Britain’s West Country on the eve of the summer solstice prompted your columnist to reflect on the serendipitous, socialist past of live music. The road passed by Worthy Farm, which 50 years ago hosted the first Glastonbury festival, costing £1 a ticket. Back then its owner, Michael Eavis, a dairy farmer, had the mad idea of inviting the Kinks, whom he loved to listen to while milking, to headline a one-off gig, agreeing to pay them £500.
In the intervening years, the music industry has changed almost beyond recognition. Glam rockers have given way to punks, goths, ravers and rappers. Vinyl was overtaken by compact discs, then streaming. Recently Spotify and other platforms have given rise to a magic-mushrooming of “indie” artists, challenging, at last, the hegemony of the big-three record labels, Universal, Sony and Warner. As the money drained out of record sales in the 2000s, live music became the industry’s reliable earner.
If one company gets the credit—and blame—for taking the socialism out of rock ’n’ roll, it is Live Nation. The Los Angeles-based firm helped pioneer the global consolidation of tour-promotion, venues and ticketing. With $11.5bn in revenues last year, it is the world’s largest live-entertainment company. In 2010 it bought Ticketmaster, the biggest ticketing agency. Sales have grown each year since. Its customers, 98m of them last year, dig deep to see their favourite acts.
Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)
But a drunk old man shouting 'Freebird' at every band unironically for two hours is all part of the experience. Guess I'll have to take up the mantle at my house during shows.
Sounds greedy!
W
It's difficult to know the value of the goodwill each K-Pop band earned, through no action of their own, as their fandom turned towards democracy. Must be good publicity!
don't let me sleep all night
Just when Economic PREDATORS think they are in the Cat Bird's Seat; they are they thrown for a Loop by America's Young Tech Innovators and Entrepreneurs - - who, will always will find a way . . . Monopolies and Gauging are out of Favor with Nation's Millennials and Get Z's!
Eveytime i think of a price increase I also think about our joke IAmTimBaker lol
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