while i applaud the effort to try to make tickets "affordable", i can't see any mathematical way this isn't a straight up L for the venue/artist.
e.g. the nyc show was at highline ballroom in manhattan.
the capacity of the venue is only 700 people.
so, a $700 gate? and maybe what? a 10-20k gross in drinks before factoring expenses? (dare i even suggest them paying his travel fare? lol.)
and that's IF the show sold out. which it doesn't say if it did.
so...
what realistically can a performer charge per show with likely <$20,000 being the maximum return you can offer the promoter?
this is in NYC mind you.
wtf kind of a ROI is that for a supposed "king" of rap music?
i mean even if he only got paid $3000 for the show, it's not a bad gig considering he tours like 325 days out the year.
but dude has lines about charging $70k for shows and shit. much like his unexplainable record sales (he somehow outsold rihanna twice) without the accompanying hit songs/fanfare...
1. "Come on man" In response to Reply # 0 Mon Aug-04-14 04:15 PM by BigReg
It's no different then 'free' shows they throw with decent to large named acts, it was sponsored the fuck out. Guaranteed he got his regular rate and WORST case scenario the entire cost covered (because these venue aren't cheap)_
Scion, Red Bull, etc...some corporate entities have built their whole brand on free or dirt cheap millennium advertise....err live shows.
Considering this is the second time I have incidentally heard this mentioned and I make it a goal in life to ignore J.Cole, apparently it's a win win across the board.
so whatever stupid shenanigans you can do to win tickets (Tweet you love orbit gum and win a chance to skip the line!) gets even more burn.
It's NEVER about the fans because the fans never really get into this unless it's truly first come, first serve. Its usually a bunch of media, people with connects, friends, the sponsors.etc...actual fans are last on the totem pole.
It's the rock that the current iteration of SXSW is built on, for better or for worse.