Once again, fans in Japan get a rough deal

[junkymotown]

MSP plus Suede announced for Japan. Double headline shows - Suede last one night, MSP late the other.

The price for such a joy? Cheapest standing ticket 14,270 JPY (including fees). About £82 at current rates.

Joint gigs in Canada and U.S. were around half that price.
It happens with any act that comes to Japan - the fees get jacked up. I asked my partner about this, and she said many bands see Japan/Japanese fans as かも (duck, easy mark, easy target). Which maybe explains why Paul McCartney comes here as often as he does with his ¥17,500 ticket prices or whatever.

I've seen Manics here every time they've come while I've lived here, but I just can't warrant £80+ this time.

[Dac X Lee]

Well, to be fair, the plane tickets cost a lot. And currently, the whole world is facing changes in prices. I'm not saying your partner is wrong, but there are many things to consider.

[Jimbojambo]

こんにちは!

I also live in Tokyo and have stumped up the cash for tickets for this one, though only for the second night the Manics are "headling".

Having moved to Japan a few years ago I thought I'd never see the Manics live again so I was prepared to bite the bullet and pay out an eye-watering amount of yen for this, especially with Suede in tow.

I guess it's worth remembering that there are two high profile bands of equal status playing the bill who both have to make a profit on playing two gigs on the other side of the world.

Yes it's pricey, but as Dac points out ticket prices are crazy everywhere - some tickets for Springsteen's latest tour are going for around $2000 and he tours all the time.

The last time I saw the Manics was at the Albert Hall in 2016 so I am looking forward to this.

[LA ex]

I've no idea how the cost of putting on gigs in different countries changes, but for that money you are getting to see not just one but two brilliant live acts!

Someone might have to correct me, some of the ticket prices I saw for the Manics/Suede US tour were far in excess of that - some of the front row seats were a couple of hundred quid or so. However, it was when the venues didn't sell out that prices suddenly went down.

[Frozendiva]

Some US and Canadian stops on the tour had the Ticketmaster dynamic pricing. The seated venues typically had good seats in the $500 and up range. I think I saw some at Toronto’s Massey Hall for close to $800 Canadian whereas the standing Vancouver Commodore Ballroom tix were $60.

Unless you are seeing a relatively new band, concert ticket prices have gone up a lot the past year or two. Easily $100 plus for not so great seats.

[Jimbojambo]

Originally Posted by LA ex

I've no idea how the cost of putting on gigs in different countries changes, but for that money you are getting to see not just one but two brilliant live acts!

Someone might have to correct me, some of the ticket prices I saw for the Manics/Suede US tour were far in excess of that - some of the front row seats were a couple of hundred quid or so. However, it was when the venues didn't sell out that prices suddenly went down.

Well I guess there's the cost of travel and accommodation for the bands and all their crew, as well as the logistics of getting all their gear shipped out there and back. It would be much more expensive than just playing two nights at Brixton Academy for example.

[Gusto]

Originally Posted by Frozendiva

Some US and Canadian stops on the tour had the Ticketmaster dynamic pricing. The seated venues typically had good seats in the $500 and up range. I think I saw some at Toronto’s Massey Hall for close to $800 Canadian whereas the standing Vancouver Commodore Ballroom tix were $60.

Unless you are seeing a relatively new band, concert ticket prices have gone up a lot the past year or two. Easily $100 plus for not so great seats.

I was going to do Toronto but I was quoted over $800 for a ticket. Fu*k that.

I toyed with the idea of both these Japanese shows but the flight alone was coming in at £1200. Again, no thanks.

It would be nice if they did a mini European Tour before Christmas. Can't see it though.

[Routine Builder]

Originally Posted by Jimbojambo

Well I guess there's the cost of travel and accommodation for the bands and all their crew, as well as the logistics of getting all their gear shipped out there and back. It would be much more expensive than just playing two nights at Brixton Academy for example.

It could be general costs of putting shows in Japan as well. For instance, big acts are avoiding Ireland because *checks notes* the cost of insurance is too high and eats a lot of the margin.

Still I'm kind of surprised there aren't any additional dates as I thought Suede were more well known in South Korea.

[Frozendiva]

If you are patient, a few days before he gig, sometimes the dynamic prices drop significantly. Not for all shows, but if something hasn’t sold out, you might get lucky and get a regular priced seat. It is taking a chance and sometimes you get a break.

[LA ex]

Out of interest I tried to see if there was anything on line about why gigs in Japan cost more, but didn't find anything.

Instead though I found a good few articles about how touring just isn't working financially and that it is threatening go under as an industry. Which is slightly different to the picture I had in my mind where touring is where bands make their money financially.

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/price-o...to-kill-music/

My gig going these days is more focussed on established/vintage bands (of the seventeen gigs I've been to this year or have tickets for all but three I'd say are mid 2000s or earlier) who seem to change a premium for tickets - which I guess comes from their target audience being people well in to their thirties and older. Where as newer bands charge less and play tiny venues and you can start to see why they struggle to make ends meet.

I've seriously got in to Desperate Journalist since seeing them support Suede earlier in the year. Absolutely brilliant band that everyone should go and see. Yet, having chatted to some of the band on social media, they seem to be only able to go on tour when they can all arrange simultaneous time off from their jobs! But then when you look at the fact they charge £20 a ticket for ~250 capacity venues you can see why they can't rely on income from being in a band to support the four of them (plus touring guitarist).

Anyway, this is going completely off topic, but get out and support new bands or the whole industry is going to collapse!

[mrvitaminpill]

Originally Posted by LA ex

Out of interest I tried to see if there was anything on line about why gigs in Japan cost more, but didn't find anything.

Instead though I found a good few articles about how touring just isn't working financially and that it is threatening go under as an industry. Which is slightly different to the picture I had in my mind where touring is where bands make their money financially.

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/price-o...to-kill-music/

My gig going these days is more focussed on established/vintage bands (of the seventeen gigs I've been to this year or have tickets for all but three I'd say are mid 2000s or earlier) who seem to change a premium for tickets - which I guess comes from their target audience being people well in to their thirties and older. Where as newer bands charge less and play tiny venues and you can start to see why they struggle to make ends meet.

I've seriously got in to Desperate Journalist since seeing them support Suede earlier in the year. Absolutely brilliant band that everyone should go and see. Yet, having chatted to some of the band on social media, they seem to be only able to go on tour when they can all arrange simultaneous time off from their jobs! But then when you look at the fact they charge £20 a ticket for ~250 capacity venues you can see why they can't rely on income from being in a band to support the four of them (plus touring guitarist).

Anyway, this is going completely off topic, but get out and support new bands or the whole industry is going to collapse!

I thought I would have a dig about on companies house, and found a company that seems to deal with the Manics' touring finances. Quite a lot of the returns are not very detailed apart form this one. According to the breakdown, in the year up to March 2015 they received £601,029 in touring fees, but spent £485,000 on tour related costs, including almost £70,000 on hotels and £57,000 on hiring vans!

[LA ex]

Originally Posted by mrvitaminpill

I thought I would have a dig about on companies house, and found a company that seems to deal with the Manics' touring finances. Quite a lot of the returns are not very detailed apart form this one. According to the breakdown, in the year up to March 2015 they received £601,029 in touring fees, but spent £485,000 on tour related costs, including almost £70,000 on hotels and £57,000 on hiring vans!

So if I'm reading that correctly, this covers from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015, so encompassing half the Rewind the Film/Futurology tease tour, a European tour and the first set of UK Holy Bible 20th anniversary shows.

So across forty or something shows the band made £102 k profit - which I presume then gets split three ways between James, Nicky and Sean, meaning they each earn about £750 per show.

It doesn't look like merchandise sales are in there, but that seems less than what I thought an established band would be earning, especially before Covid and cost of living ramped expenses up.

[mrvitaminpill]

Originally Posted by LA ex

So if I'm reading that correctly, this covers from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015, so encompassing half the Rewind the Film/Futurology tease tour, a European tour and the first set of UK Holy Bible 20th anniversary shows.

So across forty or something shows the band made £102 k profit - which I presume then gets split three ways between James, Nicky and Sean, meaning they each earn about £750 per show.

It doesn't look like merchandise sales are in there, but that seems less than what I thought an established band would be earning, especially before Covid and cost of living ramped expenses up.

Yes, that was my initial reading, although I do wonder if some of the finances related to the US tour they did in April 2015 are incorporated too...presumably they would have paid for the US expenses prior to going there. You would hope so anyway as are £56,000 worth of airfares recorded - which I think you would struggle to rack up on short haul flights to Prague! They have said before that they take a loss on the US tours (no doubt the partnership with Suede is an attempt to economise) - so perhaps the "real" profit on their typical UK and Europe tour circuit is higher than it would appear here.

[Son of Stopped]

First date apparently sold out. Did any American shows sell out?

[Jimbojambo]

Originally Posted by LA ex

So across forty or something shows the band made £102 k profit - which I presume then gets split three ways between James, Nicky and Sean, meaning they each earn about £750 per show.

And Wayne of course, and whoever else might have been on the staff (was Naysmith back touring then?)

Also, the venues must take some kind of cut as well which would impact the band's profits/the whole financial feasibility of touring.