Wednesday, March 01, 2000
Merger likely won't increase concert prices
BY LARRY NAGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The world's biggest radio conglomerate buys the world's biggest concert production company. So what does this latest merger of industry titans mean at the box office? Will tickets for Santana's Aug. 12 Riverbend date now cost more?
Probably not.
It's been just over a year since SFX bought the national pop music division of the Nederlander Organization for a reported $93.6 million and basically took over the Cincinnati concert industry. That purchase has meant little for local concert-goers.
There was no major jump in ticket prices. Some acts like Ricky Martin and Cher asked close to $100 for tickets, while seats for Jimmy Buffett's annual Riverbend pilgrimage remained unchanged.
Some bands, including the Allman Brothers and J. Geils Band, offered bargain lawn seats, while Bonnie Raitt brought her ensemble show with Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Bruce Hornsby and David Lindley for a $35 top ticket.
Artists are primarily responsible for setting ticket prices.
The biggest effect will probably be felt by non-Clear Channel radio stations and non-SFX promoters.
The former will probably have a harder time getting information about shows, not to mention tickets for contests. Some of that slack will be taken up by artists' record companies, as well as scalpers.
Competing promoters will probably find it harder to publicize shows on Clear Channel stations, experts say. But the presence here of SFX hasn't killed off indie promoters, and this probably won't change that.
The merger could provide a solution to a longtime complaint among promoters, that radio won't support new touring artists by opening up play lists and showcasing new music.
Now that Clear Channel is in the concert business, that new promotional synergy could mean more new music on the airwaves and a greater variety of concert offerings.
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