Why does it cost a small fortune to go to concerts in the U.S?

[Poetdante]

Poetdante, I think I went to a performance of the same WPO tour last year, but at the Barbican . Was it with Gergiev? In fact, I remember reading that one of the Sydney concerts was the same programme we saw with Shosta 9 and Brahms 4. Did you like it?

The tickets at the Barbiacn were around 50 quid. But I suppose they have to travel further to get to Korea and Oz though. And I guess even at extortionate prices, the tickets sell out.   

Yes, it was with Gergiev. They had two programms for 4 days, and what I saw was a program including Mozart 36 and Tchaikovsky 5. The other one was Shosta 9 and Brahms 4.

I can agree they have to travel long long time to the country like Korea and Oz, but it is too expensive relatively, especially compared with Japan. Can the fact that Japan is a powerful market of classical music be the reason of cheaper concert fees? If I tried to buy a seat in Korea as good as in Sydney, I have to pay nearly $400, not $140.     Anyway, it was totally sold out, but a lot of ticket went to some riches who don't like classical music.

I want to know a ticket fee of solo recital, like Evgeny Kissin. Last year when he came to Korea first, the best ticket was $160. It was a "SOLO" recital, even though it was a Kissin - the ticket was recorded as a most expensive solo recital ticket ever in Korea -. How about other countries? U.S.? U.K.?

[Novi]

I want to know a ticket fee of solo recital, like Evgeny Kissin. Last year when he came to Korea first, the best ticket was $160. It was a "SOLO" recital, even though it was a Kissin - the ticket was recorded as a most expensive solo recital ticket ever in Korea -. How about other countries? U.S.? U.K.?

That's expensive . Last year, I went to an Andras Schiff Beethoven recital for little more than a fiver. Granted, I was sitting up with the gods and it was a 1/2 price student ticket at the Edinburgh festival, but I'd say that the best seats at full price would be less than 1/2 what you're paying for. I went to a Uchida recital where kids went free.

Your email got me interested in how much solo recital tickets go for, so I had a look around. Found the following at the Barbican:

Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
Tickets: £7 £10 £13 £17 £20

Debussy Etude No 1 'Pour les cinq doigts'
Ligeti Etude No 7
Chopin Etude op 25 in F minor
Ligeti Etude No 3 'Touches bloquées'
Rachmaninov Etude op 33 No 5 in E flat minor
Ligeti Etude No 6
Chopin Etudes Posthumes No 1 in F minor
Ligeti Etude No 11 'En suspens'
Liszt Etude d'apres Paganini 'La chasse'
Ligeti Etude No 4 'Fanfares'
Messiaen Etude de Rhythme No 1 'Ile de feu'
Ligeti Etude No 13 'L'escalier du Diable'
Schumann Etudes Symphoniques

(http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=4271)

I'd love to go to that one but it's a 5 hr or so train trip down to London . The programme has me salivating ...

[raduneo]

Part of the reason for this might be that the gouvernment invests a lot more in music and the arts in Western Europe than in the States. I have read this more than once, but I don't have the referances right now.

Cheaper prices for when you're under 30 is indeed a smart thing, they do this in Montreal as well!

[North Star]

Classical music is heavily subsidized here, Oulu SO tickets cost 19 €, 15 € for those employed by the town, and 6 € for students, pensioners and jobless, irrespective of whether the soloist is Natalia Gutman, or a member of the orchestra. Without the subsidies, there wouldn't be any famous soloists, that's for sure.

[raduneo]

Classical music is heavily subsidized here, Oulu SO tickets cost 19 €, 15 € for those employed by the town, and 6 € for students, pensioners and jobless, irrespective of whether the soloist is Natalia Gutman, or a member of the orchestra. Without the subsidies, there wouldn't be any famous soloists, that's for sure.

It is around 5 times that amount for students here (in Montreal), this is ridiculous! That's it, I'm moving to Finland!!!

[Todd]

Cheaper prices for when you're under 30 is indeed a smart thing

Why is that?

[Scion7]

I only attend university chamber-style events these days - and pay very little money.

Otherwise I'll just rent/buy the DVD.   

[springrite]

Good concerts and recitals in Beijing cost anywhere between $30 and $200, averaging about $100. Considering the national per capita GDP is about $5200, that is one week worth of per capita GDP for going to a concert. Then again, when you consider the cost of getting the BPO or Deutch Oper to China, I guess it should be expected.

Like in many places, the cheaper seats sometimes have better sound.

[raduneo]

Why is that?

Well, I feel that it encourages younger people to get interested in what real art is, instead of just going along with the current and listening to nothing but Lady Gaga. You don't necessarely need to wait until you're 40 for your tastes to mature.

[Todd]

Well, I feel that it encourages younger people to get interested in what real art is, instead of just going along with the current and listening to nothing but Lady Gaga. You don't necessarely need to wait until you're 40 for your tastes to mature.

You may feel that way, but what evidence supports your feeling?  Besides that, who cares?  There's no reason that a 29 year old  (or a 25 year old, or an 18 year old, for that matter) deserves any type of subsidy when attending any type of concert.  At some point, adults need to be treated like adults and need to pay for their own luxuries.  And yes, concerts are luxuries.

[raduneo]

You may feel that way, but what evidence supports your feeling?  Besides that, who cares?  There's no reason that a 29 year old  (or a 25 year old, or an 18 year old, for that matter) deserves any type of subsidy when attending any type of concert.  At some point, adults need to be treated like adults and need to pay for their own luxuries.  And yes, concerts are luxuries.

Well, generally older people have more of a tendency to appreciate higher quality art, litterature and music. This may be because it takes maturity to appreciate certain things, or that the brainwashing Hollywood "culture" has never been more rampant as it is today.  In North America, education is something that the rich posess. In the civilised countries in Europe, education is available for everyone and much more affordable. In many countries in Europe there are significant government subsidies in the arts, music, architecture and things of such nature. The purpose of a country should be elevate the AVERAGE education level (which means the poor as well as the walthy), helping them to know and understand more, to have standards, better understand their past and ultimately make better choices. Your culture is your identity. Without it, you just become a zombie that only goes along with the current.

It's why a conversation with Gustav Mahler (if he were alive) would be much more interesting than a conversation with Paris Hilton.

A more effective tactic of course is to introduce more musical education in schools, but cheaper tickets for <30 is another way to help this.

[Todd]

The purpose of a country should be elevate the AVERAGE education level (which means the poor as well as the walthy), helping them to know and understand more, to have standards, better understand their past and ultimately make better choices. Your culture is your identity. Without it, you just become a zombie that only goes along with the current.


A more effective tactic of course is to introduce more musical education in schools, but cheaper tickets for <30 is another way to help this.

You have not shown how more meaningless handouts for adults would elevate the average education level.  How would that work?

And how, precisely, did you determine that classical music specifically deserves such special treatment.  What about jazz, bluegrass, or various forms of "ethnic" music?  Hell, some sociologists go on about how rap (or hip-hop, if you prefer) is a significant art form.  Some artists, too.  Should not more people be exposed to that, so as to "[help] them to know and understand more," to use your pretentious argument?

Now, to your education argument, can you please provide some actual data to back up your claims?  For instance, Canada, which is part of North America as far as I can tell, has one of the most educated populations in the world, with 48.3% of the age 25-64 population having college degrees (Associates degree or higher), at least according to the OECD.  The US does not quite fare so well, with only 40.3% having similar degrees.  This places the US sixth.  Both the US and Canada place ahead of all European countries, save one: Russia.  Surely, if Europe were so civilized, so advanced, and so egalitarian, as you explicitly state, the opposite would be the case.  Now, in broader measures of math, reading, and science achievement of 15 year olds, Canada placed 6th globally, and the US a much more disappointing 17th.  Asian countries fared quite well, with four of the top five slots in this ranking.  Again, this is based on OECD data.  Can you please provide the source of your information?  Perhaps it is more reliable than the OECD. 

[eyeresist]

There's no reason that a 29 year old  (or a 25 year old, or an 18 year old, for that matter) deserves any type of subsidy when attending any type of concert.  At some point, adults need to be treated like adults and need to pay for their own luxuries.  And yes, concerts are luxuries.

I'd say it's not subsidising a luxury, but rather a commercial tactic to draw more people into the pool of concert-goers. Get them in the habit when they're young, and you can rely on their custom as they age - just like with cigarettes!

[Todd]

just like with cigarettes!

Cigarettes are tasty little luxuries.

[Scion7]

Holy smokes.  A small city orchestra is playing close by at the end of March.
The venue is medium-sized ......... but the cheapest tickets are $28.  The box seats - for patrons of the venue who like to feel they know something about the arts (but don't - trust me, 90% of them are "Bubba" here) - are sold out and were $238 !!!!!!!!!!   
Yeah, yeah - technically, that's not "bad."   But this orchestra - unless something VIOLENTLY has changed - is far, far from top-notch.  I saw them yrs ago and it could get pretty sad in certain parts of the concert. 

To me, that's kind of steep for an amateur outfit conducted by a local no-name.

[Mirror Image]

To be honest, not that I ever wouldn't be with you guys , but I have very little interest in hearing classical music live for three reasons: 1. most ticket prices just aren't enticing enough for me to even consider taking the plunge, 2. most of the repertoire, especially in Atlanta, are the same old workhorses they've been trotting out for years, hardly ever do I see a program that interests me, 3. the general hassle of going to concert where I live is enough to not make you want to go (i. e. rude people, traffic, almost frentic pacing). People here may enjoy the benefits of seeing a live concert and I don't discount the experience of seeing live music, which can be a wonderful thing for sure, but I just can't fathom spending a lot of money with almost nothing to show for it besides a ticket stub. I know it's all about witnessing and remembering the experience, but perhaps I'll get to see a major orchestra like the CSO or NY Philharmonic one day especially if it's with a conductor I would like to see, performing repertoire I also want to see. Other than this, I'll leave this for people who actually enjoy going on a regular basis.

[Scion7]

.... not I every wouldn't be with you guys

ok, just what exactly went wrong there??   

[Mirror Image]

ok, just what exactly went wrong there??   

Whoops...corrected.

[starrynight]

Well, I feel that it encourages younger people to get interested in what real art is, instead of just going along with the current and listening to nothing but Lady Gaga. You don't necessarely need to wait until you're 40 for your tastes to mature.

Those who want to try classical will and those who don't won't.  There are plenty of cheaper means from libraries to the internet.  Concerts were never at the forefront of developing my interest in classical music.

[listener]

Vancouver Symphony regular concerts cheapest are $21.50, rush $20 and there's a student rush rate of $10? maybe $15
and we get Peter Serkin (Brahms 1) and Jun Märkl (Schumann 3)this week, next week Salerno-Sonnberg (Shosty 1) and Andrew Litton (Prok. 4) for that price.  The rush seats are in the balcony where I think the best sound is.