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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 8:29:59 GMT
How on earth can anyone justify the average ticket price for the original cast's last night being well over $1,000 (or the prices generally for that matter)?! No show is that special, it's just producers' greed and I think it sets a very dangerous precedent of pricing a lot of people out of going to the theatre! Not impressed.
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 8:52:58 GMT
Weren't people donating $5 for him to cut his hair? I saw something about it. I actually didn't know he was going to cut it but my friend and I were talking about it and we were saying how gross it looks and how he REALLY ought to get a haircut!
post J, I think these tickets are re-sold tickets, so whatever profit is not being pocketed by the producers. It's these horrible sites such as ticketmaster that allow people to resell them 300%+ over their face value.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 8:59:41 GMT
The ticket prices for Hamilton being as expensive as they are is everything to do with the greed of the resale market and nothing to do with the producers. I know they recently pushed the price of the top price premium seats up a lot (with the show being basically sold out forever it's difficult to check the actual figures) but even those haven't broken the $1,000 barrier unless being offered for resale.
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 9:14:52 GMT
Exactly...The Chicago production premiums are about $500 during the holidays. Only hours after they went on sale they were resold for over $2,500.
Back to cast change night, I loved this comment on Facebook
I'm perplexed. Are they going to keep on replacing whoever's the star, if so, then who's next? There's nobody else in their cast who looms quite as large...
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 9:20:37 GMT
I think Seller is very set on making the show the "star"- example: not announcing the replacements until very late, not making a fuss about who's leaving at all... and to an extent I think the "no speeches" at last night curtain are to aid that agenda as well.
I feel it's the smart thing to do too- shows that lean (at all) on "star- power" tend to close as soon as that star leaves... quickly... On the other hand when the actual show is the main attraction (Wicked/ Phantom/ Les Mis etc.) it doesn't matter (for the general population) who is in the cast.
That's at least why i think there wasn't too much of a fuss at the curtain..
I think it will be interesting to see what becomes of this show a few years from now.
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Post by Michael on Jul 10, 2016 9:24:17 GMT
Maybe it's just me, but I'd also call someone who charges $500 for a theatre seat (irrespective of holiday or premium or not) greedy.
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 9:36:48 GMT
Yeah but that's supply and demand for you- can't blame him for wanting to capitilize on his show as much as he can- some producers are in it for the money...
(If those rumors of the actual producers and investors being the ones to "buy" the tickets and resell them for those prices on the resell market are true though- now THAT's greedy... and gross)
What does worry me though is that rent for Broadway venues is bound to rise now with the increase in ticket prices- which is just going to make it even harder for shows to find a house... And it usually goes- one show raises the premium and the rest (who can at least) follow :/
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 10:06:21 GMT
re: casting and the show is a star. Hamilton is VERY popular, and although LMM is becoming quite hot and well known, the show still proceeds him in terms of fame and popularity.
re: greed. Come one people..Let's not be naive here. This is an enterprise. Yes, $500 is steep but so are the costs of putting on a commercial musical with top tier cast, automated sets, great costumes, an orchestra, fabulous lighting, crew, dressers, wigs, rental of the theatre, maintenance, and keeping the machine going. Do you really want them NOT to make a profit? New York and London happen to be one of the most expensive places on Earth, and these risk takers need to cover their costs, pay their teams, please their investors and also be able to take money home.
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 10:15:56 GMT
The same thing was done with Wicked- where Idina and Kristin were the be-all end all leads, and the producers shifted the focus from them to the show- and it worked.
Lin is very prominent on social media, so I think Seller has good reason to market the cast changes the way he does.
I'm just curious now that the hyoe will inevitebly start dying down (no more Tonys, no more need for constant publicsity, Lin leaving etc.) how the show will stand on its own- i think no one can tell for sure just yet what will become of it.
But you don't think that if the investors ARE in fact buying their own tickets and then selling them for 10 times the face value while masked as "re-sellers" that it's greedy? (I'm not saying it's the definite truth- but it is fishy)
Like I said- market your tickets at whatever price they'll sell for, but tricking costumers is not cool
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 11:03:22 GMT
I have no issue with the prices the producers set. I wouldn't (and haven't) paid over $200 to see the show and I've had great seats both times. They're only setting prices that people are willing to pay. I mean there were tickets on StubHub last night for $50,000 so if the producers want to charge $500 for a proportion of the seats, I wouldn't call that greedy in comparison to what they could charge. Let's not forget that Hamilton also has the cheapest seats on Broadway - $10 lottery seats, the amount of which they are soon doubling to the entire two front rows. Also, their scheme for high school matineees where I believe the show makes $70 a ticket (but the kids only pay $10). That's a huge loss to what they actually could be making but they choose to do it anyway.
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 12:34:15 GMT
But you don't think that if the investors ARE in fact buying their own tickets and then selling them for 10 times the face value while masked as "re-sellers" that it's greedy? (I'm not saying it's the definite truth- but it is fishy)No. Please hold my hands, I will keep you safe with me and refuse that you go deeper into the conspiracy theory rabbit hold 
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 12:36:17 GMT
Listen- that kind of sh*t isn't that unheard of... EDIT- there is a reason these producers are keeping the resale option open in the first place- they don't have to (on Ticketmaster- the official re-sale site, the only one that assures legit tickets, that both Lin and Seller spoke favaroubly of in the past, or at least failed to mention while scolding other resale sites)! Every show can choose whether or not they would allow reselling of their tickets, even in New York. On the one hand they whine about the amount of profit re-sellers make of of their own product, on the other- they give them the option to do so in the first place. If they close the option to resell- they aren't going to lose ANY money doing so with the amount of demand for the show, unless they have something in it for them from the resale market- it all makes a lot of sense. No conspiracy dear, just common sense (and I'm not loving being treated like a delusional kid  )... |
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 12:54:05 GMT
Still, no.
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 12:55:39 GMT
Really, unless you yourself are one of the producers there, your guess is just that, as is mine |
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 13:04:26 GMT
I'm sure the producers-who are making millions-have better ways to generate money than riff raff means of getting a couple of thousand bucks. This is clearly not the easiest way to a million.
Anyway, I'm not too bothered by who buys or sells what (maybe because I've already secured a few?), but I'm honestly more interested in the show.
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 13:11:11 GMT
That why there are thousands of Bway producers hah? Cause it's a sure way to make quick bucks- easiest way to a million- producea Broadway show ... I'm just saying- if it is them, they're not profiting a thousand here a thousand there- it's a big profit. Listen, the ticket prices and where they sell don't bother me in the slightest- I haven't the slightest desire to purchase a ticket nor will I see the show in the forseeable future (and am not moved by that fact at all)- I just don't apreaciate being talked to as a delusional kid when I'm neither the only one to express this thought/ nor is it completely unbased in facts... And I'm done with this thread for a while... Edit- sorry just have to add this: riff raff means of getting a couple of thousand bucks. according to NYtimes scalpers are estimated to be making around 60 million dollars a year from those re-sales... i wouldn't call that a couple of thousand bucks... source: www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/theater/hamilton-inc-the-path-to-a-billion-dollar-show.html?smid=pl-share&_r=0 |
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Post by Michael on Jul 10, 2016 14:47:21 GMT
I'm with you, ShoesForRent. I, too, think it's hypocritical to complain about the resellers and ticket buying bots but on the other hand allow the resale market on Ticketmaster, their offical ticket dealer. And just for the record: I'd have said the same if it were a different show |
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Post by infofreako on Jul 10, 2016 15:25:12 GMT
But you don't think that if the investors ARE in fact buying their own tickets and then selling them for 10 times the face value while masked as "re-sellers" that it's greedy? (I'm not saying it's the definite truth- but it is fishy)No. Please hold my hands, I will keep you safe with me and refuse that you go deeper into the conspiracy theory rabbit hold Theres an element of that in the resale market over here. Its been widely reported that blocks of ticketa for big shows are held back by ticketmaster or other agencies and the first time they are made available to the public is when they appear at inflated prices on the approved resale sites. Its not a huge leap to think that perhaps producers or artists are in on this and surely it looks good media wise to have these inflated prices available for all to see |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 10, 2016 15:26:28 GMT
OMG Lin has cut his hair!
Cue 40 articles about it on the Broadway sites
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Post by ali973 on Jul 10, 2016 16:21:06 GMT
But you don't think that if the investors ARE in fact buying their own tickets and then selling them for 10 times the face value while masked as "re-sellers" that it's greedy? (I'm not saying it's the definite truth- but it is fishy)No. Please hold my hands, I will keep you safe with me and refuse that you go deeper into the conspiracy theory rabbit hold Theres an element of that in the resale market over here. Its been widely reported that blocks of ticketa for big shows are held back by ticketmaster or other agencies and the first time they are made available to the public is when they appear at inflated prices on the approved resale sites. Its not a huge leap to think that perhaps producers or artists are in on this and surely it looks good media wise to have these inflated prices available for all to see I do not refute THIS part. A big part of the inventory for each performance is blocked off or held back-for miscellaneous reasons, and I am sure that also includes what you've described above-though I don't think it's the biggest priority-but this is a very normal strategy, which they are actually being transparent about. |
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Post by ShoesForRent on Jul 10, 2016 17:07:48 GMT
Theres an element of that in the resale market over here. Its been widely reported that blocks of ticketa for big shows are held back by ticketmaster or other agencies and the first time they are made available to the public is when they appear at inflated prices on the approved resale sites. Its not a huge leap to think that perhaps producers or artists are in on this and surely it looks good media wise to have these inflated prices available for all to see I do not refute THIS part. A big part of the inventory for each performance is blocked off or held back-for miscellaneous reasons, and I am sure that also includes what you've described above-though I don't think it's the biggest priority-but this is a very normal strategy, which they are actually being transparent about. It is not a normal strategy to hold off tickets to resell them at resale prices on the resale market. And that is essentially exactly what I (and infofreako) said is possible- that the producers are making a profit of off that market.. and if they are doing it they aren't being transparent about it at all, and I never said it was a priroty only a possibility.. maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying.. yeesh |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 22:33:10 GMT
The resale debacle is an entirely separate question to whether ridiculously high face value prices are justified. The argument that they need to sell $500 tickets to make a profit just doesn't stand up - no-one charged that obscene an amount for a ticket 10 years ago and plenty of shows made a profit.
No-one should have to pay $500 just because they can't afford to take several days off work to queue for the chance of a fairly priced ticket. I'd like to see this show, but I simply can't afford to given how it currently deals with ticketing, and am crossing my fingers that the London run will be more sensibly priced.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 23:08:53 GMT
Of course they don't have to charge that much to make a profit. The argument is they're charging that much so that scalpers aren't getting even more money that if anything should be going to the show itself. People were paying those prices on resale before the show charged them. There are also cheaper options. It will be cheaper in London.
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 10, 2016 23:50:47 GMT
Hamilton hasn't done anything to discourage the resale market and use this excuse to ratchet up their own ticket prices. I mean their website when tickets go on sale - 20,000 tickets get bought instantaneously via bots.
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Post by firefingers on Jul 11, 2016 0:02:10 GMT
Hamilton hasn't done anything to discourage the resale market and use this excuse to ratchet up their own ticket prices. I mean their website when tickets go on sale - 20,000 tickets get bought instantaneously via bots. Exactly. They could have instituted tickets locked to an ID or credit card, as other popular productions have. They haven't because they can make more money if they don't. |
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