KEY POINTS:
With the global downturn, gig-goers are likely to face higher prices for concert tickets this year.
In the current economic climate it is getting more expensive to bring overseas bands to New Zealand because the majority of touring acts are paid in either American dollars or the euro. This squeezes concert promoters' margins which forces ticket prices up.
And Vector Arena chief executive Guy Ngata warns that tickets for big name acts could be especially pricey but he believes people will still fork out for shows they are "desperate" to see.
"It's about ticket price and trying to make the price competitive, but the disadvantage we have on top of that is the US dollar and the foreign exchange rate," he says.
Brent Eccles, the promoter who did the recent Leonard Cohen shows and is bringing the Kings of Leon and the Killers to town, says with the NZ dollar now around 50c American promoters have felt the pinch.
"A while ago we were basing it on 70-something [cents], so it has had a big impact and some damage has been done." But, says Eccles, the bottom line is that if acts want to come to New Zealand and Australia to tour they will adjust their costs accordingly.
Ngata agrees: "The message that is coming out is that the artists are willing to negotiate and no one is saying they are not going to tour."
In terms of recent ticket sales there are signs the credit crunch is already biting the punters. Hip-hop outfit N.E.R.D cancelled for reasons the band put down to recording commitments but TimeOut believes ticket sales were slow.
Iron Maiden, who last played the Logan Campbell Centre in 1992, have already downsized their Christchurch concert from AMI Stadium to the Westpac Arena. The official word on the change of venue was "due to logistical reasons" following a date change from February 21 to 22; the British heavy metallers also play the 45,000 capacity Mt Smart Stadium on February 20.
Duffy's show at Vector on March 31 is also selling slowly, which is odd considering her album, Rockferry, has sold more than 45,000 copies.
But Duffy promoter Michael Coppel is confident the tour will achieve its sales target by the time it starts.
"Although ticket selling is tougher than it was last year, and fans are buying later than they were, there are a lot of tours that are doing great business," he says, citing pop shows like last year's Rihanna/Chris Brown double-bill, Simply Red this month, and Pussycat Dolls in May.
The credit crunch has not affected the likes of the Kings of Leon. The southern boys have sold out both their New Zealand shows in March. Tickets went on sale last year, before the full brunt of the economic downturn. But sales have been steady with the Auckland show only selling out late last week.
"If you've got something that's strong people will still come and it's up to us to work out the ticket prices accordingly."
Eccles believes the ones who are suffering most at present are local acts.
"I guess the view probably is that they can see a local act any time but they are only going to see Leonard Cohen once. So it seems to me that that's the market that's taking a bit of a tumble at the moment."
However, on the local front there is some good news with the Winery Tour, featuring Dave Dobbyn, Anika Moa, and Opshop, which starts today, already selling out many of its 17 dates around the country.
