I try to be open minded about any controversial subject: gay marriage, religious freedom, the health care law, bullying in the schools, and so on. So I try to be fair in assessing this issue too.

I have read many posts here and one common theme seems to be resentment of the Stones making way too much money for the work they do. I have heard complaints about their overly extravagant life style, the cost of tickets, not putting forth sufficient effort at concerts given the price of the tickets, and attempts to gouge the fans for all the money they can get. I have not included all the reasons, as I cannot remember them all.

Suppose the Stones made an income similar to the average income of a well known rock group that has been around for twenty years or so. Would you have more respect for the Stones?

I do believe that the super deluxe box sets are way overpriced yes

I dont begrudge anyone legitimately making a lot of money. Especially when its from something theyre very good and very successful at.

I do have a problem with greed purely for the sake of it, though. There's absolutely no other reason I can think of for a band who have more money than some small countries, who pay next to no tax and whose tours are underwritten by corporate sponsorship asking their fans to pay close to a week's salary for a concert ticket. Especially when other major acts can make a huge amount of profit on similar ventures without the need to gouge their fanbase.

And as discovolante says above, the boxed sets are way overpriced too (again, compared to what was being offered by many other acts).

Some people seem to forget that 'respect' is something that works both ways.

Gazza just told the truth in an elegant way!

They make money? I like money

Would I have more respect for The Stones if they were poor, wearing rags & living on the street? Nah.

Well, just to state the obvious, people willingly part with their money when it comes to entertainment.

Granted there are those who cannot afford the entertainment of their choice because they have little or no "disposable income". But there are worse situations than that, such as not being able to afford actual necessities - (food, shelter)

While I do imagine Jagger/Richards to be somewhat "greedy", it's not something I think about very often, and I am impressed how hard they worked (in the beginning). I certainly don't think of them as more greedy than lets say, entities like the NBA, or GE or any particular individuals I have never met.

For me it is primarily about the music. Of course, it's impossible to really separate the image from the music as they exist within our culture for many years and there are things to both like and dislike about the associations we may all have that go along with the music. "Greed" or wealth or luxury of their personal lifestyles is not the first association I have with all that, so it's a minor issue all around.

I do consider myself lucky to have been able to attend two concerts on separate tours, to have been able to purchase and enjoy nearly their entire catalogue, have a PC and access to the internet to watch many videos, film clips, read articles and learn things I might not have otherwise etc.

So no, I like the Stones just the same, one way or another.

Mick said about their ticket prices: "It's what the market will bear. Like the price of fish."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-26 07:54 by Title5Take1.

Hey it's not The Stones fault if someone's stupid enough to pay a few thousand pounds for a ticket to see them...

Sorry folks to believe in miracles>< but if there's a last tour,
why don't do it for free, with all the advertising that will come with
it won't be a big loss for all the STONES involved and mainly it will
be a very nice gesture beyond their fans

HMN

Keep dreaming Honestman!

That's like asking KISS to do a free concert. LOL.

It's capitalism. They charge whatever they can charge. "Reasonable" ticket prices (or other commodities) doesn't exist. I don't think the Stones differ from other bands or corporations in that aspect. Compassionate capitalism is as much an oxymoron as compassionate conservatism.

I have no problem with the Stones making money. And while I would like to pay less for things, it's not something I've ever expected from the Stones. They have always been the embodiment of "Rock Star Excess", and laid the blueprint for excess that bands would follow for decades. They've never pretended to be starving artists, they are who they are, big rich rock stars.

What disappoints me are bands like Pearl Jam, who I'm a big fan of, who have always played the Starving Artist card, testified against Ticketmaster because they were supposedly ripping off fans, and all sorts of working class hero crap... and now they're suddenly making cash grabs. Ticket prices have gotten outrageous, almost as bad if not worse than The Stones (and forget about Eddie Vedder solo tickets), releasing a bunch of Special Editions of albums that really aren't worth it and in some cases are pretty screwed up, and recently sold a DVD set for about $70. A 3 DVD set for $70, that's crazy. Not to mention the fact that they have enough stupid merchandise for sale now to make Gene Simmons jealous of their marketing.

When a band spends years building up their own myth like that then turn around and start cash grabbing, it is disappointing. But I've never expected anything else from The Stones. And they have a pretty good track record of giving you good bang for your buck, so I don't think they're ripping people off, but as long as I've been a fan I've known they were rich rock stars looking to stay rich. Maybe people who were fans in the early days felt a shift in focus, but as long as I've been alive they've always been a big flashy symbol of excess. So they've never let me down personally. I knew what I was getting into when I became a fan.

I would like the Stones a lot more if they'd come out with good material, if they worked like a functioning band again, which they're not and haven't been for decades. Money is the ONLY reason why they have been together since 1989 - make no mistake.

Do I begrudge the Stones for mkaing money? No.
Do I begrudge their post 1989 earnings as the sole reason why they bother to do ANYTHING? Yes.

[thepowergoats.com]

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NoCode0680
I have no problem with the Stones making money. And while I would like to pay less for things, it's not something I've ever expected from the Stones. They have always been the embodiment of "Rock Star Excess", and laid the blueprint for excess that bands would follow for decades. They've never pretended to be starving artists, they are who they are, big rich rock stars.

What disappoints me are bands like Pearl Jam, who I'm a big fan of, who have always played the Starving Artist card, testified against Ticketmaster because they were supposedly ripping off fans, and all sorts of working class hero crap... and now they're suddenly making cash grabs. Ticket prices have gotten outrageous, almost as bad if not worse than The Stones (and forget about Eddie Vedder solo tickets),

They're charging $450 a ticket?

Hmm..they dont appear to be. Just had a look online right now and tickets for Vedder's upcoming solo shows are all around $75.

Pearl Jam's tickets for their UK dates are £53 and £44 ($84 - $70) and in Germany it's €70.80 - €64.20 ($94 - $85)

The Stones have been charging £150 ($240) in the UK since 2003. With most tickets in that price range in 2007, and some at £80.


TM DO rip off fans and they also siphon off tickets to secondary markets to make more money for themselves and the promoters (and probably the artists in some cases) at the fans' expense. There's no defence for gouging regardless of whatever source it comes from.

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Gazza

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NoCode0680
I have no problem with the Stones making money. And while I would like to pay less for things, it's not something I've ever expected from the Stones. They have always been the embodiment of "Rock Star Excess", and laid the blueprint for excess that bands would follow for decades. They've never pretended to be starving artists, they are who they are, big rich rock stars.

What disappoints me are bands like Pearl Jam, who I'm a big fan of, who have always played the Starving Artist card, testified against Ticketmaster because they were supposedly ripping off fans, and all sorts of working class hero crap... and now they're suddenly making cash grabs. Ticket prices have gotten outrageous, almost as bad if not worse than The Stones (and forget about Eddie Vedder solo tickets),

They're charging $450 a ticket?

Hmm..they dont appear to be. Just had a look online right now and tickets for Vedder's upcoming solo shows are all around $75.

Pearl Jam's tickets for their UK dates are £53 and £44 ($84 - $70) and in Germany it's €70.80 - €64.20 ($94 - $85)

The Stones have been charging £150 ($240) in the UK since 2003. With most tickets in that price range in 2007, and some at £80.


TM DO rip off fans and they also siphon off tickets to secondary markets to make more money for themselves and the promoters (and probably the artists in some cases) at the fans' expense. There's no defence for gouging regardless of whatever source it comes from.

I've never knew The Stones charged $450 a ticket. When was that? And was that their price or a ticket broker?

I don't know where you're finding the prices for PJ/Eddie Vedder tickets, but through the fan club (which I belong and still have the e-mails) they're charging over $140 a ticket for Eddie Vedder solo shows.

I don't still have the e-mail for the Europe tour, but tickets for their South American tour were $150-$350

The PJ20 festival was anywhere between $250-$400 for 2 days admittance

I don't know what the prices for the Canadian tour were, but according to the boards they were up 46% over the prices of their tour there 5 years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-25 22:06 by NoCode0680.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-25 23:07 by windmelody.

A nice episode were the most expensive tickets for Frankfurt 2007 (an horrible concert) which cost more than 200 Euros. When the owners arrived they were informed that the tickets due to resceduling had lost a lot of their value. Of course not a cent was paid back. The Stones may blame the promoter for that, but they are choosing the promoter and are responsible. And that kind of greed is very unsexy.

In an ideal world The Stones and other top acts would say top price £100 or whatever a reasonable price is at the time.Life isn't like that and some band members can be greedy and it all gets out of control with Viagogo,TM and the likes getting involved.The old days of the '60's when tours where much simpler to arrange and get tickets for at an affordable price are long gone.It's all big bucks and sponsorship etc like the Olympics and many other sports events and other live performances such as theatre.ballet,opera. Gone Forever............and getting more expensive each year.Look at the London Olympics ticket fiasco going on now with lame excuses for high ticket prices,availability etc.The global economic reccession doesn't even figure in it.

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NoCode0680


I've never knew The Stones charged $450 a ticket. When was that? And was that their price or a ticket broker?

That was THEIR price. On the last tour. The category A tickets for the US shows were $450 (before the TM add-ons). And thats not counting the special 'hot seat'packages were you could get a ticket in the first ten rows with a laminate (which some people mysteriously never got) and a few snacks for about $700 a time. Then of course there was the $100 fan club scam, which didnt always offer you seats that were any better than what could be obtained through a venue pre-sale for nothing...

The % of tickets in that range varied from one date to the next but generally if it was for a major market like New York or LA, most tickets were in that category. To give an example, I went to see them at MSG in September 2002 and paid $164 for a ticket (category B ticket/side view) - the top prices were . For the Jan 2006 show, I was offered a ticket in the same row in the same venue when I went into TM and it was $450. Whilst the price range hadn't gone up THAT much (and they kept some tickets at a very reasonable $99 in the front few rows if you were quick/lucky enough), the percentage of tickets in the top range goes up considerably from one tour to the next. The top price of Stones tickets in the US have been over $300 since 1999.

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NoCode0680
I don't know where you're finding the prices for PJ/Eddie Vedder tickets, but through the fan club (which I belong and still have the e-mails) they're charging over $140 a ticket for Eddie Vedder solo shows.

I went to Pearl Jam's official website, clicked on the link for tour dates and looked. Its there. [www.pearljam.com]
The two solo dates I looked at were in (if I recall right) Houston and Orlando. In theatres, which in fairness will generally tend to be more expensive a ticket than arena shows.

(I'm just starting to appreciate PJ a bit more, and it just so happens that theyre playing Manchester the day before I see Springsteen there in June, so I just happened to go into their site last night looking at ticket prices!)

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NoCode0680
I don't still have the e-mail for the Europe tour, but tickets for their South American tour were $150-$350

Latin American fans always seem to get ripped off the most by American and European acts. In terms of ticket prices vs average income, the most expensive tickets on the last Stones tour were (as far as I recall) the two shows in Mexico and maybe the two in Argentina as well. I suppose the currencies are so weak that the profit margins in that market are negligible unless they charge a lot of money. Similar thing happened with Dylan when he played places like China and Vietnam last year. Ticket prices were excessive (by their standards) compared to what he charges in the UK and elsewhere (although even Bob appears to be gradually succumbing to excessive charging in some markets in the last year or so)

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NoCode0680

The PJ20 festival was anywhere between $250-$400 for 2 days admittance

A festival is hardly a regular show, in fairness. Especially for two days. I dont know much about these festivals, but $250 isnt that bad for a 2-day festival.

Gazza, all I can figure is that they dropped ticket priced for the EV shows because nobody was paying the money. I was going to buy tickets to the Dallas show, but I couldn't justify paying $150 (which was the charge for the Dallas show) to see 1/5 of one of my favorite bands. And I couldn't find anybody willing to buy the other ticket, as we had to buy them in pairs.

Maybe the same goes for the European tour, perhaps the prices dropped on account of the lack of demand for tickets at the prices they were charging.

The fact remains, they aren't the same band that testified in order to keep their tickets under $20. The $70 price for the 3 DVD set of PJ20 was the most glaring example of that.

I still love their music, but I've been disappointed because the band I loved when I joined the fan club in '96 is very different than the one today. Many people over there say they have kids now, and other stuff, so they need more money. And that's fair I guess, but it's not like they're broke.

Back when I joined the most expensive thing they sold was T-Shirts. Recently they've sold $200 backpacks, $350 jackets, and so on. And this past year the price for a 10C membership DOUBLED. It's been $20 for as long as I can remember, and they doubled it last year, but offered nothing new.

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NoCode0680
Many people over there say they have kids now, and other stuff, so they need more money.

i.e. ex-wives

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Youngie

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NoCode0680
Many people over there say they have kids now, and other stuff, so they need more money.

i.e. ex-wives

Yeah, a couple of them do.

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NoCode0680

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Youngie

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NoCode0680
Many people over there say they have kids now, and other stuff, so they need more money.

i.e. ex-wives

Yeah, a couple of them do.

And women don't come cheap

I sat out some Stones concerts on several tours because I thought their sponsorship was really cheesy. That would include the mortgage company that later went under.

I felt disappointed in every member of the Stones when these kind of things took place. All anyone had to do was tell Cohl, Jagger and Richards "I don't want us associated with this or that." But the "others" never do.

Tickets at Giants, NY in 2005 started at $450.

Sometickets at Giants, NY in 2005 started at $450.

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stonesrule
I sat out some Stones concerts on several tours because I thought their sponsorship was really cheesy. That would include the mortgage company that later went under.

I felt disappointed in every member of the Stones when these kind of things took place. All anyone had to do was tell Cohl, Jagger and Richards "I don't want us associated with this or that." But the "others" never do.

One ugly feature - there is a lot of them - in LIFE is Keith Richards trying making "excuses" or belittlening for such sponsor matters and events. Seemingly Keith knows that those do harm for the image he tries maintain but trying to explain himself out of that sounds pathetic and hypocratic. But Keith is the only one of The Stones that has "Pearl Jam"-like problems (wheteer that is true with them, I don't know) in regards to money. "You can keep the money, pal", etc. The greedy business and the Cohlian strategies do not quite fit to his pirate image.

- Doxa



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-26 14:52 by Doxa.

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Doxa

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stonesrule
I sat out some Stones concerts on several tours because I thought their sponsorship was really cheesy. That would include the mortgage company that later went under.

I felt disappointed in every member of the Stones when these kind of things took place. All anyone had to do was tell Cohl, Jagger and Richards "I don't want us associated with this or that." But the "others" never do.

One ugly feature - there is a lot of them - in LIFE is Keith Richards trying making "excuses" or belittlening for such sponsor matters and events. Seemingly Keith knows that those do harm for the image he tries maintain but trying to explain himself out of that sounds pathetic and hypocratic. But Keith is the only one of The Stones that has "Pearl Jam"-like problems (wheteer that is true with them, I don't know) in regards to money. "You can keep the money, pal", etc. The greedy business and the Cohlian strategies do not quite fit to his pirate image.

- Doxa

But his wallet loves it regardless.

i love the Rolling Stones - exactly the Rolling Stones!
and they've never been shy about making money

sure some stuff is overpriced, but no one has to buy it; and it's just plain not true that "tickets started at $450"
(yes, at some shows some seats cost that much, but there were cheaper seats as well - very good ones, even!)