TODAY: Economics of Scales

[xiaoviper]

IT IS often said that the measure of an artist isn't so much how many people like your work, but how much they'd pay for your work. Would a Picasso still be "a Picasso" if his paintings only cost 10 bucks?

By that argument, we can assume that the worth of a musician can be ascertained by how much someone would fork out to watch said muso sing a bunch of songs. And that wouldn't say very much at all about our local bands.



MONEY TALKS

See, fans fork out over $100 for tickets to see their favourite international acts, but how many are willing to whip out their wallets for local musicians like Jack and Rai, The Fire Fight, Allura or Electrico?

It's this mindset that has been bugging local musicians for years, and is one of the factors industry players say is hindering the growth of the English local music scene.

Right now, most performances by local bands are free. The Esplanade, a strong supporter of local music, organises free performances every day, whether it's at the Concourse or at their Outdoor Theatre. They do have ticketed performances, such as the Late Nite Series, but those are in the minority.

Club performances are technically free gigs, too - patrons pay for the one-drink minimum or entry fee, not for the performance itself.

So, would anyone here pay just to see the band and nothing but the band?

We did an online straw poll about whether fans would pay to watch local acts and drew the following responses:

According to theliverevoluation: "I don't mind paying up to $30 if there are new bands playing - if they are good. No need to add in drinks or whatsoever."

Wrote glentiaw: "I've been at some pretty crappy gigs which were worth not even a fraction of the entry fee. As long as the gig is good, local or not, I don't see an issue."

Said Syam41: "I'd love to go to more local gigs and concerts, but as a student, there are limitations. So most of the time, price plays a part. The most I have paid is $25 for a local gig, and that's only because I'm a huge fan of Great Spy Experiment."

And our favourite comment, from shinobi: "To me it's not merely the band but the entire gig as a whole. Like if it was damn happening with free booze and chicks getting crazy, then $50 also can."



SHOW ME THE MONEY

A majority of respondents echoed the above sentiments, which begs the question: If people are willing to pay, then why aren't musicians willing to charge? After all, it's a job. Don't they want the moolah?

One reason, said music enthusiast T K Pang, is that our Asian upbringing makes musicians feel "bad" for charging.

"They would rather let other people set the price than come up with it themselves," he said. "And even if they do set the ticket prices, it's usually fairly low."

Another reason could be that the reality of their popularity might hit too close to home. What if they started selling tickets and nobody turned up?

It's scary but necessary, said concert organiser Michael Hosking, the head honcho of Midas Promotions.

"You can't tell how many people actually like you at a free gig. They're there because it's free.

"You don't have to charge a lot of money, but the point is that you want the public to pay for the performance. If you're playing in a club, people should pay above the normal entry charge for drinks that they'll have to pay for anyway. After all, that's what they're doing for concerts by major international stars."

Setting prices isn't quite arbitrary as some might think. "It really depends on a few variables," said Esmond Wee, label manager for Wake Me Up Music.

According to him, factors determining the ticket price include where the venue is, what the costs are, who the acts are, and what the occasion is. For example, if it's an album launch, the ticket price usually includes a copy of the CD.

"For the more established acts, we do price tickets higher sometimes ... because there is a certain value there," he added. "Why do we put a price tag on the acts? It's personal branding and adds value to the band. It helps the band earn something for all the hard work they've put in their careers."

The bottom line: Local musicians need to make a living, which means they need money, which they get when they perform. So, if you work backwards, that means: No money, no musicians.

But what's important is that there are people going to these gigs - and that's always a good thing. And maybe, just maybe, the bands here can start telling tickets a la Stefanie Sun or J J Lin.

It may be a dream right now, but as someone once pointed out, if you don't dream, how will your dreams come true?

Taken from http://www.todayonline.com/Plus/Music/EDC091029-0000031/?Economics-of-scales

Just to share

 

[DeathCubeK]

If a band is bloody good, say like Malaysia's Wings or Search, I will gladly pay money to watch. Gladly. But I have not seen any Singapore band that plays things that suit my taste. Except maybe Ministry of Rock, which plays covers mostly.

 

[theliverevolution]

wah wah wah! How come I see my name up there?! There is no A in my nick though! Hahaha

Anyway, back to topic.
I believe that the problems lies in two ways, and we can never really get down to pin-pointing on who first started this problem. One may say, its a cycle.

First:
Now, don't start flaming me, because I'm going to put one finger and point it to the Singapore environment, in terms of people, culture, society, etc
A lot of people have noted that our culture is "kiasu". As long as there's a "good deal", people will queue up like crazy. Just take the Shell promotion that went on last week, where lines of cars snaked up just to pump petrol at a cheaper deal.
As in comparison on why Singaporeans tend to flock to see foreign bands play and willing to shell out the cash, is because they perceive it as a "good deal". There is no way of telling when these bands would ever drop by Singapore and play again.
Whereas for local bands, the general perception is off:
"Aiya, they're always in Singapore. Anytime they decide to hold a concert, we can catch it. No hurry to watch them, its not like as if we can't catch them next week since we can't watch them now."
Sadly, but true.
It doesn't help that Singapore is also very small, unlike other countries. Bands in other countries can probably make a better living because they don't serve the same customers all the time. For them, every gig they play easily guarantees that a vast majority of the audience would not have seen their gig a couple of weeks back.
Unfortunately, Singapore is just way too small. Sooner or later, people will complain of seeing the same bands play the same set again and again and again

Secondly:
I feel that good musicians should just drop the "Paiseh, don't feel like charging" mentality and just charge the audience for every performance they do.
Of course, the cost of a ticket would have to be dependent on a lot of factors, such as venue, etc. But by charging a nominal fee, they at least get to earn a little bit for their efforts in entertaining the crowd.
The problem is, most musicians I see don't dare to ask their fans to dig into their wallets and ask them to help out a bit. Their fears are not entirely unfounded. There are cheapskates who would bound to just turn their backs and walk away when these musicians start charging people. Only the most loyal would continue to pay for tickets, and that still is also dependent on the price of the ticket.
The question is, how many of these fans would be loyal enough to pay for the tickets when that time comes?


Its a vicious cycle. Kiasu Singaporeans don't wish to pay very much, musicians draw in crowds by playing it for free. Kiasu Singaporeans watch the gig, enjoy it, but would react violently if the musicians started asking them to pay for tickets. Crowd dwindles, and musicians would be forced to keep their ticket prices low (or free) in order to draw back the crowds.

It's a bit hard to really nip the problem in the bud, because it goes around in circles.
It's a bit late, can't think of any solutions. Will think tomorrow when I wake up.

P.S:
My offer still stands. If there is any good band out there that is able to keep me entertained and happy, I would gladly give a token of appreciation.