“It’s capitalism, pure and simple” – Alan Cross

Alan Cross is a well-known broadcaster, blogger (A journal of musical things), author of weekly articles for GlobalNews and audiobooks on music. He knows like few others everything related to the musical phenomenon.

In his biography, Alan says that his “obsession” with music dates back to when he was given a transistor radio by his grandmother. It is clear that, since then, more than a profession, this life dedicated to music has a lot of deep knowledge, a lot of research, but also a lot of passion.

In this issue of Milénio we had the opportunity to hear their opinions on everything that goes into producing shows. Basically, we asked them to help us understand the phenomenon that draws crowds and generates an economic impact of unusual dimensions.

Madalena Balça/MS

Milénio Stadium: It’s not exactly new to see concerts with tens of thousands of people attending, but I’d like to know what you think of what we’ve seen – Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Harry Styles… selling out concerts all over the world, despite prices reaching unprecedented levels?
Alan Cross: Ticket prices have been on the rise for the last 25 years or so. Artists are looking to replace the revenue lost with the collapse of CD sales. Streaming doesn’t pay as well, so the money has to come from elsewhere.
Second, concert tickets have traditionally been UNDERpriced when it comes to other entertainment spectacles like sporting events and theatre. Artists didn’t want to appear to be gouging their fans, but they’ve been convinced to bring their ticket prices up to what the market will bear.
And third, people have shown that they’ll pay. If that’s the case, why not charge more?

MS: As a music lover, can you understand why even people who are struggling financially spend as much as they do to attend a particular concert?
AC: I do, but going to a concert is not a right. Tickets are purchased with after-tax disposable income. If you can’t afford to go, you can’t afford to go. That being said, artists risk alienating fans, especially younger ones who don’t have that kind of money. How high is too high for a concert ticket? We haven’t reached that point yet.

MS: What is at work here – the music and the overall quality of the show or a powerful marketing machine?
AC: Raw supply and demand economics. And yes, the insane prices being charged by a sliver of superstars warps everything. No one talks about the artists who try to charge more only to face rows and rows of empty seats at their gigs. We only seem to hear about the Taylor Swifts and Beyonces of the world.

MS: What precedents are being set with this almost collective hysteria around certain artists?
AC: Every once in while, an artist comes along with massive appeal. We saw it with The Beatles in the 60s, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in the 70s, U2 and Madonna in the 80s, The Spice Girls in the 90s, and the boy bands of the early 00s. This phenomenon is nothing new. It’s just that the money involved has never been greater.

MS: Does the level of the concerts – scenography, number of people involved… – justify the prices asked per ticket? Are there other factors that contribute to the high prices or is it simply greed?
AC: It’s capitalism, pure and simple.