Inside sources have spilled about NYC's Bowery switching entirely from Ticketweb to the anything-but-indie Ticketmaster. Now, you can see your favorite indie band at Mercury Lounge by simply going online and paying a service fee that is more than the ticket itself. For people who aren't able to make the trip to Mercury in their spare time to get tickets for shows at Bowery, Webster, Town Hall, Terminal 5, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Mercury Lounge, et al., they will have to drop much more cash to see their favorite independent acts. Just think -that Panda Bear/Wilderness/XYZ Affair show will be featured on a nice, slick piece of ticketmaster paper. And don't forget about the Pizza Hut coupon on the back! I can see it now (and myself sick afterward): Mark Kozelek, Will Johnson, and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy written among the endless numbers, sponsors and whatever that is a Ticketmaster ticket. But it's much more than a ticket. It's a symbol of a loss of innocence and purity in music here in New York City. It's a symbol of current trends that are approaching indie music from a growing capitalistic standpoint. The storied Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge are treasured indie music venues that will be forced to yield. The ticketing dragon has been summoned by money-hungry Bowery Presents and there's really nothing the bands or fans can do about it. That's right J. Bax: Move over Punk, indie rock is dying.
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3 comments:
actually, ticket master owns ticketweb. they're just tricking you with their "indie" facade. i bought some tickets to a bowery show on ticketmaster, and they were the same fees as they used to be on ticketweb. probably they're just trying to streamline, since they're now doing shows at places like MSG that have to use TM. Don't fret. I think they're doing a good job.
Also good call on The XYZ Affair. I love them.
Ticketmaster may own Ticketweb -as they probably own every ticket outlet there is, but Ticketweb has always charged a minimal fee. Still, Ticketmaster is the face of surcharge and the face of mainstream music. I don't doubt that these guys are doing a good job but they're still sifting the "independent" out of indie rock. Terminal 5 is a classic example of this. It's not a coincidence that they built the 3,000 capacity facility at the same time that they plan to switch to ticketmaster. They've done an excellent job with the Bowery Ballroom -but now they're climbing in bed with mainstream music and mainstream tendencies. It's just not a good sign.
As the indie music scene gets bigger and bigger this was bound to happen. And I think these guys have good intentions. But good intentions or not, they seem to have crossed an invisible line that they may not know even exists. I hope Terminal 5 is a quality place -I think it will be better than Roseland or Webster. But it's definitely a sign of the decline of the "indie" status. And Bowery Ballroom will always rule!!
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