November 2003 - Police - mailman.xmission.com

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
by HNH911＠aol.com 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

Holy Cow, I now know what Sting looks like at a wedding..... Was it me or did anybody else feel a little awkward for him? Heather

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Request for a show
by Josh Corwin 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

Hey everyone. I'd really like to get the Hammerstein show from October. If anyone has it to trade, please contact me off-list. Thanks a million!! -Josh http://members.fortunecity.com/jlc403/index.html

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Re: [Police] Miles Copeland on ticket prices
by Kins743＠aol.com 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

Don't even get me started on Downloading music. What got me into Sting/The Police? Hearing a live version of "Message in a Bottle" on VH1 and downloading it. Sure, I knew who Sting and The Police were beforehand (just in defense of myself I was born halfway through the 80s) but I never went out and bought their CDs. Napster gave me to freedom to download music of artists I was looking to get into, and it made me into a huge fan of Sting and the Police. Downloading that song and others led me to buying Message in a Box, The Complete Recordings, led me to buying Sting's Greatest Hits, which led me to buying his entire catalog. It led me to pay the $65 fee to join Sting's Fan Club. It then led me to wake up at 4 am to see Sting on the Today show, and to do the same for the book signing at Barnes and Noble. So, atleast in my case, downloading music did more to put money into Sting's pockets than to take out of it.

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Re: [Police] Re: A list full of whiners??
by Teri Kronberg 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

-- Stingfan222(a)aol.com wrote: >Does it matter how they got there and how they paid for it? If >they choose to make the time for that/spend the money on that, >more power to them. Everyone chooses their priorities in life. Deb >and Jer were kind enough to purchase CD's for those on the list >that wanted them. They certainly didn't have to tell us they were >going. Good points. However, in the past this issue has brought out some braggers *as well as* some who elevated their feelings of envy to anger. It's necessary to point out both sides, I think. No one likes to be asked why they can't make sacrifices, *as well as* no one likes to be told they should be more responsible. After observing this issue in the past, I see it as give and take. To each her/his own, I say, no rubbing it in, and no trying to steal the joy. I'm struggling to remember and preserve the joys of fandom. I can't lose it, I've had it since I was eleven years old. Teri ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

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Re: [Police] Re: "A list full of whiners"???
by Steve Roberts 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

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Re: [Police] Got my DC tickets!!
by Teri Kronberg 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

-- "Timothy Enders" <tenders(a)loyola.edu> wrote: >Yea! I *Think* the fan club membership has finally paid off. >I just got two tickets to see Sting in DC at the Warner on 3/11. I'll believe that when I have my DVD. :D I got mine too for DC! (What about you Anne?) I wasn't sure if I could go at first (late card payment), but YES! It's row J, seat 17, closer than I've ever been though I've been to many of Sting's concerts on his various tours (with the exception of MF). I did sit closer when I saw him in 3P Opera in NY (Row B). Because of my feelings about Sacred Love (can't say the studio album has done much for me), I debated whether I should attend a show this tour. Though, the true test was when it seemed beyond my control that I wouldn't be able to get a ticket. I started to panic. You see, I realized that I had to go, because attending a Sting concert is my standard for what I most want. Why, I can't explain. I can give an example though--some years ago, I was desperate to attend a certain play in NYC (even though I was unemployed at the time). My excuse to my family was that I needed to see that play as much as I ever needed to attend a Sting concert. Everyone understood, no further explanation. :D I'm happy to be getting a chance to attend at least one of the shows. I'm really looking forward to the live interpretations from SL, some Police songs and old Sting favourites (not heard live for a while). Teri ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

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Miles Copeland on ticket prices
by David Lucky 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

I thought this was interesting - an ABC News article from March 03. It includes some quotes from Miles Copeland and some tidbits on ticket prices going up - as we are seeing for Sting shows... Prices of concert tickets are rising faster and higher than those for movies, theater even sporting events. But rock 'n' roll is supposed to be the anti-establishment art form, and maybe that's why so many fans feel aggravated that rock once for the masses is now often for only the rich. ... Is Online Downloading the Culprit? So who's telling the truth? Miles Copeland, owner of Ark 21 Records and former manager of Sting, admits that Sting and other artists have a lot of control over ticket prices. If they seem greedy, Copeland says, it's because they're being ripped off every day not by Clear Channel, but by their fans. "Five years, 10 years, 15 years ago every time you wanted music, you'd go to a record store and you'd have to fork out money to buy records. Well nowadays they say it's just OK to steal," Copeland said. Steal online, that is. Apparently, many of us simply cannot resist the temptation of downloading music from the Internet. But all that free music is not without a price. "The public ought to realize as they're complaining about ticket prices, that they're forcing ticket prices up because stealing music from the artists eliminates that source of income. Recording artists like Sting used to make the majority of their money from just that: recording. Now, they're making 62 percent of their income from touring. "So now the only source of income is tickets," Copeland said, "and basically the public will have to pay the price of that." The Stones Get What They Need and Want It's a big price. Bands like The Who that came of age in the 1960s have left all that peace, love, and flower power behind. Now, mega acts like the Stones, with pyrotechnics and large stage shows, have grown into big corporations with payrolls and overhead. "It's a big fat cow, the entertainment industry, and sometimes it's shameless," says Matthews, who was born in the '60s. Matthews is also having his pocket picked by downloading fans. But he says theft online can't begin to explain the huge price tag attached to the ticket prices of the rock 'n' roll idols he grew up with. "There's an obscenity when you get 200 bucks a ticket," he said. Even Matthews' ticket prices have gone up but only a little to $40 for any seat in the house. And he still makes enough money to be one of last year's top money making tours. "If it costs you 25 bucks, or 30 bucks to put on a show for each person and you charge 40 bucks, that seems like a reasonable profit," Matthews said. We asked Stones tour manager Michael Cohl why Mick Jagger and his boys aren't satisfied with 40 bucks a head. Cohl said it's simply a matter of money. "If they wanted to play for free, wouldn't they just go down to the pub in London and play for free anytime they want? They would like to make money too." Cohl said the Stones want to make money for their hard work, just like everyone else. But the Stones live like royalty when they're offstage, renting out entire hotels where a single room can go for as much as $4,000 a night. ...

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Re: [Police] Ticket prices / downloading/ diminishing chart worthiness
by foxie 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

> another great post, bry! > as for "desert rose": adam duritz of the counting > crows mentioned it on the howard stern show this > morning. when asked how much $$$$ he got for coca > cola > using a counting crows song in an ad, duritz > complained he got very little, saying that > corporations that use music from "established" > artists > now realize- as a result of jaguar using "desert > rose" > - just how important a source of promotion > they/their > respective ad campaigns that use a song can be. > duritz > explained that BND came out, made no waves, sting > licensed song to jaguar, the ads came out, BND > starting selling - as a result, corporate america > starting offering less for music... > > --- "bjacob(a)pop-server.nyc.rr.com" > <bjacob(a)pop-server.nyc.rr.com> wrote: > > Thanks David, for sharing that interesting > article. > > It's been interesting > > to read everyone's opinion on Sting's ticket price > > structure. > > > > I don't think online downloading is the culprit, > as > > the article suggests. > > As I suggested in an earlier post, I think it > comes > > down to > > chart-worthiness. > > > > Jeremy listed acts like The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, > > The Rolling Stones, Paul > > McCartney, etc. as a means of > explaining/apologizing > > for Sting's outrageous > > ticket prices. > > > > Like Sting, NONE of those acts have suddenly won > new > > fans recently through > > their new releases...especially in today's > > mainstream music scene. These > > are acts that are wholly dependent on a core base > of > > longtime fans. To > > generalize, fans that are now older and may have a > > bit more income to spend > > for the sake of nostalgia. Sting is a bit > > different, in that he did have a > > surprise hit in "Desert Rose". But it took some > > hustling: > > > > Ten Summoner's Tales was his last "hit" album, > with > > top 40 singles "Fields > > Of Gold" and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In > You"--songs > > that still manage to > > get radio play today. The corresponding tour > didn't > > require corporate > > sponsorship, tickets were affordable. > > > > Mercury Falling didn't sell so well. Sure, we > > bought it all the day it > > came out, but the general public wasn't > interested. > > The music scene was > > changing and the expected hit singles (and > > corresponding profit) weren't > > happening. Tickets for that tour weren't > expensive > > (and still free of > > corporate sponsorship), so from Sting's > > point-of-view, it must have been a > > financial disaster. > > > > The declining interest continued and Brand New Day > > didn't sell so well > > either. Again, the fans all bought it when it > came > > out. A bit of > > promotional help from Compaq, a few fun TV > > commercials to get the word out. > > Not much happened, except for a surge in ticket > > prices. Then, underground > > crossover success with a club mix of "Desert > Rose". > > Then, increased public > > awareness of that song by using it in a Jaguar > > commercial. Then > > sponsorship left and right. The album didn't > chart > > as highly. None of the > > songs (even "Desert Rose") got as much airplay as > > earlier album singles. > > Again, not because the fans decided to download > > instead of buy the album > > (we all bought it), but because the public wasn't > > interested in the sound. > > Sting just wasn't as relevant as Britney Spears > > (ugh, it really hurt to > > write that sentence!). > > > > So we here we are with Sacred Love. Besides us, > > nobody bought it. It's > > not being played on the radio. The public just > > isn't interested. The > > inclusion of Mary J. Blige on "Whenever I Say Your > > Name" strikes me as a > > strategic attempt to crossover into another market > > (hey, it worked for > > "Desert Rose"). Nothing wrong with that. > > > > Sting has every right to make money, but does he > > have to BLEED his loyal > > fans dry? My issue is the fanclub pricing, the > > suspiciously-handled fanclub > > shows/"auctions", the corporate sponsorship not > > helping the > > still-increasing ticket prices. It has nothing to > > do with downloading. It > > has everything to do with putting out an album > that > > a lot of people didn't > > care about, then taking advantage of the loyal > > supporters that do...the > > ones that made it a point to buy the new album, > live > > DVD, even his > > autobiography on their respective days of release. > > > > Sting isn't the only artist to go down this route, > > but since he's one of my > > favorites (and this is a list intended for > > discussion on Sting), it bothers > > me personally and I feel I should be able to > discuss > > it with fellow fans. > > > > Brian > > > > p.s. The new Seal album is phenomenal and his > tour > > tickets are much > > cheaper ;) > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > mail2web - Check your email from the web at > > http://mail2web.com/ . > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Police mailing list > > Police(a)mailman.xmission.com > > > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/police > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard > http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree

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Ticket prices / downloading/ diminishing chart worthiness
by bjacob＠pop-server.nyc.rr.com 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

Thanks David, for sharing that interesting article. It's been interesting to read everyone's opinion on Sting's ticket price structure. I don't think online downloading is the culprit, as the article suggests. As I suggested in an earlier post, I think it comes down to chart-worthiness. Jeremy listed acts like The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, etc. as a means of explaining/apologizing for Sting's outrageous ticket prices. Like Sting, NONE of those acts have suddenly won new fans recently through their new releases...especially in today's mainstream music scene. These are acts that are wholly dependent on a core base of longtime fans. To generalize, fans that are now older and may have a bit more income to spend for the sake of nostalgia. Sting is a bit different, in that he did have a surprise hit in "Desert Rose". But it took some hustling: Ten Summoner's Tales was his last "hit" album, with top 40 singles "Fields Of Gold" and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You"--songs that still manage to get radio play today. The corresponding tour didn't require corporate sponsorship, tickets were affordable. Mercury Falling didn't sell so well. Sure, we bought it all the day it came out, but the general public wasn't interested. The music scene was changing and the expected hit singles (and corresponding profit) weren't happening. Tickets for that tour weren't expensive (and still free of corporate sponsorship), so from Sting's point-of-view, it must have been a financial disaster. The declining interest continued and Brand New Day didn't sell so well either. Again, the fans all bought it when it came out. A bit of promotional help from Compaq, a few fun TV commercials to get the word out. Not much happened, except for a surge in ticket prices. Then, underground crossover success with a club mix of "Desert Rose". Then, increased public awareness of that song by using it in a Jaguar commercial. Then sponsorship left and right. The album didn't chart as highly. None of the songs (even "Desert Rose") got as much airplay as earlier album singles. Again, not because the fans decided to download instead of buy the album (we all bought it), but because the public wasn't interested in the sound. Sting just wasn't as relevant as Britney Spears (ugh, it really hurt to write that sentence!). So we here we are with Sacred Love. Besides us, nobody bought it. It's not being played on the radio. The public just isn't interested. The inclusion of Mary J. Blige on "Whenever I Say Your Name" strikes me as a strategic attempt to crossover into another market (hey, it worked for "Desert Rose"). Nothing wrong with that. Sting has every right to make money, but does he have to BLEED his loyal fans dry? My issue is the fanclub pricing, the suspiciously-handled fanclub shows/"auctions", the corporate sponsorship not helping the still-increasing ticket prices. It has nothing to do with downloading. It has everything to do with putting out an album that a lot of people didn't care about, then taking advantage of the loyal supporters that do...the ones that made it a point to buy the new album, live DVD, even his autobiography on their respective days of release. Sting isn't the only artist to go down this route, but since he's one of my favorites (and this is a list intended for discussion on Sting), it bothers me personally and I feel I should be able to discuss it with fellow fans. Brian p.s. The new Seal album is phenomenal and his tour tickets are much cheaper ;) -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .

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Prices of tickets
by StingUs 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

The UK fans will be happy to know that Sting.com will soon allow fans to order nicely priced tickets for the RAH gigs (much lower than the 175 uk pounds currently charged via various booking agencies - see articles on www.StingUs.net) (Thanks Indian Man) Cheers, StingUs-team www.stingus.net

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