OK.
Before we get going on this. I urge you to read this preface carefully, especially if you are going to comment.
The following stats are related to this post on the Expo.
The stats do not relate to all of it. Some may read the results and think it a normal or positive result, others not. I just want to throw them in. They don't relate to my point on attendances, for example.
In the comments on the linked post, our good friend Bren came in and said that he thought only a small amount of shows were, in fact, priced over 40 rmb. He gave some numbers to back this up. It was a strong point with evidence and I thought it worthy of follow up.
So, I have been through the entire back catalogue of events at Yuyintang and tabulated every single one for name, date, price and international or domestic. Really, I did. If you want to see this first hand I will be happy to e-mail it to you - my mail is in the about page at the side there. I used the Yuyintang Douban host page which has not only the details but all the dated flyers too.
This is only for YYT, it's a kind of controlled sample. Please please, think before interpreting, whatever shortfall you think these numbers have, I probably agree with you.
Caveats:
All gigs named for headliners/billed acts.
All prices taken from standard/door price.
Some shows were cancelled.
Free shows and shows with no data are not included in the ticket price stats.
Some of these shows, for example that cost 40 or less, were odd ones like World Music or Jazz - but I kept them in anyway.
Minor adjustments can be made by getting the grid from me and going through it yourself.
OK, some observations:
For the period of the Expo May 1st - October 31st
Total booked shows at Yuyintang: 124
International acts: 57 (57/124)
China based acts: 67 (67/124)
Of the China based acts - Shanghainese/Shanghai based: 38 (38/124 total shows)
Of those 38 - acts whose members are all or mostly Chinese 25 (25/124 total shows)
Ticket Prices:
of 124 shows:
under 40 RMB: 22
40 RMB: 42
(so 40 or less combined = 64)
over 40 RMB: 42
Free/spoiled data: 18
So 42 out of 106 ticketed shows were over 40 RMB or around 40% of shows.
To put that in context, prior to the Expo run up, the average indie scene ticket was 20-30 and 40 was the limit and considered pushing it but acceptable. Someone please put me right if they can, but prior to the start of Expo fever and the event itself, a show at YYT or previous incarnations/venues would almost never go over 40. So statistically we have 39% more high priced shows than before - a massive jump.
40 is the new 30,
60 is the new 50,
you can thank your homies The Mushrooms for setting that precedent for ticket-price increase dating back to Summer 2009.
The Fever Machine promoted 3 of those 42, 40 RMB shows . . . hundreds satisfied, dozens thrilled. Another rippin' gig is on the way December 10th.
Just got back from Queen Sea Big Shark at Mao Livehouse, tickets 80 RMB . . .
. . . sometimes you get what you pay for.
lookin' forward to a review of tomorrow night's White Eyes show.
p.s. Bren's comment was pretty on the money. Summer killed rock and roll just as much as Expo. Shitty reality, but "this is China . . ."
The Beast C R played a 40-kwai'er in the summer too, but we did it because we fuckin hate the kids.
We'd charge more but that damn stegosaurus keeps playing for free and screwing with supply and demand.
Union?
actually, i take that back, we were playing with a band from out of town, the fallacy, and they set the 40rmb price, along with yyt...
...but we still fuckin hate the kids and would do it again in a second.
Hi Guys
Yeah, Dan if you look at WHO charged the higher prices, then local based bands did their best to keep it down.
But, the general rise was quite sudden and not matching any particular jump in demand or quality.
80 to see QSBS, you get what you pay for, and sometimes you pay for a synth-dance band who are a walking advert these days. White Eyes - oh, ya, you're out of town, right? Next time.
The Fallacy gig, that's cos Zoe and the band came to me for advice and me and Sophia told em two things - play with a decent local band, and keep the price around 40. You don't wanna know what their original ideas were.
i have actually been astounded by some of the ticket prices from out of town bands in the past year. I think the main culprit is MAO. Yuyintang has some shows that go up into the triple digits (not very many) but MAO is routinely there and they have had shows for as much as 300 kuai. They have continued to push up the prices on the scene, in my opinion. It's kinda like gas prices. The price keeps rising, the people keep buying. What do you think; they're just going to voluntarily go back to the way things were? The only way to change things is to vote with your wallet.