<\/p>\n Vince Bucci\/Getty Images for Maui and Sons<\/p>\n
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The symptoms of “blue dot fever” are more contained than they may appear, Schnee said, noting they’re more indicative of overenthusiastic booking strategies than “emblematic of the industry overall.”<\/p>\n
Although Malone is a popular artist by any metric, he’s currently in the midst of a countrified rebrand, and it’s unclear how many fans will follow his tour bus into new territory. Tickets for his next tour, co-headlined by Jelly Roll, went on sale before Malone’s new album was even finished \u2014 prematurely assuming the size and eagerness of his paying audience.<\/p>\n
Malik, Trainor, and the Pussycat Dolls, meanwhile, have all achieved commercial success and cultural relevance in the past \u2014 but one No. 1 hit from a decade ago doesn’t justify the rising cost of an arena ticket today.<\/p>\n
In an era when a ticket to any average pop concert threatens to break the bank \u2014 we’re not even counting the rising costs of transportation and accommodation to get to the concert in the first place \u2014 fans are becoming more selective. Personally, as a proud pop girl who grew up with “Buttons” and “Don’t Cha” on my iPod, it’s no contest: I’d rather skip the Pussycat Dolls reunion gimmick ($120 for upper bowl at Madison Square Garden; I checked) and put that money towards a more expensive ticket to see Rodrigo sing “Drivers License” live<\/a>.<\/p>\nAs for Schnee, in just a few days, he’s bringing his family to see Bruce Springsteen at Madison Square Garden. Even as someone with more than 30 years of industry experience, he found the total cost mind-boggling: “Throw in gas, parking, food, whatever,” he quickly calculated, “it becomes $1,400 for one night.”<\/p>\n
Schnee added that he wouldn’t swallow that expense for any average Joe with a guitar. If an artist is charging arena prices, they better be having an arena-sized impact on the zeitgeist.<\/p>\n
Despite the economic anxiety and uncertainty<\/a> plaguing many of us, Schnee said, the demand to see some artists in the flesh is “recession-proof” \u2014 emphasis on some.<\/p>\n“People definitely have to make a decision,” he concluded. “They can’t do it all.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n