It is a well-known fact that the recording industry has taken a turn for the worse, but judging by the latest statistics, it appears live music could be heading in the same direction.
According to recent US attendance figures compiled by Edison Research (specialists in media and marketing analysis), since 2000, 12-24 year olds have been attending 57% fewer concerts. This obviously indicates that the rising cost of tickets is having a notable affect on the crowd demographic, now that the average price for one of the 50 biggest shows is a hefty $76.44.
And it isn’t just the crowds that are getting older. Digital Music News recently reported that the average age of the top 50 grossing touring artists is a well-travelled 46 years; another catalyst for younger would-be concert goers to take their money someplace else. Where there were artists under the age of 30, included were names like Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and a few fortunate American Idol graduates. Hardly rock n’ roll.
Of course, us fans aren’t the only ones concerned with this devolution of live music. These developments have also cut holes in the pockets of the businessmen – lower attendance figures have resulted in considerably lower stock market shares.
Holding a monopoly over live music is Live Nation, the biggest name in concerts in both the US and UK, which has recently acquired the French ticketing agency, Ticketnet and is currently attempting to enter into a controversial merger with another concert-ticket colossus, Ticketmaster.
It was reported that Live Nation’s income went down a staggering 26% this summer, equating to $51.4 million and a share price of 30 cents. During this quarter, overall attendance was down 16% for US concerts. Even though the company has been desperately trying to attract audiences with discounted tickets, there has been little response.
Bob Dylan, a man who has been there from the start, has also tried to rectify the situation: for his August 2010 date at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco, Dylan chose to do away with tickets completely, in favour of charging an entrance fee at the door. However, the results were not convincing, as the 2,250-capacity venue failed to sell out (an ironic twist was that pricier pre-paid tickets for his preceding show at the Fox Theater in Oakland did exactly that).
Going back to Dylan’s heydays in the 1960’s, before corporate sponsorship and health and safety regulations took a stranglehold, rock festivals could celebrate the ethos and spirit of their free-minded followers. Woodstock had an estimated 500,000+ people in attendance, witnessing legendary performances from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Santana. A size-able proportion also witnessed Jefferson Airplane serenading the rising sun, and most saw it all for free.
A year later, the Isle of Wight Festival was said to have outdone the Woodstock crowd by another 100,000 and was then considered to have been the largest human gathering ever to take place. Naturally, no one was asked to provide a photo-proofed weekend ticket.
Today, the Isle of Wight crowd has been reduced to a mere tenth of this number, while the most culturally au courant US festivals (Coachella, Bonaroo etc.) hardly come close to providing those peace-and-love-for-your-fellow-man Woodstock vibes. Although a lack of hallucinogenic substances may explain this absence, relative camaraderie and that overall sense of togetherness of the 60’s has all but disappeared from live rock shows.
As for the younger audiences still attending gigs and festivals, it is safe to say they don’t display the same wild abandon that was a part of these legendary events. There can be no argument against the fact that there is noticeably less audience participation as there once was. For instance, can anyone remember when stage-diving was the norm at an indie gig?
Originally conceived in the US during the punk movement of the late 70’s, the act of stage diving eventually made its way to the UK, though, as Wendy Fonarow (a professor of anthropology in Los Angeles and author of ‘Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Culture’) stated in the Guardian (UK), by that time “punk is so dead that it’s the Goths who stage-dive”. Fonarow also noted: “…in order to get back on your own two feet when you stage-dive, you have to ride over fellow audience members to get to the less dense areas of the crowd. Thus, crowd-surfing develops.”
Today’s audience are a far more subdued clientele and, just as iPhones, as a general rule, have made way for the waving lighters, so too has dancing for rigid observation. It seems many people are more content to view their favourite band through their cell phone’s camera application rather then get involved in the music.
Los Campesinos!
A recent victim of this widespread audience apathy was the lead singer of Cardiff-based indie eight-piece Los Campesinos! While entertaining the crowds at the Summer Sundae Weekender in Leicester, Gareth Los Campesinos decided to test the water with a hopeful leap into the arms of his adoring fans. An instant smack to the ground resulted in one sprained wrist, one ripped ear, mild concussion and a “lump on the head”.
But what should be taken into consideration is how we now discover and listen to music, something that has become a totally different, and far more solitary, experience. When we want to hear a song, we can – there is no need to make a journey to the record store to buy the album or see a band play live when you can’t get your hands on their recordings. These conveniences can only stifle the surprise and anticipation of seeing a song performed in the flesh.
In the UK, escalating finances are also reeking havoc on the live circuit, perhaps most apparent in London where a once vibrant scene is being hit with closures across the city as venues struggle to meet the costs of the modern world.
Live4ever contributor and freelance writer Carl Stanley recently spoke with Jeff Horton, owner of the 100 Club, one of the most famous of the threatened venues, to discuss the financial difficulties which are also having their affect on what was once the heartbeat of rock n roll:
With the current financial climate as it is, Government cuts in spending hitting everyone in the pocket, could this maybe have been a factor in your plight here at the 100 club, has it effected on the numbers of people coming through the door?
“No, cuts in spending will never stop people going out and wanting to be entertained, at the same time the finical situation in the UK definitely doesn’t help with people losing their jobs, wage cuts and everything else. In some ways the entertainment business feels the effects but in good or bad times people will always want to go out.”
How about the other music venues across the UK, maybe the bigger venues, is it the same for them?
“It’s a different story for the larger venues with sponsorship and corporate investment, these places are well supported and have many financial resources to work with. In 2010 it’s a very difficult time for the smaller independent clubs and I can honestly say we would have had to have closed a long time back if this wasn’t the 100 Club and it’s because of that we’re still only just able to stay open, at the moment.”
Has the 100 club been in this finical situation before?
“Yes, we were in a similar situation back in 1994, we were struggling to stay a float and it was an Oasis gig that saved us really, the gig was a real success and the knock on effect was an influx of bands wanting to play the 100 Club, it was all down to that one gig. In fact I’m hoping it could happen again as I’ve talked to Liam about the possibility of having Beady Eye play here in the near future, fingers crossed.”
So whats the situation right now with the club, any changes?
“The situation right now is that this club will be shutting its doors for good on the 31st of December unless some kind of investment is made before then,its that simple.”
Worryingly enough, live shows were often seen as the saviour of the music business, with the sinking ship of the recording industry unable to contend against widespread file-sharing. Discussing the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, a statement from both companies read: “The recording industry is a shell of its former self. Where the recording industry was once the economic engine for the music business, it is live entertainment that is now the future…” If so, the future looks bleak.
(Conor O’Brien)
(Jeff Horton Interview: Carl Stanley)
