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Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 8:10 pm
by Miguel
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100518/mus ... _mclachlan
Sarah McLachlan says Lilith sales "pretty soft"

By Gary Graff Gary Graff – Tue May 18, 2:00 am ET

DETROIT (Billboard) – As Sarah McLachlan prepares to resurrect the Lilith Fair after an 11-year break, she acknowledges that ticket sales for the female-centered package are "pretty soft" right now.

The trek kicks off June 27 in Calgary, with 36 dates before wrapping August 16 in Dallas. McLachlan, one of Lilith's co-founders, will be joined on the bill by the likes of Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Carly Simon, Rihanna and Selena Gomez.

There has been some grumbling about ticket prices, which are more than $250 (before fees) in some markets.

"There's about 300 seats out of 16,000 or whatever that are $250," she says. "Then there's 9,000 that are 25 dollars, so come on. We're working our hardest to have reasonably priced tickets so it can be accessible for everyone and that people will want to come. We might get slaughtered, I don't know, but I kind of have blind faith in the fact we're putting on a really great show and we always have, and that will bring people in the end."

McLachlan herself says she's particularly excited about having the Go-Go's and Bangles take part in some of this year's dates. "That's my high school days," she notes.

She's also pleased to be able to mix new Lilith participants such as Blige, Loretta Lynn, Cat Power and Metric with returnees and "friends" like Crow, Emmylou Harris and the Indigo Girls.

The tour will coincide with the June 15 release of McLachlan's first album in seven years, "Laws of Illusion." The first single, "Loving You is Easy," is currently available at digital retailers.

"I can't wait to play these new ('Laws of Illusion') songs live, but the trouble is, doing Lilith, everybody wants the hits, so I have to be careful," McLachlan said. "I'll rehearse four or five of the (new) songs and just rotate 'em and do two each night or something like that."
I think there are 2 factors playing in this... First, they've included some women that don't belong on the bill, at all. Yes, some have had hits over the past couple of years but I don't think some have proven themselves that they have staying power and are going to be around for a very long while. Artists like Rihanna, Ke$ha, Selena Gomez can always be replicated and people will jump from them to a fresh face that Disney/radio are trying to promote and shove into people's ears as much as they can. Maybe the original Lilith Fair goers' perspectives changed these days but I still think it's because of the lineup and not too many artists that remained relevant since the last Lilith are going to be there, so that makes some people not want to go this time around.

Second is money.. with the economy in the U.S. fluctuating, going through ups and downs, rising unemployment in certain regions of the country ... some people just can't afford $250 tickets. I think the $250 tickets are the orchestra/general admission section, if there are any. I can understand the price too because it's pretty much an all day concert.. I think 8 hours at most? There are going to be 11 main performers on the main stage and a certain number of side stage performers. If they don't manage to sell more within 2 weeks from kick-off I can see the prices being lowered or some people will be upgraded from mezzanine to orchestra on the days of the shows, but most likely not, we'll see.

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 9:23 am
by Crazylitstudent
To be fair I don't think we can blame Rihanna, Ke$ha or Selena Gomez at all. They are some of the biggest names on the bill and will bring in their fans to the shows they are performing at. I think the porblem is more the question of price; $250 (which is about £125 in British Sterling) for a one day show is really steep especially in the era of Gobal Ressession. Also we have to remember that the last Lilith was 11 years ago now. Many people may have forgotten/not even heard of Lilith these days. I think lowering the price will help as will agressive advertisting and media apperiences will pick up bissness.

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 4:38 pm
by chadwick
i'm planning to go to lilith in my area (raleigh, nc) but i really don't have the energy to hunt for tickets... i kinda want to be close to the stage but then i think it's an all day thing so maybe i want to be on the lawn where i can move around freely plus paying high dollar for a possibly limited set from sarah... some of the performers scheduled for my lilith stop are not all that great over some of the others.

i might save my top dollar seats for a solo tour???

i also smirked when i read that the fans would want her to play the hits... flashes of angel, adia, and building a mystery filled my head and i was like, NOOOOOOOO.... sarah you have so many gems, why the staples? you say you don't write for your fans so don't play for your fans... play what you want whether it is all new material but sarah, for the love of god, please bring back tunes from touch and solace.

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:57 pm
by jessiemonkey
chadwick wrote:\

i might save my top dollar seats for a solo tour???.
i know i dont know if i want to spend a shitload of money for VIP or whatever and not even get the chance to meet sarah..

im really hoping she changes her mind about doing a solo tour. then i will get VIP for sure i need to start praying or something lol

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:41 am
by Jessel
chadwick wrote:...but sarah, for the love of god, please bring back tunes from touch and solace.
Ditto. I also want to hear newer versions of her early material. She can ditch Angel and give us some Black & Steaming! ;)

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 4:42 pm
by ecstasythrumusic
Lilth is shooting its self in the foot. Several shows have been canceled and Norah Jones has been pulled off several dates by her management. Things don't look good.

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 4:44 am
by Jessel
^ Yeah, they should blame it on bad marketing strategies. Combine outrageous ticket prices, recession, and plenty of unknowns/has-been pop princesses/auto-tune divas and you have a perfect recipe for disaster. If I remember correctly, you can get a good spot for $60 back in the old days when Lilith was still Fair (not to mention the chance to see Sarah, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, and Natalie Merchant perform in one day). Also, the original Lilith audience are probably knee-deep in kids (or mortgage) by now and simply can't be bothered. But then again, it could be that the Lilith philosophy is becoming irrelevant in this age when a lot of the biggest names in the music industry are women. I dunno, maybe it's a combination of some or all of these. Sarah & McBride might still be able to salvage the situation by adding some more 'big names' to the line-up...

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:15 am
by Crazylitstudent
Jessel wrote: But then again, it could be that the Lilith philosophy is becoming irrelevant in this age when a lot of the biggest names in the music industry are women..
I would have thought that Lilith would have been doing better because of the public appitite for female music at the momment. Could it be that fans of indiviual artists can see them on thier own tours for cheeper?

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 5:07 am
by Miguel
ecstasythrumusic wrote:Lilth is shooting its self in the foot. Several shows have been canceled and Norah Jones has been pulled off several dates by her management. Things don't look good.
She's been pulled from all her dates because all those dates she was set to appear were apparently canceled. Terry McBride hasn't confirmed it yet.. so it's either false or someone just trying to stir up some gossip

Re: Sarah Admits to Low Tix Sales

Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:55 am
by Jessel
Crazylitstudent wrote:Could it be that fans of indiviual artists can see them on thier own tours for cheeper?
Yeah, but not entirely true. Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are probably charging as much as $100-300 and yet they can still fill their venues to full capacity.