Daniel KohnIn May, Live Nation and Groupon combined forces in a presumed effort to jumpstart the struggling concert ticket market. Indeed, in recent months you've been able to get Groupons for all sorts of big shows. The partnership has been a boon to musically-inclined bargain hunters, but it also gets you wondering: Just how dire are things out there?
In the time-honored tradition, promoters are likely trying to pad attendance numbers or recoup money for poorly-selling dates. And, of course, there's the weak economy. But what other factors necessitate artists' use of Groupon? Below, we speculate on why some formerly hot tickets have moved to the bargain bin.
Artist name:Ke$ha
Show date: September 17, 2011
Venue: Gibson Amphitheater
Original ticket price: $62
Discount price: $31
Speculated reason for discounting: Fans spent all their money on glitter and candy bling.
Artist name: The Voice tour
Showdate: June 27, 2011
Venue: Gibson Amphitheatre
Original ticket price: $62
Discounted ticket price: $25
Speculated reason for discounting: $62 was a bit steep to get fans off their couches to see something that they could watch for free on their DVRs.
Artist name: Rihanna
Showdate: June 29, 2011
Venue: Honda Center
Original ticket price: $34
Discounted price: $17
Speculated reason for discounting: An umbrella? More like you'd need some kleenex to sit in the nosebleed section at Honda Arena.
Artist name: Cheap Trick
Show date: September 23, 2011
Venue: Greek Theatre
Original ticket prices: $45-$55
Discounted ticket prices: $15-$27.50
Speculated reason for discounting: Nothing cheap about the original prices for this show, unless they include a time machine and a plane ticket to Budokan.
Artist name: Lindsay Buckingham
Show date: October 13, 2011
Venue: Royce Hall
Original price: $84
Discounted price: $42
Speculated reason for discounting: For 84 bucks one would imagine you could commission a Lindsay Buckingham album these days.
Artist name: Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience
Show date: October 14, 2011
Venue: Greek Theatre
Original price: $40
Discounted price: $20
Speculated reason for discounting: Cover bands are fun but when they cost more than the pitcher of beer it's kinda pointless.
Artist name: Rick Ross & Busta Rhymes
Show date: January 13, 2012
Venue: Nokia Theater
Original ticket price: $97
Discounted price: $40
Speculated reason for discounting: Fans today just don't have that Rick Ross money. Hell, even Rick Ross himself probably doesn't have that Rick Ross money.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.