I may be nuts well I am but don't ya think with high prices the could include cost of CD even if for 10 bucks and sell it to concert goers. Include in ticket prices

At the gate

With the large difference in sale of new CD and concert sales think of how many more people would be exposed to the new material.

Even at lower prive they would come out ahead.

Millions more sold....

Then word of mouth

It is the only way for an old band to sell

Hmm, that's no good idea. If a concert goer is a big enough Stones fan he already has it and if he isn't he won't buy it there.

Someone mentioned in another thread such sales would not be soundscanned - true? I noticed when I saw the White Stripes (great, but the RS were better - still) they had all the WS cds & vinyl on sale (w/ shirts etc) in the lobby. A woman selling stuff behind the tables told me she didnt know if this merch was soundscanned, but it was a 4,000 seat venue & people were lined up to buy. (btw not that much younger an audience than the Stones' - surprisingly, very mixed age-wise, 16 - 55, maybe its that good rock n roll is not selling fantastically well to young people, rather than the age of the band, unless like U2 there's lots of airplay)

The shows aren't meant to sell more cd's the cd is meant to sell more tickets to the shows. The Stone's current approach to the business (since Cohl) is the opposite of what it used to be when tours were intended to increase album sales. Today it's the other way around, the cd justifies another tour (as if they need to justify touring, I know).
By the way, Prince gave away his newest CD to everyone who went to his last concert, it didn't really move the needle in the word of mouth department.

Indeed Prince did it.
And they were soundscanned. The only reason why it stayed a long time in the US top 10 is because he gave them away ("gave"... probably included in ticket price). If I remember well, the album (Musicology) dropped from a top 10 place to lower than 100 in one week (the week after the tour).

Good points all

But at this point it still would be better even if not counted

I mean 3 million plus outsides sales is better then a bunch of old farts who only want to old material.

Maybe tickets vcan have a code where stones fans because they paid extra price can either down load cd or buy on line

Thqat would count

camper88 Wrote:
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> The shows aren't meant to sell more cd's the cd is
> meant to sell more tickets to the shows.


I don't think it's possible to sell more tickets, considering they would sell out stadiums without a new album...

heyheymymyitb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> camper88 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The shows aren't meant to sell more cd's the
> cd is
> > meant to sell more tickets to the shows.
>
>
> I don't think it's possible to sell more tickets,
> considering they would sell out stadiums without a
> new album...


Both Mick and Keith have said that a post-licks tour (this one) would have to be supported by a new album, not that a new album would have to be supported by a tour.
Their primary business is touring, the secondary businesses are selling albums and dvd's, t-shirts, etc.
That's the logic that I intended--they want to tour again (sell tickets, or "more" tickets) but felt it was necessary to put out a new album to justify the tour.

Reptile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hmm, that's no good idea. If a concert goer is a
> big enough Stones fan he already has it and if he
> isn't he won't buy it there.


....yet he'll think nothing of spending a fortune on tacky merchandise....

good to see where some of these people have their priorities, eh?

I think it is a great idea. As someone pointed out, the White Stripes do it. I was at a Stripes show recently and can confirm that.

I think they'd sell a ton at shows, especially since at $12 or so it would be about the cheapest souvenier you could buy (T-shirts are what, $30 or more these days?). Even if not that many people bought them at shows, it would still raise overall sales more than just continuing to sell them in stores only. If they could be soundscanned, great, if not, who cares. The point is that the music get in the hands of as many people as possible!

Get the music into people's hand has never been easier and the Stones don't need to do that at their concerts. What's more, they'd actually prefer it if we bought a T-shirt for 40 bucks than a cd for 12. In fact, they'd probably prefer that we buy any kind of merchandise at the shows other than a single cd, particularly if by buying a cd one would choose not to buy anything else. It's all about margin, and the margins are not in cd's.

Does anyone know the price of a program or t-shirt this year?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-09-24 23:59 by camper88.

I know they make more money off a T shirt than a CD, but I still think it is sad if that is really the reason they are not selling CDs at their show. Mick might have that attitude, and I suppose someone has to look after the bottom line, but I'll bet Keith would rather a fan hear This Place Is Empty for the first time than walk around with a Stones T-Shirt on.

Ohnonotyouagain,

Is your first name Yoko? Yoko Ohno notyouagain? (kidding)

If the album wasn't available to be downloaded on iTunes or other sites, (where one only has to buy the songs that one likes) or listened to in its entirety for free on RS.com, and available through dozens of retailers I might agree with you.

But it is.

Frankly, buying and sharing music has never been easier. On the other hand, buying tour specific merchandise is as hard (as ever), and tour merchandise is more profitable. I don't see the logic of selling the cd at the show. Now if it were a CD of the show, that would be interesting, that would be worth doing, and that would be rather simple to manage.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-09-25 00:40 by camper88.

camper88 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
What's more, they'd actually
> prefer it if we bought a T-shirt for 40 bucks than
> a cd for 12. In fact, they'd probably prefer that
> we buy any kind of merchandise at the shows other
> than a single cd, particularly if by buying a cd
> one would choose not to buy anything else. It's
> all about margin, and the margins are not in cd's.

if thats the case with any band, they have no business even making records in the first place.

Whilst theres more money in merchandise, I'd like to think that the Stones have enough pride in their work and their legacy to want people to buy their CDs more so than their t-shirts

Would you rather be remembered for selling lots of records or selling lots of T-shirts?

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
.
>
> if thats the case with any band, they have no
> business even making records in the first place.

Not with any band, but certainly with the Cohl era Stones (having a catalogue helps, or is even necessary)
>
> Whilst theres more money in merchandise, I'd like
> to think that the Stones have enough pride in
> their work and their legacy to want people to buy
> their CDs more so than their t-shirts

Well, they are playing for two hours, so that would suggest some pride.
>
> Would you rather be remembered for selling lots of
> records or selling lots of T-shirts?

Yes. he answered, avoiding the binary logic that you can't do both: sell tshirts at the shows, where people are willing to spend 40 dollars on a 10 dollar item, and sell cd's everywhere else: Wal Mart, music shops, iTunes, etc. Hell you could even let people listen to the cd for free on your website. How's that for pride? And if they've been #1 worldwide for the last two weeks, then it seems to be working.

I'm not suggesting the Stones dont have pride in their music, camper because I'd like to believe they want to sell lots of records.

I just think the marketing could be better. The album sold well enough but the proportion of tickets sold in the US versus the amount of concert tickets sold in that country is alarmingly low, and something which could have been improved upon

and you can indeed sell both albums and merchandise at your shows successfully (two ways of doing it : as suggested above, include the album with the ticket purchase (as Prince did) or sell it at the shows (the high price of the merchandise doesnt exactly help)

I think a lot of people have forgotten that with 2002-2003 memberships, you got a copy of "40 Licks" as part of your fan club membership. So, they have done something like this before.