Music Today - Is the Business Model Working for Everyone?

At Ravinia I’ve seen the Chicago Symphony playing Beethoven and the Chicago Opera performing Mozart’s “Magic Flute.” I’ve heard Ella Fitzgerald skat and Tony Bennett croon. 

Over the years I’ve seen and heard jazz, blues, country, folk, Latin big bands, classical, opera, and dance. It’s safe to say that since it opened in 1904 Ravinia Festival has presented the most diverse collection of music and performance of any venue in the country.

I’ve sat in the Pavilion and lounged with wine and beer and snacks in the park. I’ve sat in the front row for Bonnie Raitt and just watched Aretha Franklin on one of the rare times the park puts up a viewing screen. I sat in the dark and listened to my eventual step son ask his mom if we could go home and she said sternly, “No! It’s Tony Fucking Bennett!” I knew then I was going to get married to the woman of my dreams. (That’s a whole other long story that I’ll tell sometime.)

Ravinia, perhaps more than other venues, is about the music and the company of family and friends.

But …  

The music business is different from when the park opened. 

Taylor Swift and Beyonce fill entire stadiums and arenas. So do the legacy rock acts like the Stones. People are ready and apparently able to afford a ticket at a cost that could feed a family of four for a week. And that’s if they can get a ticket when they actually go on sale. 

I am not berating them or the high cost of those tickets. I’ve done short tours with my wife. Just the two of us lugging our own stuff in our own vehicle. The costs add up. I can only imagine what major artists have to pay to cover their expenses on tour. 

I’m not berating the high fees that Ticketmaster and others charge, although that is something that can and should be looked into by state and federal legislatures. 

In the aftermarket scalping sites a single ticket to Taylor Swift in Indianapolis starts at $2000. And, again, some people desperate to see their favorite artist are ready and able to spend that much. All the more power to them.

But…

That initial ticket price that could feed a family for a week, could feed that family for a month or longer. 

That two grand spent for one concert means two grand that won’t go to other artists, lesser know artists, lower profile artists, the artists coming up, the artists playing in coffeeshops and bars, artists playing background noise at farmer markets.

The artists playing at places like Ravinia.

The Pavilion at Ravinia seats a little over 3000 people. Prices range about 90-125 bucks, depending on the seats and the artist. Lawn seats go from 50-85 bucks. As I wrote above, I’ve seen concerts in all sections of the park. 

I saw Lyle Lovett and his full band in the Pavilion a couple of months ago. I’d say the seats were about 75% full. but true professional that he is, he gave a great performance. 

 

 I’ve talked to people who have also seen shows at Ravinia this year, and they’ve noticed lower attendance, too.

I got an email from Ravinia offering 50% off of Pavilion seats for some upcoming shows through September. Artists like The Roots and Jason Isbell are not sold out. As I am writing this, over 1000 seats are still available for both those artists. 

Ravinia is not alone. I’ve noticed empty seats in other venues. And some of those places are closing.

I don't know if it's a post Covid malaise and slow recovery or something else.

I don’t know if venues are pricing themselves out of business, if artists are asking too much, or if the market is just saturated. Or if people just aren’t going because streaming and Sirius offer so much music for considerably less than a ticket. I mean there’s only so much money that people have before they have to feed that family of four. 



Taylor Swift, Beyonce, The Stones, and others are making money, but I fear it isn’t trickling down. 

Some Unpopular Thoughts - about music, the Olympics, and more

The Newport Folk Festival has disappointed me the past couple of years. It started when the music returned after the pandemic lay off.

The festival once sported four stages, three main ones and one intimate stage called the Museum Stage. It was where lesser known artists played and where surprises . I saw a hurdy gurdy played by Donald and Anicet Heller. From two Swedish women I learned about their country’s native instrument the nyckelharpa.

I saw artists up close and personal, just them and a guitar, like Jeff Tweedy and Kris Kristofferson.

And I saw special moments like this that made Jay Sweet weep:

They closed the Museum Stage after the pandemic. When my wife and I were asked to busk at the festival we said the Museum Stage steps is where we wanted to set up. It held a special place in our hearts, and always will.

The festival added two small stages outdoors. Festival goers seem to like them, but I don’t. Both are near the main stages and artists get to perform maybe twenty minutes between sets on the bigger stages. Sometimes the sound checks from the bigger stages interferes and cuts a set short.

The Museum stage was quiet. People could and did just listen. I saw music from around the world, you know, the folk music, the obscure not necessarily in vogue let alone famous. I miss that.

***

One year Dolly Parton made a surprise appearance at the festival. That was fun to see. The next year, Brandi Carlile, who convinced Parton to show up, worked her magic on Joni Mitchell. They set up the stage to look like Mitchell’s living room. Mitchell sat on her “throne” and eventually played some songs herself. It was nice to hear, but because the stage was lower than in previous years, only people standing in the front area could actually see much.

That was okay. I know Mitchell is an icon, but to be honest, I never really cared that much for her music. Same thing with the Beach Boys.

I told you it might be unpopular opinions here today.

***

The Paris Olympics are finally over. The French were French. The Opening Ceremony was, uh, kinda weird and kinda cool at the same time. The Barcelona Olympic torch lighting remains the coolest of all time.

Muhammed Ali lighting the torch in Atlanta remains the most touching for me.

As for this year’s Olympics, or any Olympics, some I loved and always will. Some I just don’t understand. Some unpopular thoughts:

Breakdancing is NOT a sport. Yes, it was fun to watch, I don’t know why they included it.

I will never be able to do a backflip or jump nine feet in the air while twisting and summersaulting, but anything that involves judges determining the winner should not be in the Olympics. I prefer faster, higher, stronger, farther things. Things that can objectively determine who is best on a particular day.

Equestrian competition in basically for elite rich people.

Esther Williams made synchronized swimming popular in the movies. That’s where it should stay.

I still think rhythmic gymnastics is for people who can’t do regular gymnastics.

***

Last thoughts about the Newport Folk Festival.

My wife and I didn’t go this year. Of all the acts that were announced this year, only one would we have truly wanted to see. Ten of so performers we have seen before, some numerous times. The rest, with every new lineup announcement, our reaction was either “who?” or “huh?”

At the 2022 festival, Willi Carlisle said he was walking around the grounds, wondering “Where’s the folk?” Yeah, I know Louis Armstong famously said, “It’s all folk music. I ain’t hear no horse playing,” but I ‘ve been wondering that, too. 

Where are the Hurdy Gurdy Band, the nyckelharpa players and others?

We had to wear ear plugs last year for the first time. Music doesn’t have to be loud to be enjoyable. If the people on the beer dock and in the harbor in their boats want to hear the music, let them get tickets.

And about those tickets. The first two years I went to the festival, I went online the day they went on sale. I had no problem getting two three day passes. Then the Festival Foundation started offering early bird opportunities for donations to the Foundation. Once word got out about that, more and more people started donating to the Foundation. Now tickets sell out almost immediately.

They have a strict policy of renewing membership only during the festival. This leaves only those in attendance the opportunity to get early bird status. And as more and more people do this, it decreases the number of passes allowed to the general public.

It might seem like a good idea, but I think there’s a point of diminishing return. Instead of where’s the folk, I fear it will lead to just the same folk, the same fans if not the same artists.