Lorde reflects on the implications of the high costs of live shows

2022 has been a great year for the live music industry with world tours being announced every 15 days and dozens of concerts per week, however, the economic consequences of the pandemic are beginning to be felt. Lorde reflected on this growing problem in a letter addressed to his fans in which he talks, among other things, about the difficulties that some artists are having when it comes to touring.

“Basically, for artists, promoters and crews things are at an unprecedented level of difficulty,” the newsletter began. “For starters, three years of shows are happening in one. Now add the global recession and the public’s concerns about their health. In the logistics part, there are problems such as personnel cuts; oversold trucks, buses and locations; high costs for flights and hotel reservations, in addition to those expenses related to covid; and exaggerated costs in freight transport”.

The singer explained that transporting the sound equipment, the scenery and other paraphernalia necessary for the production is currently costing three times what it cost before the pandemic, affecting the value of the tickets for each concert despite the fact that as musicians they did not want to charge more to his fans.

Those who enjoy live music and/or have closely followed the announcements that are made practically every week, have been able to notice that the price of tickets is through the roof and their pockets are not enough. Billboard explained a few months ago why attending a show is currently almost worth an arm’s length, for example, the high demand for transportation services, lighting and logistics personnel, among others, has intensified competition. And not only that, as event promoters have taken advantage of the two-year hiatus and the public’s eagerness to see their favorite artists, to raise prices even higher.

But despite the fact that there are fans who are willing to pay anything for a concert, Lorde believes that there are many others who do not believe that the wear and tear is worth it, resulting in cancellations of shows due to poor sales. The New Zealand singer is one of the lucky ones when it comes to having albums selling and selling out dates in some cities, but this is not the case for many other musical acts.

“For artists like me, earnings have generally been good. I am lucky, but for others who are selling less than me, going on tour has been a problem because of the debts they have to pay, ”he continued in his text. “For some, taking tours is out of the question, even if they sell out all the tickets.” The interpreter of ‘Royals’ specified that mental health problems have also led to a lot of musicians to postpone their presentations, regardless of whether they are in high demand or not.

“I think stress has been a trigger,” he said. “We are a crop of the world’s most sensitive flowers that spent two years in lockdown. Perhaps the task of creating a space where people’s pain, joy and mourning take place night after night, with little profit and dozens of people in charge, is a bit overwhelming.

Musicians like Santigold, Shawn Mendes and Arlo Parks have postponed or canceled their performances for the year altogether as they struggle with struggles that have sapped their mental health. While other groups such as Animal Collective and Anthrax –which is nothing more and nothing less than a thrash metal titan–, were forced to cancel their tours in Europe after presenting financial problems. Inclusive Coldplayone of the world’s biggest sell-out bands, faced money constraints for the first time in their career.

“I wanted to raise this with you to explain that touring is not being easy at all right now. And if their favorite artists are confusing them with their erratic decisions, this might have something to do with it.”

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Lorde reflects on the implications of the high costs of live shows