Juxtaposition

Two stories in the news reinforce the growing power of earned income, as all other forms of income for arts and culture take a dive. On one hand, Philanthropy News covers this Wall Street Journal story about cutbacks and strategies of arts groups in the face of a down economy — ranging from reduced programming to staff cutbacks to lower ticket prices (although the logic of the last one escapes me). #

On the other hand, the NY Times tells about Ticketmaster’s plans to offer ticket auctioning services on top of traditional ticket pricing. A few choice quotes from the article: #

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With no official price ceiling on such tickets, Ticketmaster will be able to compete with brokers and scalpers for the highest price a market will bear. #

“The tickets are worth what they’re worth,” said John Pleasants, Ticketmaster’s president and chief executive. “If somebody wants to charge $50 for a ticket, but it’s actually worth $1,000 on eBay, the ticket’s worth $1,000. I think more and more, our clients�the promoters, the clients in the buildings and the bands themselves�are saying to themselves, `Maybe that money should be coming to me instead of Bob the Broker.’ “ #

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So, while some arts groups are in freefall, other venues are riding the free market. It’s going to be an interesting year to say the least. #