Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager, defended the controversial price for a “platinum” ticket for Boss’s 2023 US tour – which has sold for upwards of $5,000.
Talk to New York Times‘ Your money columnist Ron Lieber, Landau said: “In pricing tickets for this tour, we carefully considered what our colleagues have been doing. We have chosen prices that are lower than some and on par with others.”
Landau’s statement comes just days after Lieber posted a commentary about fans being surprised to learn that Springsteen tickets were selling for thousands of dollars due to its dynamic on-demand pricing system. Ticketmaster, also known as the “platinum” seat.
The system adjusts fares based on customer needs; it’s similar to how airlines sell seats, and has drawn comparisons to Uber’s ‘inflated prices’.
Springsteen prices have attracted criticism from many fans and even industry experts including Bill Werdea problem first Billboards editorial director.
“It’s hard to believe that Bruce Springsteen turned out to be someone who reminds music fans of music fans,” Werde quipped on Twitter this week.
In response to the criticism, Landau told NYT: “Regardless of the commentary on the modest number of tickets priced at $1,000 or more, our true average fare is in the $200 range.
“I believe that in today’s environment it’s a fair price to see someone who is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of his generation.”
“I believe that in today’s environment it’s a fair price to see someone who is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of his generation.”
Jon Landau
Protection from Springsteen’s team came two days after Ticketmaster said Diversity that more than 88% of tickets for the tour were sold, despite the backlash.
Ticketmaster said that only 11.2% of the total allocation was sold as “platinum tickets”.
“Pricing and format are in line with industry standards for the best performers,” Ticketmaster was quoted by news outlets as saying.
Springsteen is one of the world’s best-selling musicians and live artists in history. The Born to run singer, whose music career dates back to the 1960s, has released 20 studio albums.
Multi-award winning artist who has sold both his recorded and published music catalog to Sony Music Group in December 2021. (The publisher of that agreement is co-sponsored by Eldridge Industries.)
“During the past 50 years, the men and women of Music by Sony treated me with the greatest respect as an artist and as a person. I’m delighted that my legacy will continue to be cared for by the company and the people I know and trust,” Springsteen said of the agreement with Sony.
The financial terms of that transaction were not made public, but the entire acquisition is believed to be worth around $550 million.Worldwide music business
