Post by smosey wales on Jun 23, 2022 7:52:22 GMT -5
Interesting commentary from Lefsetz--of course, the gross is only a piece of the equation but interesting comparison. I've edited it down some, and kept a couple of interest to this group
ERIC CHURCH
6/11/22
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Capacity: 51,117
100% sold
Tickets: $54.50-$455
GROSS $9,519,167
This is the biggest show in the chart, number one, above three Paul McCartney dates. Why? MORGAN WALLEN! In order to do that business in rock, you'd have to have two classic acts, or acts that made their bones over twenty years ago.
As for McCartney, he played smaller buildings. He too went clean. But the top and lower prices were actually a few dollar less than Church's. This is not a diss of McCartney, this just illustrates how powerful country can be. Eric Church has been building his outsider status for over a decade, and he's definitely selling rock. And Morgan Wallen has the biggest album of
the past two years...
PAUL McCARTNEY
6/4/22
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Capacity: 42,662
100% sold
Tickets: $539.50-$428.50
GROSS $8,848,665
As for Mr. McCartney... People are now realizing that you've got to see the dinosaurs now, or they may forever be gone. That's the Charlie Watts effect. All the hosannas about Taylor Hawkins, but he was all doped up, taking his own life, albeit by accident, whereas Charlie was clean and the Big C got him. Hawkins was a very good drummer, but Watts underpinned rock and roll. And if Charlie can go...so can you.
KENNY CHESNEY
6/11/22
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Capacity: 53,502
100% sold
Tickets: $69-$274
GROSS $5,569,182
The Jimmy Buffett of his day, and not only musically. Kenny comes around almost every year, it's a ritual to go to the show, doesn't matter if he's had recent hits or not. He's got enough hits, but he also promises a show, with new, impressive production every year. Sure, he had Dan + Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce in support, but that was just making a day of it. Chesney could sell out stadiums all by himself. It's doubtful that Eric Church could sell that many tickets all by his lonesome.
EAGLES
5/28/22
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Capacity: 10,926
100% sold
Tickets: $99-$750
GROSS $3,717,639
Charge what the tickets are worth, that's how you beat scalpers. The Eagles are forever, at least as long as Don Henley wants to do it.
SNOOP DOGG
4/19/22
Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Capacity: 10,081
95% sold
Tickets: $36.50-$166.50
GROSS $874,490
Snoop Dogg is a legend, around for 30 years already. To do these numbers in South Dakota is amazing. It's very hard to sell out in these Northern Plain states. Interestingly, the opener was Koe Wetzel, an edgy country rocker who most hip-hop fans have probably never heard of, you've probably never heard of, but he's got streams of 40 and 50 million on Spotify. And you wonder why you're not rich and famous on your million...
"NASHVILLE COMEDY FESTIVAL"/BILL BURR
4/22/22
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Capacity: 12,624
99% sold
Tickets: $29.10-$69.50
GROSS $653,055
Let's forget the 1% unsold. Just imagine how bad those seats are, in the rafters...FOR A COMEDY SHOW! These barns all have bad acoustics, I'm stunned people will sit so far back to listen to people talk. But they will, that's just how hot comedy is.
<<the article then puts in a lot of comedy acts--and notes that you can tell jokes no matter how old you are; not so with banging and twanging and sanging. And low equipment costs>>
TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS
5/7/22
White House Music Hall-lawn, Houston, TX
Capacity: 5,166
100% sold
Tickets: $50-$400
GROSS $267,650
My e-mail has been blowing up with this band in the last month or so. They've been around since 2007, but they're not on a major label and they've never had anything close to a hit. Granted, this is Texas, acts sell tickets in Texas that can't get arrested elsewhere. But the Red Dirt sound could easily spread with the right commitment. It's like taking country to the U.K., you've got to invest, show people what they're missing. And this can't be done via a major label, Universal tried with Pat Green, this has got nothing to do with hits, it's a slow and steady build that pays dividends forever. This is the new music business. The Spotify Top 50, that hit business, THAT'S THE SIDESHOW!
Having said that, the Turnpike Troubadours' top ten tracks on Spotify all have double digit million streams. One even has 38 million. So, it's not just about live. But also know you can have this many streams and still be unknown to most.
RYAN ADAMS
5/14/22
Carnegie Hall, NY, NY
Capacity: 2,741
100% sold
Tickets: $55-$75
GROSS $150,205
I can't believe Carnegie Hall booked him. Who next, Harvey Weinstein?
This is a bad look. But an incredible number. Until you look and see three days later he only sold 47% of the tickets in a similar-sized hall in Philadelphia, only 1,292 people wanted to see him there. <<I think he got noped out of Lockn'?>>
TWIDDLE
4/2/22
College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT
Capacity: 1,400
92% sold
Tickets: $25.50-$40.50
GROSS $35,914
A jam band, and not the most highly respected either, at least not by the older generation still going to see Phish and DMB, but the kids need their music too. The last album they had came out in 2018, and it was a live one. The band's success is not about hit records, it's not about airplay, it's about live shows, delivering an experience, that is different every night. They're throwing a party, the pop arena acts are giving a performance, and there's a huge difference between the two. See the hit act extravaganza and...you don't need to see it again, unless they've got another hit or two, and chances are they won't. Whereas Twiddle is a night out, you can own it.
So the lesson is not to shoot for the stars, but the road. And know that traditional success, being on the cover of magazines and all over the radio... Many magazines have gone out of business and all of their readership is down. Believe me, the target audience for Twiddle is not listening to terrestrial radio. So, if you're good enough, have good enough songs, you'll eventually get bigger and bigger. Otherwise, you can continue to do it as a job, making a living, until you get burned out. This is the old pre-recording paradigm, and it's back. You're in control of your own destiny, it's only you and your fans. No one telling you what to do. But it's your responsibility to bring people to the gig, not the label's, not the media's, your music is your sales tool, and it either resonates or it doesn't. Live is where the rubber meets the road, literally, but this is where your excuses evaporate. If you can get gigs and continue to build no traction, you're either far ahead of the audience or not good enough.
It's incumbent upon you to stick it out, you can complain all you want, but no one is listening. And some of the most talented have given up, talent is at most 50% of making it, most of making it is desire and perseverance. It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. And it seems live people would rather hear something closer to rock and roll than what's in the Spotify Top 50.
ERIC CHURCH
6/11/22
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Capacity: 51,117
100% sold
Tickets: $54.50-$455
GROSS $9,519,167
This is the biggest show in the chart, number one, above three Paul McCartney dates. Why? MORGAN WALLEN! In order to do that business in rock, you'd have to have two classic acts, or acts that made their bones over twenty years ago.
As for McCartney, he played smaller buildings. He too went clean. But the top and lower prices were actually a few dollar less than Church's. This is not a diss of McCartney, this just illustrates how powerful country can be. Eric Church has been building his outsider status for over a decade, and he's definitely selling rock. And Morgan Wallen has the biggest album of
the past two years...
PAUL McCARTNEY
6/4/22
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Capacity: 42,662
100% sold
Tickets: $539.50-$428.50
GROSS $8,848,665
As for Mr. McCartney... People are now realizing that you've got to see the dinosaurs now, or they may forever be gone. That's the Charlie Watts effect. All the hosannas about Taylor Hawkins, but he was all doped up, taking his own life, albeit by accident, whereas Charlie was clean and the Big C got him. Hawkins was a very good drummer, but Watts underpinned rock and roll. And if Charlie can go...so can you.
KENNY CHESNEY
6/11/22
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Capacity: 53,502
100% sold
Tickets: $69-$274
GROSS $5,569,182
The Jimmy Buffett of his day, and not only musically. Kenny comes around almost every year, it's a ritual to go to the show, doesn't matter if he's had recent hits or not. He's got enough hits, but he also promises a show, with new, impressive production every year. Sure, he had Dan + Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce in support, but that was just making a day of it. Chesney could sell out stadiums all by himself. It's doubtful that Eric Church could sell that many tickets all by his lonesome.
EAGLES
5/28/22
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Capacity: 10,926
100% sold
Tickets: $99-$750
GROSS $3,717,639
Charge what the tickets are worth, that's how you beat scalpers. The Eagles are forever, at least as long as Don Henley wants to do it.
SNOOP DOGG
4/19/22
Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Capacity: 10,081
95% sold
Tickets: $36.50-$166.50
GROSS $874,490
Snoop Dogg is a legend, around for 30 years already. To do these numbers in South Dakota is amazing. It's very hard to sell out in these Northern Plain states. Interestingly, the opener was Koe Wetzel, an edgy country rocker who most hip-hop fans have probably never heard of, you've probably never heard of, but he's got streams of 40 and 50 million on Spotify. And you wonder why you're not rich and famous on your million...
"NASHVILLE COMEDY FESTIVAL"/BILL BURR
4/22/22
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Capacity: 12,624
99% sold
Tickets: $29.10-$69.50
GROSS $653,055
Let's forget the 1% unsold. Just imagine how bad those seats are, in the rafters...FOR A COMEDY SHOW! These barns all have bad acoustics, I'm stunned people will sit so far back to listen to people talk. But they will, that's just how hot comedy is.
<<the article then puts in a lot of comedy acts--and notes that you can tell jokes no matter how old you are; not so with banging and twanging and sanging. And low equipment costs>>
TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS
5/7/22
White House Music Hall-lawn, Houston, TX
Capacity: 5,166
100% sold
Tickets: $50-$400
GROSS $267,650
My e-mail has been blowing up with this band in the last month or so. They've been around since 2007, but they're not on a major label and they've never had anything close to a hit. Granted, this is Texas, acts sell tickets in Texas that can't get arrested elsewhere. But the Red Dirt sound could easily spread with the right commitment. It's like taking country to the U.K., you've got to invest, show people what they're missing. And this can't be done via a major label, Universal tried with Pat Green, this has got nothing to do with hits, it's a slow and steady build that pays dividends forever. This is the new music business. The Spotify Top 50, that hit business, THAT'S THE SIDESHOW!
Having said that, the Turnpike Troubadours' top ten tracks on Spotify all have double digit million streams. One even has 38 million. So, it's not just about live. But also know you can have this many streams and still be unknown to most.
RYAN ADAMS
5/14/22
Carnegie Hall, NY, NY
Capacity: 2,741
100% sold
Tickets: $55-$75
GROSS $150,205
I can't believe Carnegie Hall booked him. Who next, Harvey Weinstein?
This is a bad look. But an incredible number. Until you look and see three days later he only sold 47% of the tickets in a similar-sized hall in Philadelphia, only 1,292 people wanted to see him there. <<I think he got noped out of Lockn'?>>
TWIDDLE
4/2/22
College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT
Capacity: 1,400
92% sold
Tickets: $25.50-$40.50
GROSS $35,914
A jam band, and not the most highly respected either, at least not by the older generation still going to see Phish and DMB, but the kids need their music too. The last album they had came out in 2018, and it was a live one. The band's success is not about hit records, it's not about airplay, it's about live shows, delivering an experience, that is different every night. They're throwing a party, the pop arena acts are giving a performance, and there's a huge difference between the two. See the hit act extravaganza and...you don't need to see it again, unless they've got another hit or two, and chances are they won't. Whereas Twiddle is a night out, you can own it.
So the lesson is not to shoot for the stars, but the road. And know that traditional success, being on the cover of magazines and all over the radio... Many magazines have gone out of business and all of their readership is down. Believe me, the target audience for Twiddle is not listening to terrestrial radio. So, if you're good enough, have good enough songs, you'll eventually get bigger and bigger. Otherwise, you can continue to do it as a job, making a living, until you get burned out. This is the old pre-recording paradigm, and it's back. You're in control of your own destiny, it's only you and your fans. No one telling you what to do. But it's your responsibility to bring people to the gig, not the label's, not the media's, your music is your sales tool, and it either resonates or it doesn't. Live is where the rubber meets the road, literally, but this is where your excuses evaporate. If you can get gigs and continue to build no traction, you're either far ahead of the audience or not good enough.
It's incumbent upon you to stick it out, you can complain all you want, but no one is listening. And some of the most talented have given up, talent is at most 50% of making it, most of making it is desire and perseverance. It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. And it seems live people would rather hear something closer to rock and roll than what's in the Spotify Top 50.
