Aiken Promotions - Greed Greed Greed

xseanx · 05-02-2009 09:51PM

Slander, we dont want boards been sued by aiken.
haha

AnonoBoy · 05-02-2009 10:53PM

dedon wrote: »

Work for aiken??

Yeah. I signed up two years ago and made nearly two thousand posts just so I could make this one point about the company I work for. :rolleyes:

Listen there's only two promoters who could bring someone like The Boss to Ireland at the moment. They'd both charge roughly the same - there's no real difference price wise between them and just because we can't discuss one on here isn't any reason to make Aiken out to be some manner of 'evil corporation'.

They're a company and like all companies they need to make profit to survive. They'll charge what the market will bear. Personally I don't pay out that much money for big gigs like that because I don't think they're worth it. But I go to lots of gigs that are more modestly priced, luckily the bands I'm really into generally come in around the 30 euro mark max for ticket prices.

muffinob1 · 05-02-2009 10:58PM

murraymints wrote: »

Is it my imagination or have the prices of tickets reduced in the last couple of months?

I agree I can't find my ticket for Bruce last summer but I'm sur this summer's ticket is ten euro cheaper

Griff77 · 06-02-2009 06:19PM

I think that other promoter would, if anyting, charge more in with less facilities! I believe Aiken charge the going rate IN Ireland and unfortunately the cost for gigs is high in Ireland. Hopefully we will see a drop in ticket prices this year. I have noticed that prices for DJ's playing in clubs has definately dropped in the last few months! The summer may bring a drop in the cost of gigs, we live in hope...

RuailleBuaille · 06-02-2009 06:25PM

What pisses me off is the surcharge PER ticket, not sure if this is Aiken's responsibilty or Ticketmaster or whoever, but can somebody explain to me how if I buy 6 tickets to one gig, I pay a handling fee for EACH AND EVERY ticket, even if it's just one transaction? That really bugs the shit out of me. :mad:

Miguel_Sanchez · 07-02-2009 10:28PM

RuailleBuaille wrote: »

What pisses me off is the surcharge PER ticket, not sure if this is Aiken's responsibilty or Ticketmaster or whoever, but can somebody explain to me how if I buy 6 tickets to one gig, I pay a handling fee for EACH AND EVERY ticket, even if it's just one transaction? That really bugs the shit out of me. :mad:

That's ticketmaster I believe. If you buy from a Ticketmaster stand (like the one in Stephen's Green or Jervis Shopping Centres in Dublin) then I think you don't pay that surcharge.

yknaa · 09-02-2009 12:49PM

€45 to see Priest, Megadeth and Testament tomorrow night is a bargain. Not sure how well it is selling though.

Skipper12 · 19-03-2009 11:27PM

The service charge absolutely annoys the bejaysus out of me. It is such a scam and yet nothing has ever been done about it. What makes it worse is that the concerts are advertised as one price but is it EVER possible to buy them at that price?? I know that someone mentioned go to a ticketgangster bricks and mortar location and they dont charge a service charge. Is this definitely true? Even if this is true what chance have you of avoiding the service charger when about every gig that is in demand being sold out in the first 20 mins with probably 99% being sold online.

One more thing is the way the dearer the tickets are the higher the service charge per ticket!! Even if the gig is in the same venue! How does that one work out? Same venue, same paper that ticket is printed on, same computer system processing the order! And then on top of all that ticketgangster actually recommend that you print out your tickets yourself for some gigs!! Using your own ink and printer. Now that is just taking the proverbial.

Well thats my rant over... yo would you know that I have recently purchased tickets would you

Service charge = Money for nothing

BrianD · 20-03-2009 12:41AM

Skipper12 wrote: »

The service charge absolutely annoys the bejaysus out of me. It is such a scam and yet nothing has ever been done about it. What makes it worse is that the concerts are advertised as one price but is it EVER possible to buy them at that price?? I know that someone mentioned go to a ticketgangster bricks and mortar location and they dont charge a service charge. Is this definitely true? Even if this is true what chance have you of avoiding the service charger when about every gig that is in demand being sold out in the first 20 mins with probably 99% being sold online.

One more thing is the way the dearer the tickets are the higher the service charge per ticket!! Even if the gig is in the same venue! How does that one work out? Same venue, same paper that ticket is printed on, same computer system processing the order! And then on top of all that ticketgangster actually recommend that you print out your tickets yourself for some gigs!! Using your own ink and printer. Now that is just taking the proverbial.

Well thats my rant over... yo would you know that I have recently purchased tickets would you

Service charge = Money for nothing

This is simple not true. The service charge is not "money for nothing". You are paying for the service that TM provides - to buy a ticket on your behalf for your chosen show from the relevant promoter. This ticket may be delivered to your home or you may buy it over the counter at a local outlet. The service allows you the convenience to pay by card or cash. The service charge covers the provision of an online booking system and multiple telephone operators to take your call, help you with individual seat selection ...

These are just some of the items covered by the service charge. It also includes the implementation of the system that allows you to print your own unique ticket. Remember what used to happen if you lost your tickets? Major hassle. Now you can just print them off again.

Are TM fees to high? Competition is good but it's very hard to beat the service that TM provides. I hear complaints about their pricing but I've rarely heard a complaint about their level of service. In regard to pricing, I think it is beneficial that that the charges are extra (they are never hidden) as then it means it's transparent and in theory individual ticket agents could compete on the service charges.

Fad · 20-03-2009 12:44AM

Skipper12 wrote: »

The service charge absolutely annoys the bejaysus out of me. It is such a scam and yet nothing has ever been done about it. What makes it worse is that the concerts are advertised as one price but is it EVER possible to buy them at that price?? I know that someone mentioned go to a ticketgangster bricks and mortar location and they dont charge a service charge. Is this definitely true? Even if this is true what chance have you of avoiding the service charger when about every gig that is in demand being sold out in the first 20 mins with probably 99% being sold online.

One more thing is the way the dearer the tickets are the higher the service charge per ticket!! Even if the gig is in the same venue! How does that one work out? Same venue, same paper that ticket is printed on, same computer system processing the order! And then on top of all that ticketgangster actually recommend that you print out your tickets yourself for some gigs!! Using your own ink and printer. Now that is just taking the proverbial.

Well thats my rant over... yo would you know that I have recently purchased tickets would you

Service charge = Money for nothing

The surcharge has nothing to do with the promoters, so you cant hold that against them.

RAMAN · 20-03-2009 10:08AM

Jumpsfromplanes wrote: »

One answer to this problem is to start going to see some of the less-well established 'alternative' 'indie' bands that play in whelans, dorans, mezz etc. The prices are way lower, and you are usually supporting local talent. Some of them can be brilliant aswell. I find some of the big name high priced bands can be not just over priced, but very anti-climatical !!

I understand your frustration.

I would have to go along with you on this. There is so much music out there right now you don't have to depend on the big acts. I have seen peopel like Holly Golightly, Boards of Canada for around 17 euro and peopel like Jenny Watson or Mark Lanegan for around 30 euro. The venues are smaller and you get a lot more for your money. These gigs are full of real fans so there are no muppets there to see the Big name but with no real interest in the music, you know the type!

youcancallmeal · 20-03-2009 10:43AM

BrianD wrote: »

Wrong, ultimately it is the artist who controls the price. Don't think for a moment that artist A or band B doesn't know how much you are paying to get through the turnstile. Live music is where the money is these days.

Very few people realise or will simply refuse to believe but that this is actually the truth of the matter. I used to be of the same opinion that Aiken etc were ripping us of when a gig in Northern Ireland/England was a fraction of the price for the exact same thing over here. There was a very good article in the Ticket(Irish Times entertainment supplement) about a year ago that broke down the fees for a various gigs in Ireland and England and it worked out every time that tickets were more expensive in Ireland because bands/artists were demanding more, or to be more exact their agents. Its a bitter pill to swallow for punters that the big evil corporation isn't ripping us off but in fact our beloved performers.

Any number of explanations could be given for why they do it. Performers may just look at the going prices for tickets in Ireland and follow suit with their demands. It may even be a case of good album sales in Ireland or that coming to Ireland takes them away from the central European tour routes? Bottom line is the extra money on tickets in Ireland are generally going to the performer(s) and NOT the promoter.

I'll try and dig out that article if I can but it probably requires a subscription to the Irish Times or something.

g5fd6ow0hseima · 20-03-2009 09:58PM

Tom Waits' few gigs in the Phoenix park last year were priced €135 each.
Im not a big fan of him, I respect him and all, but dont see how people would be willing to pay that collossol amount of cash to see him. I wouldnt go over 50 euro for my favourite bands.

Aridstarling · 21-03-2009 03:39AM

I would have killed to go to that Tom Waits show... I have one gig from that tour as a podcast and it is mindmeltingly good. But the tickets were gone in minutes and I couldn't have afforded it anyway. I wonder who the promoter was for that or does Waits even go through a promoter? Anybody know?

BrianD · 22-03-2009 11:25PM

Aridstarling wrote: »

I would have killed to go to that Tom Waits show... I have one gig from that tour as a podcast and it is mindmeltingly good. But the tickets were gone in minutes and I couldn't have afforded it anyway. I wonder who the promoter was for that or does Waits even go through a promoter? Anybody know?

It was Aiken Promotions.

The other reason why Ireland is going to be more expensive is the cost of transportation. If you have a big tour you have to pay for all those trucks to come accross the Irish sea and back again. Even if you leave the gear at home then you are going to have to hire locally. In the UK you have a wide range of sound, light and staging suppliers available competing for business. Over here, you don't. There's only one big lighting co and a handful of PA companies. You have one LED screen company and there are very few stages (most of the stages used in the Summer come in from Belgium). Plus in the last few years, everything is this country got more expensive from hotels to food.

So why are shows in Belfast appear cheaper then down south? May suspicion is that the ticket price is based on it being "a part of the UK".

Aldini98 · 30-06-2009 09:19AM

murraymints wrote: »

Is it my imagination or have the prices of tickets reduced in the last couple of months?

Some imagination !

Ticket prices here are a joke. Im off to Manchester next month for a gig, 2 huge American bands for £34.50 including booking fee. Could you imagine getting to the O2 for less than 40 Euro ? Could you heck !

If the trip works out I'm heading to England for gigs from now on. Yeah I'd rather give the money to the British economy than get screwed by aiken, mcd and the likes.

Fajitas! · 30-06-2009 09:28AM

Just to add another (Genuine) reason in - Insurance in Ireland is a nightmare, often costing more than 100% than that of the exact same gig in belfast. Actually, never mind 100%, in some cases it can cost 100 times the same gig in Belfast. It's another price a promotor is going to have to cover, which means sticking the price up.

NIBBS · 30-06-2009 11:05AM

BrianD wrote: »

It was Aiken Promotions.

The other reason why Ireland is going to be more expensive is the cost of transportation. If you have a big tour you have to pay for all those trucks to come accross the Irish sea and back again. Even if you leave the gear at home then you are going to have to hire locally. In the UK you have a wide range of sound, light and staging suppliers available competing for business. Over here, you don't. There's only one big lighting co and a handful of PA companies. You have one LED screen company and there are very few stages (most of the stages used in the Summer come in from Belgium). Plus in the last few years, everything is this country got more expensive from hotels to food.

So why are shows in Belfast appear cheaper then down south? May suspicion is that the ticket price is based on it being "a part of the UK".

There are plenty of valid reasons why expenses are greater here than in other countries, the transport thing is valid - but all of these excuses are greatly exaggerated, stop fooling yourselves, the main reason that ticket prices here are so much more expensive is profit margin, plan and simple.....

BrianD - I take your examples into consideration and they are all valid, the availability of equipment for shows here isn't great and is certainly open to higher costs to a promoter, but on the very big gigs, or even anything on in say the O2 these are nearly always Full Touring lineups which includes stage and most equipment, and of course the bigger the gig the bigger the revenue.
Where are there cheaper transportation costs bringing a show to Belfast rather than to Dublin ???????
Trucks and equipment still need to be ferry'd across the sea and these costs should be very similar ?

The Insurance thing is beginning to really annoy me, I know that Insurance costs for most things here are much higher than any other country, but when promoting a show the Promoter will already have built these costs in - unless they are doing this for the first time ????? it still doesn't explain the crazy variance in ticket prices ??

oneweb · 30-06-2009 12:36PM

Aldini98 wrote: »

Some imagination !

Ticket prices here are a joke. Im off to Manchester next month for a gig, 2 huge American bands for £34.50 including booking fee. Could you imagine getting to the O2 for less than 40 Euro ? Could you heck !

If the trip works out I'm heading to England for gigs from now on. Yeah I'd rather give the money to the British economy than get screwed by aiken, mcd and the likes.

I much prefer to make a weekend of a gig, it costs a bit more but you KNOW you're getting much better value for money! I've found Mancs to be ideal and have gone to London and Cardiff for other gigs.

Granted the new O2 venue finally gives Irish people a reason to go to a gig, but you still can't beat getting away for a bit!

Check out Sound Cellar (Nassau St, no website) for slightly cheaper tickets

Bluetonic · 30-06-2009 12:59PM

NIBBS wrote: »

it still doesn't explain the crazy variance in ticket prices ??

Your talking about two totally different economies, it's totally unfair to try and compare them like for like.

Aldini98 · 30-06-2009 01:37PM

Bluetonic wrote: »

Your talking about two totally different economies, it's totally unfair to try and compare them like for like.

Lame excuse really. Tickets all over Europe are cheaper than here. We're idiots for putting up with it. If the Insurance is so expensive just switch insurers !!! Combining a night or two away with a gig is the way to go.

Bluetonic · 30-06-2009 02:44PM

Aldini98 wrote: »

Lame excuse really.

There is nothing lame about it.

Aldini98 · 01-07-2009 09:11AM

Bluetonic wrote: »

There is nothing lame about it.

So our ecomony is worse off than EVERY other countrys ? Because EVERY other countrys ticket prices are cheaper than ours.

We're not talking recession times here either, we're screwed on a daily basis in this country. We give out about it but don't act on it. I'm acting on it, I'm not putting up with rip off ticket prices here anymore.

NIBBS · 01-07-2009 09:46AM

Bluetonic wrote: »

Your talking about two totally different economies, it's totally unfair to try and compare them like for like.

To be honest Bluetonic I'm not really the one comparing them like for like - the biggest promoters here are the people whose excuses are always comparisons of the costs between different economies, so why should I not be able to do the same thing - it's known that Irish ticket prices are 25-30% more expensive than the rest of Europe, thats just the way it is...............all I'm doing is questioning the reasons that the Promoters are giving for the inflated prices here.

I guess when you look at a gig like the Judas Priest one here in Feb in the O2 that's when it starts to confuse me even more. Ticket prices were €45 for a 3 band bill, in the O2 - with none of the bands local, with their own stage etc........so surely the transport costs were the same for that show as any other ???
Ok, I'm sure they didn't demand the same fees as other chart acts, but they wouldn't have been cheap either. Surely this gig was being run at a loss with those ticket prices ???????????? if not then there's something wrong with the picture, it's a little fuzzy don't you think ?

We are being badly screwed here, add in the rip off from Ticketmaster which is just getting worse all the time (the amalgamation of large Promoters/Venue Owners and Ticket companies, or in Livenations case doing their own tickets will worsen the situation considerable, despite the fact that it should bring prices down)......

Maybe Artists here just see the $ signs and demand far higher fees, but I just can't swallow any more bull from the lot of them, it's less hassle, even with the flying to go to gigs outside Ireland these days, though I agree that the O2 is a big improvement in venue.

Bluetonic · 01-07-2009 09:55AM

Aldini98 wrote: »

So our ecomony is worse off than EVERY other countrys ? Because EVERY other countrys ticket prices are cheaper than ours.

What on earth are you talking about?

villains77 · 01-07-2009 10:02AM

we are getting ripped off for the prices. 55 to see an english band in paris and 85/95 in dublin to see the same band on the same tour.

Bluetonic · 01-07-2009 10:02AM

NIBBS wrote: »

all I'm doing is questioning the reasons that the Promoters are giving for the inflated prices here.

What are the reasons they are giving?

Insurance being greatly more expensive is a fact, so is transportation costs. What else are they saying? Are artists factoring in the day before and day after which it is likely their stage setup will be in transit when pricing them self?

Aiken Promotions - Greed Greed Greed

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