One More Oasis

I'm getting e-mail that this is going to hurt the image of the band.

NO!

That's how much people want to go, that's how much fans believe in these artists.

Billy Squier jumped on a bed in a pink tank top on MTV and it totaled his career.

Taylor Swift gave one of the absolute worst performances in the history of the Grammys and it didn't hurt her career one bit, never mind her fans writing it out of her history.

Remember when we had to endure all that b.s. about the price of Springsteen tickets? Heard anybody complaining recently? And the dirty little secret is the Boss didn't go clean everywhere, you could get a ticket no problem. And the people who saw him before will see him again.

Think of Motley Crue... The band signed in blood that they'd never tour again. And then they reneged. Where's the DOJ on that? Turns out the fans didn't care, they were just thrilled for the opportunity to see the Crue once again when they went back on the road.

You can't use twentieth century metrics and concepts to analyze twenty first century demand and perception.

There is no MTV. No universal outlet we are all paying attention to. So you find the act you're into and you dedicate yourself to it. This blowback on haters was never as intense in the last century. You might judge someone's taste harshly, but you didn't excoriate them, burn them to the ground. Today's fans are overprotective of the objects of their desire. Travis Scott's album almost beat out Sabrina Carpenter's new record for number one this week. And it's a ten year old mixtape! Talk about desire, fandom. This guy eggs on an audience to the point where attendees get crushed to death and...

People still stream R. Kelly!

And HBO might have killed the career and public perception of Woody Allen, but it turns out Michael Jackson is teflon, an icon, people still want to hear his music.

And you've got to know, there are a hundred million more people in America than there were in the seventies. That's a lot of fans to go around.

And there are more shows than ever, but having hits in the past does not guarantee selling tickets today. To sell tickets consistently you must be seen as owned by the fans, or above them. Which is why the Chainsmokers couldn't sell enough tickets and canceled their tour. And the Black Keys... Most people know them from their hits, how many hard core Black Keys fans are there? And almost all of America can't even name a Phish song, never mind sing one, and they play arenas.

As for Oasis... Their image is bad boys/f*ck you. I'm surprised they even apologized and said the kerfuffle wasn't their fault. They should have pulled a Stones and said OUR SHOWS ARE WORTH IT, AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T COME!

Look at Trump. He's a convicted felon. Every time he opens up his mouth he lies. Yet he still could win the election. People are diehard fans. They'll buy stock in Truth Social even though they know they'll lose money. They buy Trump Bibles and other chozzerai and you think the fact that Oasis tickets jumped in price is going to make people not want to go and hate the band forever? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING!

People are thrilled just to be in the building. They want to be able to tell the story till the end of time that they were there. People are proud of how much they pay for sports tickets and luxury goods, but concert tickets must be priced artificially low because..? You need to be able to sit in the front row for cheap because you listened to the damn album? So did millions of others!

And if you're complaining you're poor...

I believe in a social safety net, you should have a roof over your head and food, water and health care. Are you also entitled to see your favorite band for below fair market value? How about a Mercedes Benz for 25k?

And $350 for a concert ticket? Ever look at Broadway prices?

People want to be attached to the mania, they don't want to be left out. The hysteria over the Eras tour helped sell tickets. Everybody who cared was afraid they'd miss it.

Did everybody care? OF COURSE NOT!

This is not the Stones in the seventies, no act has that much mindshare today, irrelevant of the quality. We've got a smorgasbord of content and you can only dedicate time and attention to a few things. And these things are the bedrock of your identity. Which is why merch sales are through the roof.

So you've invested years in belief and just because concert tickets are more expensive than you delusionally believe they should be you're going to burn your playhouse down, abandon all interest, and start all over from scratch with a brand new band?

You like that Oasis are bad boys, will say the unsayable, come from the working class. Furthermore, Springsteen sailed on Geffen's yacht, sold his rights for half a billion dollars and it didn't hurt his ticket sales at all. The complaint about the flex pricing was about the cost, no one said they didn't want to go. In addition, the multi-thousand dollar prices for Springsteen seats not even close to the stage never even sold. They had to lower them down the line. Because there is a price at which people will say no.

I ain't paying a grand to see anybody. But you'd be surprised how many people are willing to do so. That's their choice!

And just because you think In-N-Out is fantastic, that does not mean people will stop paying to go to Masa, which will cost you a grand, FOR ONE PERSON!

Actually, I ate at Masa Takayama's previous restaurant, Ginza Sushiko, in Beverly Hills, back in the early nineties. Howard Thompson took me and it cost $980 bucks for two people. And I've been telling the tale ever since! We ate fugu, the blowfish that almost killed Homer Simpson!

If you'd asked me to pay five hundred bucks for that meal thirty years ago I'd have said no way, never mind not even having the cash. But in retrospect, IT LOOKS LIKE A BARGAIN!

Are you really going to stay home as a protest to high ticket prices for Oasis? It's not like anybody's going to cheer you on, they'll be lining up to buy the ticket you chose not to purchase.

Or maybe we should insist that food prices come down at the airport. I feel ripped off every time I go there. But the bottom line is rent is sky high and it's a captive audience and you can bring your own food if you want to, but you really want that Wolfgang Puck pizza, fresh out of the oven.

I mean is the DOJ investigating airport restaurants?

Never mind the canard that if Live Nation and Ticketmaster are broken up ticket prices will come down. Explain how that works again? Never mind that there were multiple ticket sellers in the U.K. and prices were still sky high!

Is this the way you run your regular life? One faux pas by a friend and they're history? Do you only go to the movies during the day for the discount?

The product is Oasis. And to many people that's priceless.

It's a once in a lifetime experience. And you're going to not go because the act charged what the tickets are truly worth?

Oh come on, protest something real, that people care about, you're just caught up in the irrelevancies and the real issues are passing you by.

Actually, the business at large loves this Oasis issue. What it means is the public will get used to the flexing of prices, and higher prices, down the line. Remember when the Eagles charged a hundred bucks for you to see Hell Freeze Over? Now a hundred bucks seems cheap! Never mind that even if Oasis tours ad infinitum hereafter, I'm sure there's a song or two or more they will never play after this run of dates, some deep cut. This is the thrill of being a fan, hearing the unhearable, the favorite song that you thought only you knew and loved. What's that worth?

Which is why people pay so much to see bands play legendary albums. These acts play larger buildings and charge more. All because of demand!

Oasis demand is through the roof.

Own it.
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Subject: Re: The Oasis Kerfuffle

Great article Bob!

I have friends who don't even like music contacting me about Oasis tickets… it's full on mania here in the UK! For those unaware of the grip this band had on the nation in the 1990's, it's worth watching the 'Oasis Knebworth 1996' documentary.

They created a similar ticket hysteria back then, but instead of hordes of middle aged men staring at computer screens, it was spotty adolescents on hold using their parent's landlines. 

Best wishes,
Isaac Ferry
_____________________________________

From: Anthony Gardiner
Subject: Re: The Oasis Kerfuffle


Hello from New Zealand, where rugby is our national sport, close to being a religion.

In 2011 the rugby World Cup was held here. The New Zealand All Blacks made the final which was held in the city I lived in.

The ticket was $1000. It went on the credit card which then took me two years to pay off.

If I am lucky enough to grow old(er) and am sitting back reflecting on my life, I'll remember that game (we won!) and not the two years of paying off the debt.

People remember and cherish events, holidays, and the people they share them with.

People on their deathbed won't wistfully remember stuff. And yet we pay $300 for a new handbag, $30k for a car, and whinge about ticket prices.

Go and pay for the experience that you'll remember forever. "Life is a great number of small moments, and a small number of great moments."


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