archive for the ‘Gigs’ Category
Digital Music News are carrying this story about online ticket scalping – a case in which an LA based company calling themselves ‘Wiseguy Tickets’ employed a ring of Bulgarian computer programmers to buy up all the best tickets to high profile, high demand concerts and resell them online for a huge mark-up. Perhaps parting with more than six times the face value of the ticket is painful for whoever buys the ticket second hand, but presumably no-one is twisting their arm as they click ‘confirm bid’, and as far as eBay is concerned it’s perfectly legitimate (at least in the UK – some US states have laws against it).
So who is at fault here? Blocking the public from buying tickets wholesale with highly organised, bulk buying and reselling operations seems pretty underhand and unsporting, but the scalpers are taking the risk that people will purchase the inflated tickets, so isn’t it just the normal exercise of a free market? Are the promoters missing a trick in the first place? A staggered ebay auction style release of tickets by the promoter, with say 25% of total tickets released 12, 8, 4 and 2 weeks before the gig, with prices starting at a reasonable face value would surely have the same free-market effect. There’s the strong argument that this competetive model would be a disservice to the less affluent fans, but promoters would have the same chance of selling out a venue at the starting price, and could only benefit from any uplift if the tickets ended up being worth more to a punter than the original price – if they were bid up by competing punters, and this would make it harder for scalpers to get hold of tickets in the first place, as to get them they’d have to compete with Joe Public in the first place, paying the elevated prices themselves. It would also go some way to eliminating their profits – why buy from an unofficial auction when there’s an official one happening, and could potentially make more money for the promoter, venue and artist if the ticket revenue is split out between them.
What do you think, internet people? Is sclaping fair practice, or callous parasitism? Would selling online like this just be a way for promoters to benefit at fans’ expense, or would it be a neat way of cutting scalpers out of the loop and rationalising ticket prices for the rest of us?
Feel 
like going out, but only got your dark, intense face with you? Fear not! Massive Attack have announced a Spring tour, playing big venues in the States, Australia and Belgium (but not in the UK for some reason). The tour supports their new album Heligoland 
, their 5th studio album.Hopefully we can look forward to some gigs nearer to Bristol once they’ve come home after this lot:
03-12 Perth, Australia – Kings Park
03-15 Sydney, Australia – Opera House Forecourt
03-19 Canberra, Australia – Royal Theatre
03-20 Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl
03-23 Brisbane, Australia – Riverstage
03-25 Auckland, New Zealand – Vector Arena
05-07 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy
05-09 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy
05-11 New York, NY – Terminal 5
05-12 New York, NY – Terminal 5
05-18 Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater
05-19 Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater
05-25 San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theater
05-27 San Francisco, CA – Warfiled Theater
05-30 George, WA – Sasquatch Festival
09-03 Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
Thom Yorke has ditched the eponymous approach, and his solo side-project is now called Atoms For Peace [not this band]. Comprising long-time Radiohead producer and Basement orchestrator Nigel Godrich, Chilis bassist Flea, Joey Waronker (who plays with Beck) and Mauro Refosco of Forro In The Dark. They’ve already played their debut gig in LA, and now they’re going touring… well, playing a few dates in the US anyway:
New York Roseland Ballroom April 5th & 6th
Boston Citi Wang Theatre April 8th
Chicago Aragon Ballroom April 10th & 11th
Oakland Fox Theatre April 14th & 15th
Santa Barbara Bowl April 17th
For details on tickets, click here – they’re being routed through Radiohead’s site.
Indie innovators Broken Social Scene have announced the release of a new album after a five year wait. Released on the 4th of May this year, Forgiveness Rock Record will be the band’s 5th full album release – and Feist is back in the mix, as well as members of Pavement, Do Make Say Think and cerebral songsmiths Cake. You can download a sample track fro their website by giving them your email address, and if you like what you hear, then they’re touring the new album in the USA and Europe – dates below.
Sunday March 14th, 2010 Elkton, FL Harvest Of Hope Festival
Thursday March 18th, 2010 Austin, TX Stubbs BBQ
Friday March 19th, 2010 Austin, TX The Parish
Saturday May 1st, 2010 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Monday May 3rd, 2010 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
Friday May 7th, 2010 New York, NY Webster Hall
Thursday May 13th, 2010 London, UK Brixton Academy
Friday May 14th, 2010 Minehead @ Butlins, UK All Tomorrow’s Parties (Matt Groening curating)
Saturday May 15th, 2010 Brighton, UK The Great Escape
Monday May 17th, 2010 London, UK Heaven
Tuesday May 18th, 2010 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
Wednesday May 19th, 2010 Cologne, Germany Burgerhaus Stollwerck
Friday May 21st, 2010 Paris, France La Maroquinerie
Sunday May 23rd, 2010 Linz, AUT LinzFest
Monday May 24th, 2010 Berlin, Germany Kesselhaus
Thursday May 27th, 2010 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound Festival
Saturday May 29th, 2010 George, WA Sasquatch Festival
Saturday June 19th, 2010 Toronto, ON Olympic Island
Live Nation are getting a big hold on offline ticket sales by striking a deal that allows them to sell tickets for their events in WalMart stores all over the USA. The programme will open with flagship stores in big cities like Dallas and L.A. before being rolled out nationwide. Live Nation already sells tickets through Blockbuster stores, so the method is tried and tested. WalMart has previously made exclusive deals with bands like Kiss and the Eagles to sell their music through WalMart’s stores only, giving customers a reason to visit. Between them, Live Nation and WalMart have massive marketing power in the states, and globally through their proxies ASDA and Ticketmaster (soon to be absorbed into a merged company with Live Nation), and could orchestrate super-360 deals, controlling every aspect of physical, digital and live sales for an artist.
This year’s Global Gathering in Stratford-on-Avon will feature brash young rapper Dizzee, and dance stalwarts Faithless at the 50,000 capacity festival between the 30th and 31st of July this year. Dizzee is currently touring with his Tongue n’ Cheek album, and Faithless have a new release scheduled for later in the year. Tickets for the festival are on sale through the Ticketmaster website, and you can pay for your tickets using Global Gathering’s deposit scheme which allows for tickets to be paid for in two installments. The first payment can now be made up until 5pm on the 31st March, whilst the second payment deadline is 5pm on the 14th May.
During the one of the closest and most worthwhile races of Christmas No.1 the nation has seen for a long time, Tom Morello and Co promised that if the British nation did in fact manage to get them to the No.1 slot for Christmas they would play a free gig for all the fans that helped, somewhere in London.
So here’s the info should you decide to join the flock of deserving party goers. The one-off will be held in Finsbury Park, London on the 6th of June. Registration for tickets is now open at TheRageFactor.co.uk and closes at midnight (GMT) on Sunday (February 14). Once the Registration process is all complete, the tickets will distributed by a lottery system for the lucky tickets winners with a maximum if two tickets per Person. Good Luck
Lady GaGa will play North American and European arenas this year and Live Nation Entertainment’s global touring division will take the reins as promoter/producer.
Lady GaGa is set to begin a run of dates in the U.K. (promoted by AEG Live) on Feb. 18 at the MEN Arena in Manchester, followed by shows in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, which are all almost sold out. According to sources, it is now expected that the artist will play arenas in Europe some time this spring, then North American arenas in the summer.
Live Nation has previous run heavy international tours for both U2 and Madonna, so Lady GaGa will be in good hands.
Sometimes getting bogged down in the mud at Glastonbury isn’t a bad thing! This year many revelers will be doing exactly that but the only difference is that they will be watching soul legend Stevie Wonder headline.
Stevie is bound to bring the house down (or at least the cowsheds) as he takes to the piano to close the festival’s 40th anniversary spectacular on the Sunday night.
Additionally, Muse have just been signed up for Glastonbury to feature in the Saturday night slot.
The eighties are back, not for real don’t worry, for another annual weekend over August. Leg warmers and Flock-of
seagulls at the ready! With the current fad for all things retro slowly turning into what seems to be a sub-culture the 80’s rewind festival 2010 opens its doors announcing unto the UK the latest batch of acts.
“Europe’s Best Act Ever”, Sir Rick of Astley will be there, Propped up by all the usual 80’s elite in the form of Culture Club’s Boy George, T’Pau, Tony Hadley, Midge Ure, Modern Romance, 10cc, Odyssey, Chesney Hawkes, Hazel O’Connor and The Beat, Johnny Hates Jazz and more.
The music is over three days between Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd of August. Temple Island Meadows in Henley-on-Thames is the venue and tickets went on sale last Friday (29th January) ranging from £45 for an adult day ticket (£22.50 for kids – 12 yrs and under – free for 3 yrs and under) to £85 for the weekend or £100 for an adult camping ticket.
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