Arts the poorer for price
HOW much is too much to pay for a bit of art? It’s a vexing question.
There are so many if’s, buts and maybe’s attached. The customer has to do the equation in their head and balance desire with wallet capacity.
Determine how much hardearned we think we can afford to shell out for a unique experience.
The Melbourne Festival is pushing art lovers to the brink.
Their next offering is headlined by a show that is . . . wait for it . . . $699 a ticket. That’s a lot of money in anybody’s language, but in a state funded festival the question has to be asked; what is worth $700 a ticket . . . what do you get for that?
In this instance, $700 buys you 24 hours of Americana. Taylor Mac is presenting his 24 Hour Decade of Popular Music.
The cabaret show charts the “complete social history of a nation through the music that scored its rebellions and revolutions, triumphs and tragedies.” According to the website: “Each $699 ticket provides entry to all four chapters for one person. Each performance runs for six hours, from 5.30-11.30pm on October 11, 13, 18 and 20.”
When it first premiered in New York, it was 24 hours straight. Now that is an experience. Here in Melbourne it is divided into bite size pieces.
You don’t see the same decay, you don’t experience the same locked-in- a-room appeal, this is not the same production as the premiere and so if you haven’t already seen it or heard it, is it worth it?
You can Google all you like to determine if you’re interested, but ultimately a price like this demands a passionate commitment — $700 is out of the league of most average wage earners.
A few years ago I paid $600 for my family to see Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. That was a huge investment for me, but the purchase was based on a series of bullet points.
I knew the music. I loved the performer. I wanted to share this experience with my family and I honestly believed this could have been the last time The Boss toured with the E-Street Band.
The $600 got us three good seats to one show. It was an informed decision. I justified and I embraced and The Boss lived up to expectations.
The big difference between The Boss and Taylor Mac is that Springsteen was not subsidised by taxpayers. His was an independent tour, with on-costs and profit margins. The price was hefty, but I wasn’t paying for it twice.
The Melbourne Festival receives funding from taxpayers, they also present their shows in taxpayer subsidised venues and with this in mind, it is difficult to understand why any ticket for any festival show is more than $100.
We have already paid for it, why are we being asked to pay so much more?
I am sure the show will sell out. I am sure it will be reviewed with five stars. But if it’s so good and so popular, it’s a pity it will only be seen by the wealthiest of arts patrons.
So $700 is too much. But the cost for the Victorian arts industry is even higher. This kind of pricing structure simply reinforces negative stereotypes. The arts are elitist and not welcoming to outsiders. The arguments are predictable:
You could see five grand finals. You could take your whole family to the E-Street Band. You can see The Book of Mormon three times for this kind of coin. Or you can pay your electricity bill.
In this case, for me — too much is just too much. Ross Mueller is a freelance writer and director