When is enough,enough?

[glastolover19]

Just curious to people's opinions on when would the ticket price would become to much? With email reminders being sent out and reading some views on car park price increases I was interested in thoughts on the year on year ticket price increase. I must say personally I think the current standard ticket price is a total bargin for all you get but then I think of the yearly increase of £5-10 and think what about that in 10-20 years time considering the price has over doubled in the past 15 years. I'm just average guy who works his ass off on minimum wage and saves all year for it and  I love Glastonbury and always will and will always consider it priceless but I'm sure their will become a point where I can't justify the expense anymore.

[OneLittleFish]

Going to festivals has become a really pricey business (with some exceptions) but I think it's a social thing; if my group of friends were to stop going then I'd not see the same value in it.

[Lucy92]

I'm not sure I'd put a limit on it personally. If I couldn't afford the ticket price I'd be volunteering

[Hugh Jass]

Two hundred and forty four pounds.

[Crazyfool01]

When the body gives in !!

[henry bear]

Not just festivals, it's the same with gigs in general. When I started concert tickets were more or less the same price as an album (apart from larger gigs). I used to go to loads of gigs when I was in school, can't imagine that happening now.

[GlastoSimon]

We'll pass the £250 mark next fest presumably, suspect a lot (me included) will think about saying no thanks at that point. Its a brilliant thing, but there's other stuff I sacrifice every year. Let someone else have a go etc.

[Curlygirl]

I'm very lucky in the fact that I have quite a few holidays per year so if need be, I'd cancel the rest and just 'do' glastonbury. i would go up to £1,000. I think the dynamics would change if it reached this price in my lifetime so I may not want to go then. Who knows

[guypjfreak]

Next year.. That's my last 

[Muppetmark]

The price increase for gigs have been absolutely insane recently.  Live music at the top level is pricing  everyone out. 

[Muppetmark]

4 minutes ago, guypjfreak said:

Next year.. That's my last 

Do you mean the one after the fallow?

[CJTM]

Apparently the car pass is £45 advance this year, £50 OTD

[Ovechkin]

If you do the math on inflation and disposable income of uk households etc from 2002 to 2017 the price increase should seem less awful. 

Another variable I recall reading somewhere was the increased popularity, or festival boom, U.S festivals currently are experiencing, the classic supply and demand.

Also the lack of new acts festivals in general deem headliner worthy I guess also increase the costs of the festival. 

As long as the festival isn't profiting in % more 2002 than its 2017, I have no problem with the increased ticket price, although i'm lucky enough to have a job that make me less price sensitive in the future (im newly graduated). But as for most of us, it boils down to priorities.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Ovechkin

[musky]

3 minutes ago, Ovechkin said:

If you do the math on inflation and disposable income of uk households etc from 2002 to 2017 the price increase should seem less awful. 

Another variable I recall reading somewhere was the increased popularity, or festival boom, U.S festivals currently are experiencing, the classic supply and demand.

Also the lack of new acts festivals in general deem headliner worthy I guess also increase the costs of the festival. 

As long as the festival isn't profiting in % more 2002 than its 2017, I have no problem with the increased ticket price, although i'm lucky enough to have a job that make me less price sensitive in the future (im newly graduated). But as for most of us, it boils down to priorities.

A sizable proportion of the country have seen their incomes flatline in real terms since the credit crunch.

For a friend of mine that might well mean this year will be his last.

[Alex DeLarge]

Even if I could afford it if the festival went to £700 or something ridiculous like that (which I couldn't!) I wouldn't want to go at that point anyway, I think the atmosphere would just die out completely.

[russycarps]

I think this year is probably as high as I can afford to go without having to sacrifice more vital expenses. A few of my mates sadly feel the same.

It'll be £250+ by the time of the next one. Hardly anyone will have had a pay rise. There will be job losses or at best extreme uncertainty surrounding people's jobs due to Brexit. 

The next festival seems very out of my reach. I suspect it's the same for a lot of people.

A damn shame.

[arcade fireman]

15 minutes ago, Ovechkin said:

If you do the math on inflation and disposable income of uk households etc from 2002 to 2017 the price increase should seem less awful. 

Ticket price in 2002 = 97 quid.

Inflationary increases since then would put the current price at 147 quid - a 51% increase.

Instead the 240 quid price is a 147% increase. Don't think disposable incomes in UK households have improved that much in the last ten years either...

[Ovechkin]

4 minutes ago, musky said:

A sizable proportion of the country have seen their incomes flatline in real terms since the credit crunch.

For a friend of mine that might well mean this year will be his last.

Hmm I'm a layman of the UK perspective, thanks for your input. It's obviously a lot of variables, I'm more familiar with Swedens development and our government, even tho I didn't vote for them, did a fantastic job with the crisis and recovery.

[Jugtanion]

Organisers will surely be aware that once the price hits a certain point they'll lose their core loyalty. Just look at some premiership football clubs, put prices up, price ordinary people out, end up with a flat atmosphere. That would be the death knell for the festival. Also - the more people pay, surely the more they expect to be pumped into pyro and design. Fair enough, the pyro and innovation at Glastonbury is great, but without the worlds most fantastic crowd of people in that place, who gives a shit about any of it.

[musky]

5 minutes ago, Ovechkin said:

Hmm I'm a layman of the UK perspective, thanks for your input. It's obviously a lot of variables, I'm more familiar with Swedens development and our government, even tho I didn't vote for them, did a fantastic job with the crisis and recovery.

Fortunately Sweden wasn't neck deep with mismanaged and irresponsible banks, unlike the UK.

[eastynh]

It depends who was on the line up. If one of my 2 fave bands were on then I would pay whatever it costs. Music, gigs and festivals are what I get out of the bed in the morning for.

In regards to Glastonbury itself I do not think that I am going to bother again after this year regardless of the price. I do not have the love for the actual festival itself that most people on here seem to have. The music is the most important thing for me and I can't be bothered doing a load of overtime to pay for something when I do not even know whether the music will suit my tastes.

[bennyhana22]

11 minutes ago, arcade fireman said:

Ticket price in 2002 = 97 quid.

Inflationary increases since then would put the current price at 147 quid - a 51% increase.

Instead the 240 quid price is a 147% increase. Don't think disposable incomes in UK households have improved that much in the last ten years either...

Just to be Devil's Advocate, and in no way defending or justifying the increase your maths suggest, AND I'm relatively new to festival, but a direct comparison of festival price increase vs. inflation might not be entirely 'fair'. 

It assumes that you are paying well over the odds at today's prices for what you were getting 15 years ago at prices for that time.

Yes there are more punters now, so greater revenue, but isn't the line-up so incredibly more extensive now compared to 2002, meaning  that more has to be paid for, and so a significant proportion of the increase in price above inflation is 'necessary' to pay for that?

The problem is that one might argue that an individual does not 'see more' during a festival in 2017 than he/she did in 2002 as there are only so many places one can be. But the festival has 'more' and that costs more...

I could, of course, be talking bollocks. An economist I am not...

Ben

[Ovechkin]

6 minutes ago, arcade fireman said:

Ticket price in 2002 = 97 quid.

Inflationary increases since then would put the current price at 147 quid - a 51% increase.

Instead the 240 quid price is a 147% increase. Don't think disposable incomes in UK households have improved that much in the last ten years either...

I did say less awful  

[DeadAmos]

For the average person I think all festivals are getting near the upper limit price wise

But another way to look at is, for tickets to see Radiohead, the Foos and Ed

you would be looking at somewhere near the same price

Edit:- that is if you want to sit in front of the pyramid stage when there are lots of things to do

which I find more interesting

 

 

Edited March 27, 2017 by DeadAmos

[chatty]

Ill probably be going to less gigs in the future. Ive seen pretty much every band I want to see so ill try and catch bands when they are coming through rather than when they are all big and corporate pricing. Obvs a few bands ill still turn out for but I think now its gonna be try festivals I aint been too or find something else to explore instead. 

So not all down to price but it does have an effect when I used to go to a gig every week and now its more bi-monthly.