Brilliant album. Tremonti and Kennedy are a formidable songwriting team. This album is an extension of ABIII with extra influences added. “Fortress” solo section is worth the price of the album. “Children of The Grave” merged with “Revelation (Mother Earth)”.
Tag Archives: 2013
1986 vs 2013
BON JOVI
In 1986, Jon Bon Jovi was all about the music. He was in debt to his record label and still living with his parents. The “band” Bon Jovi released their biggest seller, Slippery When Wet.
Now, Jon Bon Jovi is all about the money. The band Bon Jovi released their biggest dud, in What About Now, Richie Sambora has been booted because of money and Jon Bon Jovi cancelled a New York Fair concert for an intimate Government concert that paid more.
BLACK SABBATH/OZZY OSBOURNE
In 1986, Black Sabbath released Seventh Star with Glenn Hughes on vocals and Ozzy Osbourne released The Ultimate Sin.
Seventh Star was originally intended to be the first solo album by Iommi, but due to pressures by Warner Bros. Records and the prompting of band manager Don Arden, the record was billed as Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi.
The Ultimate Sin featured songwriting contributions from Bob Daisley and Phil Soussan, however due to Sharon Osbourne (Arden) trying to keep as much money as possible in Ozzy’s corner, Bob Daisley was not credited on the initial release and Phil Soussan had an accounting disagreement with Sharon. Everyone got shafted by an Arden.
In 2013, Black Sabbath released 13, their first album with Ozzy since 1978, that also featured the talents of Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk. Bill Ward said he would not participate until he was offered a “signable contract.” One B.W is out and another B.W is in. Again, someone was shafted by an Arden.
RECORD LABELS
The major labels wanted their artists to have careers. They spent a lot of money to convince the public that they should pay attention to their new artist or the latest release of an existing artist.
The marketing was from the label down to the streets. The labels had so much power and they set the bar. Either a band was signed to a label or they didn’t matter. Major labels were plentiful and the most powerful person in the music business was the Record Label head. Artists could live off the money from their record deal as people had to buy the expensive record to listen to it. Because it was expensive, we played it over and over and over again and eventually became a fan.
Now the marketing is from the streets and the record labels want the hit singles. They have shareholders to please, a board to please and all the label heads are interested in bonuses and short term profits. There is no long term vision anymore as the Record Labels do not have the same power.
The major labels have been reduced to 3, with Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.
In 1986, record companies were cool. In 2013, HBO, Netflix, Showtime, Facebook, Apple, Samsung, Twitter and Amazon are cool.
LIVE
In 1986, all the acts did the arena and stadium tours because demand was high. If a band opened for a major act, they believed they had made it. The public discovered new acts when those acts opened up for our favourite bands. Look at the list below;
Metallica and Ratt opened up for Ozzy Osbourne.
Anthrax opened up for Metallica.
Marillion opened up for Rush.
Loverboy opened up for Van Halen.
King Kobra, White Lion and W.A.S.P opened up for Kiss.
W.A.S.P also opened up for Iron Maiden.
Cinderella opened up for Bon Jovi in the U.S and Queensryche opened up for Bon Jovi in Europe.
Queensryche also opened up for AC/DC.
Cinderella also opened up for David Lee Roth.
Honeymoon Suite and Glass Tiger opened up for Journey.
Dokken opened up for Accept.
Keel opened up for Dio.
Krokus opened up for Judas Priest.
Now only the classic rock acts of the Seventies and Eighties can sell out the arenas and the few modern superstars. The majority of acts play the club circuit. If bands have a small hard core fan base, they can raise enough money to make an album and own everything about themselves. No one cares who the opening band is.
RANDY JACKSON
In 1986, he played bass with Journey. He appeared on the Raised on Radio album and also toured with them. People judged him on his abilities.
In 2013, he is a judge on American Idol.
CHARTS
Back in 1986, the charts meant everything and albums sold in double digit millions. Slippery When Wet from Bon Jovi went to Number 1 for 1 week in October and then it re-appeared at number 1 for 7 weeks in 1987.
Now the charts are useless and artists are lucky to sell a million units. There are a few, like Adele that go into double digits. Bon Jovi’s What About Now went to Number 1 for 1 week and it didn’t reappear again.
ANTHEMS OF A GENERATION
In 1986, we had Addicted To Love from Robert Palmer, Sledgehammer from Peter Gabriel, Dreams from Van Halen, Livin On A Prayer and Wanted Dead Or Alive from Bon Jovi, Peace Sells from Megadeth, Battery from Metallica, Raining Blood from Slayer and The Final Countdown from Europe.
In 2013, nothing lasts.
THE MUSIC BUSINESS
In 1986, it was all about the music and if a band was all over traditional media, it meant they had traction and that people would be hearing their music.
Now, our favourite bands are playing to the masses who just don’t care and now it is all about marketing. Look at the marketing campaign for the new Dream Theater album. It looks like the label is trying to monetize every little bit of it. If a band is all over traditional media, it doesn’t mean that they have traction and it doesn’t mean that people have heard their music.
In 1986, everything was expensive and the cost of music was different at every store. Due to the high prices of music, everybody had a little bit of it. We had to buy it to hear it, or we used to tape it of someone who purchased it.
Now, music costs the same everywhere, and it’s cheap and everybody has more than they want. Music is available to hear for free, whether on YouTube or streaming music services like Spotify.
In 1986, albums from our favourite artists would normally come out every two years. Due to this lack of new material, music was scarce, so when we purchased albums we played them to death. We became fans by over playing the music we purchased as it was all about the music.
Now, music is released constantly and it is plentiful. Due to these riches of new material, we don’t spend as much time with the albums we purchased. We become fans by looking for the song that grabs our attention on the first listen.
LADY GAGA
In 1986, Lady Gaga was born. In 2013, Lady Gaga is just Born This Way.
METALLICA
In 1986, Metallica released Master of Puppets and lost bass player Cliff Burton in a bus accident while on tour.
In 2013, Metallica will be released Through The Never a live/concert film and will be losing a lot of money when it doesn’t set the world on fire.
MEGADETH
In 1986, Megadeth released Peace Sells.. But Who’s Buying, which in their case, everyone was buying.
In 2013, Megadeth released Supercollider and no one was buying.
KISS
In 1986, Gene Simmons from Kiss produced and co-wrote songs for the Black N Blue album, Nasty Nasty, that had a certain Tommy Thayer on guitars.
In 2013, Kiss released Monster, that has Tommy Thayer on guitars, as well as lead vocals on one song and a major co-writer of material.
STRYPER
In 1986, Stryper released To Hell With The Devil.
In 2013, Styper will release No More Hell To Pay. It looks they still have hell on their minds.
SLAYER
In 1986, Slayer reigned in blood.
In 2013, Jeff Hanneman’s reign ended. RIP.
QUEENSRYCHE
In 1986, Queensryche was one band that released the a superior album in Rage For Order.
In 2013, Queensryche are two seperate bands that ended up releasing two inferior albums in Frequency Unknown(Geoff Tate version) and Queensryche (Todd LaTorre version).
The fans are screaming for order.
CINDERELLA
In 1986, Cinderella released Night Songs and proved to the world that they are nobody’s fool.
In 2013, Tom Keifer the singer from Cinderella released The Way Life Goes, an album 9 years in the making with a song called Fools Paradise.
VINNIE VINCENT
In 1986, Vinnie Vincent invaded the charts, with a point to prove.
In 2013, Vinnie Vincent is …..
Deja-Vu. 2011 vs. 2013 with Dream Theater and Trivium – Random Thoughts on their new songs
It’s like déjà vu again. In 2011, I was listening to new songs from Trivium and Dream Theater. Trivium had just unleashed In Waves as its promotional single for the In Waves album and Dream Theater had unleashed On The Backs of Angels as its promotional single for the A Dramatic Turn of Events album.
I remember listening to both songs back then and taking into account both of the band’s position in the musical landscape. Dream Theater to me, had the most to prove, as this music would be their first without founder Mike Portnoy.
In my opinion In Waves is a stronger song than On The Backs of Angels. The song wins all the time. I was listening to Images and Words yesterday and the reason why that album is awesome 21 years after its release is the songs. Learning To Live, Metropolis and Take The Time are progressive as hell, but man, I can physically hum the whole songs to anyone including the progressive interludes.
Images and Words is Dream Theater. That album represented what Dream Theater are all about and it set in motion everything that was to come. This new album is self-titled, therefore it should represent what Dream Theater is all about.
Anyway I digress, going back to my 2011 experiences. In relation to the albums, both of them had a six week U.S sale run (physical sales) and then disappeared. Will history repeat itself? I think so.
Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Week 1 – ending 21 Sept 2011 – 35,750 units sold
Week 2 – ending 28 Sept 2011 – 8,030 units sold
Week 3 – ending 05 Oct 2011 – 4,430 units sold
Week 4 – ending 12 Oct 2011 – 3,120 units sold
Week 5 – ending 19 Oct 2011 – 2,600 units sold
Trivium – In Waves
Week 1 – ending 17 Aug 2011 – 20,640 units sold
Week 2 – ending 24 Aug 2011 – 6,700 units sold
Week 4 – ending 07 Sept 2011 – 2,890 units sold
Week 5 – ending 14 Sept 2011 – 2,890 units sold
Artists are so scared if an album under performs these days. WHY? The album sales figures quoted above is not the metric to judge success on. Dream Theater have hardly sold any music in South America, however they play to their biggest crowds there. I wonder how that came to be?
As Nicko McBrain said in Flight 666 The Movie, Iron Maiden hasn’t sold an album in Costa Rica, however they are playing a stadium show that is sold out with 30,000 people attending. Put it down to piracy, file sharing, Bit Torrent or copyright infringement. The bottom line is this, if what you create is great, expect it to be shared.
Before the Internet, before YouTube, before streaming services like Spotify, fans had to own the music to hear it. That is no longer the case. The history of recorded music is at our fingertips. Fans are participating in this new arena, while artists and labels are still banging their heads against the wall judging success by album sales.
Even Mike Portnoy asked fans to buy The Winery Dogs as a show of support to the label and to show to them that this project is viable. Why does he care about sales? Look at all his posts, show after show. He is blown away at the reaction they are getting. Isn’t that the validation he should be seeking?
So here we are in 2013. We have Trivium’s new song Brave This Storm and Dream Theater’s The Enemy Within.
So what is the verdict.
I can’t say that The Enemy Within is anything special. Some bits remind me of Scenes from a Memory, but really, I could see this song fitting on A Dramatic Turn of Events. It is not a great leap forward in musical terms. Let’s hope that the other songs make the “definite statement.”
Hopefully what we heard was their “Commercial” piece for the album, in the same way that Forsaken was seen as the “Commercial” piece in Systematic Chaos. If this new album turns out to just be ADToE part 2, then yeah I’ll be pretty disappointed, and everyone will know what a pivotal role Portnoy played in the band and how directionless they are without him.
On the other hand, I was very cautious as to how the Trivium and David Draiman collaboration would work. From hearing Brave This Storm, I would say they are on a definite winner. The song is heavy, it is a progression from what they started with In Waves, it is all math in the verses and it is very melodic. Let’s hope that the other Trivium songs are not Brave This Storm 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on.
For some reason this got me thinking about a song from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers called Rebels which is the lead off track on his 1985, Southern Accents album.
With one foot in the grave
One foot on the pedal
I was born a rebel
Are musicians/artists rebels in 2013? It seems that they all want to be winners. Seen any posts from a musician recently about what they think, what they feel, what they are going to do and it doesn’t relate to selling music. Our heroes are even beholden to the Corporations.
Randy Blythe is one artist that shows his humanity. He uses his photographs and puts stories around them, which always relate to a personal part of his life. We are all human. We win and we lose. Blythe focuses on his work, not the sales pitch.
There is new news every day, so if Dream Theater and Trivium want their story to survive, they need to keep it alive by making news every day
Twenty Years
1993 vs. 2013 – What Has Changed in Twenty Years?
An old teacher of mine showed me a photo of my school year from 1993. There I am in the back row with the long hair, a beard and a stoner look. How things have changed?
Then, my only ambition was to get my driver’s licence, finish high school (to make my parents happy) and to be in a band (to make me happy). Now, ambition is replaced by duty. I have a duty to my family to ensure that I keep my job, I pay the bills and keep all the wheels turning in my family life.
Then, all I wanted to do was party hard. Now, all I want to do is take some R&R. However life is too short to spend it alone. That is why I choose to do everything with my wife and kids. Eventually my kids will start doing their own thing, so while they are young, I am going to enjoy doing as much things with them as possible.
Then, all I wanted to do was write cool music. Now, I still write music. Instead of picking up the guitar and pressing record on the 4 track, I switch on my laptop, open up Guitar Pro and I start writing. I don’t even touch the guitar.
Then, I wrote a song each day (lyrics and basic chords) in a diary. Now, I still do the same. In this case, I write lyrics only and then eventually I get around to writing music to them via the computer.
Then, the way music was consumed was undergoing a transformation. The CD was becoming popular as a delivery system, so people started re-purchasing their vinyl and tape collections on CD. Now, the way music is consumed is undergoing a radical transformation. People buy MP3’s, people stream and people share. The labels still try and push the CD as it makes them the most money, however people are now selecting what they like.
Then, radio was popular. Today, YouTube is popular. Internet radio is making inroads and traditional radio is struggling for listeners.
Then, hard rock music was killed off by the record labels who jumped ship onto the grunge / alternative rock bandwagon. Now, hard rock music is back, stronger than ever. The labels are still jumping ship, this time focusing on the pop market and songs written by committees. Then when an independent artist starts selling big numbers, the labels jump ship again to find other like artists.
Then, MTV was king. Now YouTube is king. The entertainment industry screams piracy and calls for more legislation, while the biggest sharing site, YouTube remains untouched. Why? The RIAA and its labels are now making money from the ad revenue on YouTube, so it is okay.
Then, to discover new music, we needed to rely on a knowledgeable record store operator, gatekeepers, radio and expensive import magazines. Now, we just use Google, YouTube, Bandcamp, Sound Cloud, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, blogs and many more.
Then, all the hard rock /metal bands started to release live albums, cover albums and B – sides. Metallica released Binge and Purge, Guns N Roses released The Spaghetti Incident, Def Leppard released Retro-Active, Iron Maiden (lost Bruce Dickinson in 1993) released A Real Dead One, A Real Live One and Live in Donnington. Now Metallica are still releasing live albums, via their own bootleg soundboard recordings, Def Leppard are doing a run of dates in Las Vegas, Iron Maiden are still out there touring, with Bruce Dickinson back on vocals and a version of Guns N Roses still exists.
Then, Rage Against The Machine at a Lollapalooza concert used their entire 14-minute set to protest their single “Killing in the Name” being banned from radio. With only guitar feedback for sound, the group appears on stage naked with the letters “PMRC” painted on their chests and electrical duct tape over their mouths. Now, everyone wants to be loved, wants to be liked. No one wants to be hated. No one stands up for what they believe in.
Then, we only had a home phone. Now, we have smart mobile phones. We are connected 24/7.
The biggest change has been the rise of technology. The rock stars of 2013 are the tech heads.
Eurovision 2013 and Roid Rage
I just watched semi final number 2 and I came across Eythor Ingi from Iceland. He sang a ballad called I Am Alive. The song is average, however his voice, his look and his name stuck in my head.
So what do I do? I go on to YouTube and search for his name. He is in a Deep Purple cover band and he covers Child In Time. If you want to separate the vocalists from the wannabe’s, Child In Time is the song.
He nails Ian Gillan. Why did he do a ballad? This guy has got some serious vocal chops. He never used them. The pressure to fit into a style, into a format. When are people going to wake up. Uniqueness wins all the time.
At least Eythor lives up to his Thor viking name. He doesn’t need steroids like Tim Lambesis from As I Lay Dying. The latest on the hit man for hire saga is that the he was suffering from “roid rage” and that he “lost God”. Fair enough, however I fail to see how that is a defense to organising a hitman. I think it’s time that Lambesis takes responsibility for his actions.
Anyone heard the new Five Finger Death Punch song, Lift Me Up. How similar is the vocal line in the verse to The Ultimate Sin from Ozzy. It’s catchy. It gets be head moving and it gets my foot tapping.
Rob Halford guests. It seems to be that everyone is doing the same thing now, getting guest musicians and releasing two albums within 6 months of each other. Coheed and Cambria did it, Stone Sour did it and now Five Finger Death Punch are doing it.
Finally, Bon Jovi pre-sales via Showbiz have not sold out as yet. I went on line again and i can still purchase 4 platinum tickets.
Bon Jovi struggling to sell tickets
It looks like the wheels are falling off. This is what happens when you go back to the same markets over and over again, with super high ticket prices. I just went onto Showbiz today and I could still purchase 4 Platinum Tickets for the Bon Jovi Australian Shows in December. This was unthinkable, once upon a time.
A lot of Bon Jovi fans got burnt at the Telstra Pre sale debacle. Bon Jovi’s Facebook page, the Bang Tango Facebook page and the Dainty Touring page had over 2,500 combined comments from disgruntled fans. Think about those numbers for a second. If all those fans purchased 4 tickets each, that is 10,000 ticket sales.
A lot of people are now waiting for the General Public Release via Ticketek on the May 20, 2013.
A lot of people don’t even know that the Showbiz pre-sale. It’s not even advertised on the Bon Jovi Facebook page, however the Telstra pre sale was.
Furthermore, Bon Jovi can’t even sell out a hometown gig. Tickets to the U.S. New Jersey shows are up on Goldstar, https://www.goldstar.com/e/69879 as inventory that no one wants.
Why Bon Jovi will sell out?
Another lot of pre sales are up for sale today via Showbiz for the Bon Jovi 2013 “Because We Can” Australian Tour.
These VIP packages involve perks, like Exclusive Access to a Pre-show Cocktail Party, VIP Pre-show Open Bar, Pre-show Party Music Playing Your Favourite Bon Jovi Hits and More, Dedicated On-Site VIP Preshow Host, Exclusive On-Site VIP Perks, Exclusive Bon Jovi VIP Merchandise, One Exclusive Bon Jovi Merchandise Tour Item (Created Exclusively For ULTIMATE Package Purchasers), One Souvenir Bon Jovi Program, One Commemorative VIP Laminate & Matching Lanyard and a BON JOVI Music Download.
So if a fan wants to get the ULTIMATE VIP Package, which gives them one DIAMOND ticket outside the Circle Pit on the Floor, it costs $595 + Booking Fee. To get the PLATINUM package, which also gets them a PLATINUM ticket, it will cost $395 + Booking Fee and a lot let less perks. The GOLD Package is next at $335 per person + Booking Fee and it gives you a GOLD ticket and even less perks.
The most staggering part is the prices. Showbiz has been working with Bon Jovi’s management and Australian Tour promoter Dainty Group to be appointed as the exclusive Official Tour Packages Operator for the 2013 “Because We Can” Australian Tour.
The way organisations are appointed is through a tendering process. Showbiz have offered a better deal money wise, so the final call on all of this is made by Jon Bon Jovi. In this case the prices are controlled by Jon Bon Jovi. He wants a guaranteed percentage of the ticket price.
Let’s put the above into context;
Jon Bon Jovi (JBJ) is touring Australia. A promoter is interested and offers to bring him down for $120 a PREMUIM ticket (which will cover the costs for the Promoter, the venues, plus turn over a profit). Jon Bon Jovi then tells the promoter they want the whole ticket price as a guarantee. So in order for the Promoter to cover the cost of the tour and make a profit the ticket price is now $240. The split is $120 JBJ and $120 Promoter.
JBJ and the Promoter then contract out the ticket selling to different organisations, either for a guaranteed one of fee or a percentage of the ticket price again. Let’s say that JBJ then wants a 25% cut of the ticket price at this time. This will then make the ticket $300 for the Public Sale. Let’s say that a $10 booking fee is added on top of that by the Ticketing company so that they can make money on it as well. Final price of a ticket is $310.
The split is now $180 Bon Jovi, Promoter $120 and Ticketing Seller $10.
So when you see Bon Jovi tickets going on sale for astronomical prices, don’t blame anyone else except the artist.
From the beginning, the Bon Jovi Because We Can Tour had the following pre-sales;
– May 2, 2013 – Backstage JBJ Fan Club Pre Sales. To purchase, you had to pay to be a Fan Club member. The smallest fan club membership amount is $60 for one year.
– EBAY tickets went on sale. The word on the street is that Bon Jovi scalped their own tickets on this one or Bon Jovi fan club members are also scalpers or ticket resellers.
– May 9, 2013 – Showbiz CIRCLE PIT Pre Sales. These tickets ranged from $995 to $1,995.
– More EBAY tickets went on sale.
– May 13, 2013 – Telstra/Bang Tango Pre Sales. This was a debacle. The Bang Tango website crashed within 1 minute. This is a lesson on how fans should NOT be treated?
– Further EBAY tickets went on sale.
– May 15, 2013 –Showbiz VIP Pre Sales went on sale on the 15 May 2013 at 9am.
There is another Pre Sale to go via Showbiz for Premium tickets and then the Public Release is scheduled for May 20, 2013. Why even bother with a Public Release? Do fans really expect to get reasonable seats when such a small percentage of tickets are available in the public release, when you have all the tickets committed to all the different pre-sales, as well as Jon Bon Jovi scalping his own tickets.
Jon Bon Jovi – The power is in his hands to change the way his fans buy tickets
Bon Jovi – Because We Can Telstra pre sales went on sale on Monday, 13 May, 2013 at 9am. By 9.01am, the Bang Tango site crashed. Within an hour, Telstra and Bang Tango both posted an update. It was the clichéd “due to high demand or high volumes, you may experience delays in accessing this website”.
It wasn’t until 6.35pm that the Bon Jovi Facebook page posted an update;
Thank you to all the fans who have taken part in the Telstra Australian Pre-Sale so far! Due to the massive amount of traffic the BangTango Pre-Sale site was temporarily down but is now back up and running! Thank you for your patience. Get your Pre-Sale tickets now: http://bit.ly/13cryk3.
I can’t believe that in this day and age, Bon Jovi is using the “massive amount of traffic” phrase. Seriously, what did they expect, a couple of hundred people to go online. This is Bon Jovi we are talking about, the same band that released a box set called 100,000,000 Fans Cant Be Wrong.
Back in 2010, they played multiple stadium shows in Australia in each city and each show was sold out, so of course they would expect a “massive amount of traffic” this time around.
Furthermore, the Backstage JBJ fan club didn’t have any issue coping with the heavy amount of traffic, where fans coughed up a further $60 to join, just to spend more money on tickets. Then there is the stupid limitations that Bon Jovi places. A fan can only purchase 2 tickets.
How does that work for me, if I want to take my wife and my three kids to the concert? From reading all the comments on the various Facebook pages, other fans are also in the same boat.
The mainstream press refuse to do any reporting on this.
Jon Bon Jovi has the power to change the way the ticketing is handled. One thing I have noticed from today’s artists is that they always blame someone else. They very rarely take responsibility for their actions. Jon has Kid Rock opening up for him on the Australian tour. What Jon should do is take a lesson from Kid Rock on transparency and responsibility.
Kid Rock’s summer tour of the U.S. is all $20. As he mentions, the artist has the power to change the ticket prices, the price of T-shirts and so on. He also mentions that they he will be reselling some of his tickets or go paperless where it is legal in the U.S to do so, so that he can combat scalpers. Furthermore, Kid Rock, has a special reserved section close to the stage, for his people to find audience members and put them there. Click on the Rolling Stone article.
Another big call from Kid Rock was that he didn’t want a guaranteed fee. He backed himself, that he was going to sell tickets. That is exactly what he did. Compared to his 2011 box office returns it is looking like he will double that in 2013.
Kid Rock is scaling back, however Jon Bon Jovi is not.
Will Jon Bon Jovi, ever do the same as Kid Rock? Based on him partnering up with Telstra/Bang Tango, because they paid the most to secure the pre sales slot, my answer is NO.
GREED is what the great divide in income inequality has brought. Jon Bon Jovi is pissed that sales of recorded music have dropped so on each tour he is raising the ticket prices. Eventually, he will be doing business like the Rolling Stones current tour, where the public was giving the Stones a big stiff middle finger at the $650 price tag, and then a day before the gig, the prices dropped to $80 and everyone snapped them up.
Ticketek get their chance to shine on May 20. They know that they will be hammered with fans trying to get tickets. They are prepared for it, they have partnered up with innovative technologies. Read the article.
Bon Jovi – Who Is To Blame Because We Can(t) purchase tickets?
This morning, at 9am, the Bon Jovi – Because We Can Telstra pre sales for the December 2013 Australian tour went on sale via ticketing website, Bang Tango. By 9.01am, the site crashed. Within an hour, Telstra and Bang Tango both posted an update. It was the clichéd “due to high demand or high volumes, you may experience delays in accessing this website”.
Fans went into a panic and then they became angry. The Bon Jovi Facebook page had thousands of comments about the disaster. Telstra’s page experienced the same rage, along with the Bang Tango Facebook page. Fans also vented their anger on Twitter.
A lot of the blame is directed at Telstra and Bang Tango. Both of these organisations have a lot to answer too, however the main blame stops with Jon Bon Jovi and his management team. They are the ones that signed these arrangements due to the monies offered to them.
What fans seem to forget is that Bon Jovi is guaranteed an upfront fee from the promoter for coming to Australia, regardless of ticket sales.
They (Bon Jovi and the promoter) then license out the sales of their tickets to different ticketing bodies within Australia, based on what those ticketing systems want to pay for having the privilege to sell Bon Jovi tickets. In most cases, Ticketek or Ticketmaster are the players, however in this instance, there was another player in Telstra/Bang Tango. The actual winner in all of this is Ticketek, as it seems to cement their reputation as the best seller for these kind of events. Bon Jovi then licenses out the manufacturing and sales of their merchandise to another organisation, and that is why we, the fans are slugged with the high prices we see. $50 for a T-shirt, $300 a concert ticket and so on.
Furthermore, from looking at all the comments, I started to see a trend. Fed up and frustrated fans then started taking out the $60 online Backstage JBJ fan club membership, just so that they can purchase tickets. Was this the intention of Jon Bon Jovi all along, to get people over to his fan club. As a Bon Jovi fan, I don’t believe that is so, however it makes you wonder. Throughout the whole debacle, the Backstage JBJ website was up and running and selling tickets, while Bang Tango was bleeding. However, being a Backstage JBJ member only limits you to two tickets, so if you need four or three, you are screwed.
Then within the hour, EBAY had tickets on sale for the Bon Jovi Australian concerts at a $1,000 each. Can someone please explain how fans got the middle finger, and scalpers or resellers got tickets to sell.
My view is that NO FAN should have to pay to join a website to purchase tickets. The purchase of the TICKETS is enough of a transaction to satisfy the band. Jon Bon Jovi is all about greed these days, and he should be ashamed for the way he disrespect his fans; the same fans that have allowed him to live a life of luxury through their devotion to his band and music.
Here are some more comments from the Bang Tango Facebook page (I actually feel very SORRY for the band Bang Tango);
· Trying to pay for mine and all it says processing your payment it has been on there for awhile
· I finally was able to purchase some tickets, we decided on a package (yippee) … my question is, during processing payment it said that my transaction had timed out and to try again – but first I checked online with my bank and the money had already gone out of my account … so do I have tickets or not? Will we be sent confirmation emails?
· What a joke you are. After sitting here for almost 3 hours refreshing my screen I then get through to find out that I have to sign up for an account (will look great for your numbers hey) only to progress to the screen where I select the tickets I want, wait 5 minutes for it to ‘reserve’ my tickets to get a message that says: sorry but computer says no: 0-…On a screen full of automated selections where I can’t input anything. What the hell is going on? Are you a real company that deals with this daily? And how the hell did YOU get the presale for Bon Jovi with this stupid set up? Annoyed much? Yeah to say the least. Are there any tickets left for the Adelaide show?
· I’m not bothering now, finally got on, and couldn’t get the tickets I wanted as I’m guessing they are nearly all gone, what a joke, nasty email sent to Telstra and I’m going to give my money to Ticketmaster, at least they are professional, I can’t believe you guys want to charge a $15 booking fee for this stuff up – RIPPED OFF, I have completely wasted my day, thanks guys Not!!!!!!!
· What a joke. Finally get through and could only buy 1 ticket! Was taking my daughter. What use is 1 ticket!
· How many tickets to Melbourne do they allocate to the pre-sale ? Whole lot of marketing and a whole lot of disgruntled fans. Great PR exercise Bang Tango !! I may not see Bon Jovi – “Because I Can’t ” book any tickets for Melbourne via Bang Tango.
· If you’re only after 2 tickets max, save yourself the hassle and get JBJ membership, then get tickets there. You end up paying a little more but at least the tickets are in the bag and you don’t have to put up with this shambles. Someone mentioned re the extra costs on members tickets too… It’s pre-sale, obviously there is a little on top. Wait till the lottery of general public sales is the other option.
· can’t get tickets but they can sell them on eBay for $1000 what a joke
· I can’t even get allocated 1 ticket, not that 1 ticket is any good to the group of people wanting to attend. Very bad organisation. Never EVER had a pre-sale hiccup, and I go to at least 2 concerts a year.
· hi, I still haven’t received my confirmation email…but my order is listed under my account….is there a problem with this???
· Been a fan since 85, the page finally loads and now can’t buy tickets wtf ?????????? I’m so angry!
· I want diamond section tickets to Brisbane but it keeps telling me that my code has been used too many times unless I choose the platinum ones!! I don’t want platinum ones I want the diamond ones!!!
· Accidentally only got 1 ticket through not being able to review purchase before preceding
· Might of taken all day and retry again that many times not fun but finally got tickets. Yeahhhhh
· BIG THUMBS DOWN!!
· I can’t understand how all tix are gone !! When no one could get through . I did get tix but took like 3 hrs. and didn’t get to see where I am sitting .
· Kira – I had the same problem and called Telstra who said to get another code by calling #820# on your mobile. (In the end I got tickets with my original code as but it might be worth trying)
· If you are after the bronze tickets you can only get 2 but if you try the others like silver the max is up to 10
· Frustrated!! Trying to get Adelaide tickets and can’t!!! One minute u can’t even get on the website and next they are sold out!! Not happy!!
· Just wasted more time trying to get tickets. Can only afford silver but looks like none are available. What is the point of a pre-sale if it is friggin harder to get tickets then when they go on sale to the general public.
· I got tickets. Wasn’t sure.. it crashed doing payment, but money has gone through credit card and it is listed in order details (Gold Sydney). This was probably 40 mins ago. Pretty sucky seats for a gold price, but the sound should be great!!
· What’s the go why won’t it process payment : ( disappointed
· My Mum selected 2 tickets and has only been sold 1- what use is that? What is the process for fixing all these single ticket transactions that seem to have occurred?
And from the Bon Jovi Facebook Page;
· And Telstra is supposed to be the best communications company in the country, What a JOKE!!!!
· Bang tango fb saying trying to fix it
· Bang Tango you suck!!!!
· This is so depressing. Has anyone even got tickets through bang tango? My computer got through to the tickets but still loading. Been a whole hour. Too scared to refresh
· waiting for an hour now…this sucks….absolute joke!
· Well of course they charge you to become a member that’s the point. There are many perks to being a member advance ticket sales being one
· I can barely afford the tickets little own membership broke full time uni student once I have money then I will become a member
· Well done Telstra, you did it again.
· Good to know I’m not the only one who couldn’t get on this morning as the server had crashed. NOT HAPPY JAN!!!
· I feel like such a failure, my poor friends putting their faith in me!!
· Yeah…. Got my tickets for Melb and Adelaide show through the JBJ fan club page! Amazing diamond seats!! Bring it on I’m so excited!!
· Ended up paying for JBJ membership to get my tickets, but got AMAZING seats so it was worth the extra $50!! If you have the spare cash just pay to join and get your tickets straight away!
· I need 3 tix so membership won’t help
· Another fine association Telstra… well done great when an ISP can’t offer better server capacity…
· Bang Tango website useless waste of two hours no tickets. Joke, get it sorted.
· They should have had different presale dates for each gig not all at once
· Wish it was presale through ticketek
· has anyone got tickets though bang tango? I have been trying to get them since 8:30am when the site crashed , starting to wonder if this stress is worth it
· Why can’t Bon Jovi, Telstra, bang tango or dainty group post some sort of announcement/apology so we can all get on with our lives?? This is f’ing ridiculous!!
· Been trying since 9.00 am also, don’t promote what can’t be provided! Poor service, just saying
· Yeah I tried to log on 11.09 and nothing… Typical Telstra.
· This is just a joke….l am stuck on the tickets screen…..has to be a better way to get tickets. Sorry but this is not good enough
· This is a joke, all I want is 2 tickets !!! , there better be some left
Bon Jovi – The price of tickets for the Australian tour
Bon Jovi announced in April that they are touring Australia in December 2013. Backstage Jon Bon Jovi members, which is the Bon Jovi fan club had the first bite at securing tickets. It isn’t free to become a Backstage JBJ member.
To become a premium Backstage JBJ member for 2 years, it costs $300. To take out a Signature package for 1 year, it costs $160. To take out a Standard package for 1 year, it costs $80 a year and to take out an online membership package for 1 year, it costs $60. Of course, each package has different perks.
So if you are a Bon Jovi fan club member, you had first dibs at purchasing tickets. We will call this the pre (pre (pre(presales))).
If a Bon Jovi fan wanted to sit in Row 1 and purchase a Diamond VIP package, the price of one ticket is $1975 + $10 booking fee.
If a Bon Jovi fan wanted to sit in Rows 2 to 5 and purchase an Emerald VIP package, the price of one ticket is $1475 + $10 booking fee.
If a Bon Jovi fan wanted to sit in Rows 6 to 13 and purchase a Sapphire VIP package, the price of one ticket is $975 + $10 booking fee.
So it looks like the Bon Jovi fan club members didn’t want to purchase the VIP tickets, and they came up on sale via Showbiz which is a pre-sales seller.
For the Sydney show, the Diamond VIP tickets have been sold out, and the Sapphire VIP tickets have been sold out as well. The Emerald VIP tickets remained when I last checked. The other shows, still had all three VIP options available. I am sure that they will sell out eventually, as a fans devotion can yield unexpected results.
The next stage of the sales, is the Telstra pre-sales. The next stage is the Ticketek VISA pre-sales, then the final pre-sales and finally the public release. What a collusive, exploitive and unregulated process.
However, I still believe that what Jon Bon Jovi is doing is plain greedy. If he lowers the entry barrier to his fan club, he will get more people to join. It’s simply economics. Do you want 100,000 fans joining at the higher prices, or do you want 10,000,000 fans joining at the lower prices.
Let’s just say that 100,000 fans take out the $300 option for two years, that is $30MIL paid into his pocket right now and that covers a two year period.
If he lowers the price to $10 a year and have a lot of perks for that like concert recordings, sound check recordings and demos to entice people to join, he will get millions to join. So let’s say that 10 million fans join at $10 a year. This will bring in $100MIL per year. $10 is small change in a fans pocket. More people will part with it. This isn’t just for Bon Jovi to do, all the bands need to be doing this. Building fan to band connections isn’t just for social media. The first port of call is the fan club.
I know what I would want as a muso. It’s all about building connections. That is the new currency.
destroyerofharmony 