all you need is greed... next, i imagine they'll charge their usual outrageous ticket prices and stand onstage waving for an hour and a half while a couple of their albums play thru the p.a.

C'mon Gopher, you can't take it with you

G.

it's something of a tricky wicket, but in general, artists tend not to dictate what a venue may charge for their services such as parking, food, etc., or entrance policies and the like. though, in both theory and practice they can or could. it usually doesn't happen because acts mostly don't care what else goes on as long as they are paid for their goods and services, or they know that doing so may limit the choice of venues in which they might perform, thus perhaps also limiting the scope of a tour.

however, it isn't at all impossible for an act to stipulate in a contract with a promoter that they won't play in a venue which charges audiences more than x amount for its goods or services, and perhaps also contractually (enforceable or not) set forth the manner in which the venue and its patrons are expected to behave when circumstances appear to require such action to be taken. a perhaps relatively small number of acts,  in my observation usually with already deep pockets or a genuine consideration and appreciation for their fans, have in the past demonstrated that they will do this either consistently or at least on occasion, and continue to do so..

of course, almost without exception, touring acts both major and minor (local and regional bar bands operate in a completely different atmoshhere), or their management, do set, or agree to, prices for their goods (t shirts. meet/greet/photo op's and such) and services as well as in many instances the ticket price for the show itself. for example, the d.c. punk band fugazi never allowed ticket prices to exceed $5 and when in rare cases where they couldn't control this, the band always arranged for ticket holders to be comped for the difference paid in every circumstance they could.

certainly, the stones have complete control as to the price of their goods and services, and have had for many decades. while some have complained of their high ticket prices as long ago as 1969, this became glaringly apparent circa 1980,  when the stones signed what i believe was in the ballpark of a million dollar tour support endorsement deal with jovan, then promptly doubled ticket prices for the tour from what they had been asking in '78.

while that, in my opinion,rogant gambit did and does somewhat disgust me, it doesn't diminish my appreciation for the sones' music, it only affects whether or not i now choose to furtherly enrich them. if i was inclined to arrange a meet and greet, i'd give them an earful regarding my view of their tactics before i presume i'd be quickly ushered out..
 

Last edited by gopher (March 28, 2019 4:56 am)