Again, I'll be the first to say that my initial idea may not be the best one but the fact that I've opened a "can of worms" may have at least have some positive effect in that ideas are being brought to the table and maybe something good will come of it as a result.

I've been seeing the word "gouge" over and over again in reference to the fan club idea, but when I see some of the increases in the ticket prices on this tour, I can't help but think the same thing.  

I guess it all comes down to (at least for me), what the ticket sales are meant to accomplish.  I have always been under the impression that BR.com offered them up as a way to say thanks to the most loyal fans.  Well, you don't have to post or be active on this board to fall into that catagory.  But, you should know when the new album is out and when tours are happening.  If you don't, sorry, in my book, your not a die hard fan.

The real fans know when the albums come out.  The real fans know when the tours are going to happen.  The real fans follow the bands activities to some degree and would know when tour tickets are going on sale.

The casual fan waits for the e-mail.  You'll never convince me that someone that doesn't know when a tour is happening is a huge fan.

So, just make an announcement here and let the real fans have first dibs at the tickets.  Let the others get seconds!  If can't even be bothered to do a little investigating on your own to find out when ticket sales are, then you don't deserve the best seats.  Just like the old days when I used to get my best seats by sitting in a line up all night long.  Sure, people would show up just as they went on sale and say "your crazy for lining up all night - I'm just as big a fan and I would never do that".  Nope, you're not as big a fan.

This e-mailing the world to announce the ticket sales just takes all the effort out of it and allows all the casual fans to stay informed.  Put a little onus on the fan themselves to do a little leg work and find out when the ticket sales are.  No one can complain they don't have the time to check the board once a week when they know there is an impending tour.  If your too busy to do that, or it's too much hassle - enjoy your seats at the back cause you ain't a die hard fan!!!

I'm sure a lot of fans got great seats today, but a lot of crazies got the shaft.  When people travel all over hells half acre to see all the concerts, when people travel half way across the country to go to some crazy party in Stratford, when the band knows half these folks by name - those folks - they DESERVE good seats!

If it takes a fan club, where do I pay?

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Talk Is Cheap - Well I Outta Know!!!!!!
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SnowFalling:

Does anyone know if any other artist or band treats its community like BR does?

I'm not really sure what you mean by that... Could you clarify?

I'm also really sorry to hear about your troubles... Don't ever feel like you can't express yourself here. Heck, my bestest friends in the whole wide world are the ones who disagreed with my idea the most in this thread and you know what? That's a-ok! LOL!

Dizzy:

When people travel all over hells half acre to see all the concerts, when people travel half way across the country to go to some crazy party in Stratford, when the band knows half these folks by name - those folks - they DESERVE good seats!

If it takes a fan club, where do I pay?

Half way across the country? Try half way across the world for some!  

I agree 100% with everything Dizzy just said!! That's what I was trying to convey in my earlier post, but he said it better!  And thanks for starting this discussion, Lori!!

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Don't waste the time, the time that isn't lost (Jim Cuddy)

Bluegirl:

SnowFalling:

Does anyone know if any other artist or band treats its community like BR does?

I'm not really sure what you mean by that... Could you clarify?

I'm also really sorry to hear about your troubles... Don't ever feel like you can't express yourself here. Heck, my bestest friends in the whole wide world are the ones who disagreed with my idea the most in this thread and you know what? That's a-ok! LOL!

I mean offer first crack at some special seats. Who else does this without exacting a premium? Anyone? It can't be simple to arrange.

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borderline useless from hanging around

I've purchased many seats, from many different fan clubs, and always had to pay a fee.  Blue Rodeo is the only band I know of that does this for free.  All the other bands I have purchased presales for, from the bands web site, you have to be a member.

Not only do all the other bands charge, they have super strict rules too.  For instance, Gwen Stefani this past summer, not only did you pay to be a member of the club, you had to pick up your tickets at the venue.  Once you had your ticket, they had it set up that you had to enter the venue immediately, hence, no turning around and scalping it.  Bon Jovi - not only do you have to be a member, you can only buy one ticket in a presale - now that's strict,  Makes everyone sign up individually.  Van Halen this past tour, $450usd (I think it was) to sit right up front!  With all the other bands out there, you pay to sit up close.  With Blue Rodeo, we're spoiled.

I also don't for one second buy the arguement of people sitting in the front rows being the folks with the cash.  Lori's idea is to charge a $20 (or something in that area) fee per year to put some kind of incentive or deterent on everyone showing up for tickets.  If you can't afford $20, then you shouldn't be buying concert tickets in the first place.  Add to the fee some kind of rider that you can't buy tickets for a tour unless you've been a member XXX amount of time, and you can really change the outcome of a presale.  All the people who show up the day of the sale looking for tickets will have to wait until those of us who are members have ours.  If you want in next time, sign up.  I'll bet a huge percentage of those buyers will go away and not bother signing up for future sales because they are only there for that moment.  You want to tell me they are just as big a fan as those of us around here?  Don't think so.

Of course, the downside to all that is you will discourge people from the board.  Heck, way back when, long time ago, I came here looking for tickets.  I just decided to stick around.

So, I go back to my original idea.  Make people look for the info on the site,  It might cut down on presale traffic, and it accomplishes what BR.com is always trying to do - bring more people to the board to read.

We have a choice here in terms of asking what we want.  We don't really have a choice in the way it is done because BR.com can do as they sit fit.

1).  Keep things exactly the same and face the pressure and headache of presales here (and not just us, I'm sure yesterday was very stressful for the the folks at BR.com).

2).  Try and make some changes to ease the pressure large amounts of people are putting on this site during a presale.

One other comment - to Hazy!

You mention the people that don't come here everyday and how that "doesn't make them any less of a fan".  Well, that may be true, but (and it's a big but), the people who do come here everyday, the folks that I've come to know - they are without doubt Blue Rodeo biggest fans.  Nothing will ever convince me otherwise.  They are the folks that travel to almost every show on every tour that they can get to.  They are the folks that load up the car and go on a road trip to see the band.  they are the folks that get on airplanes and fly across the country to be part of some crazy party in Stratford - all about Blue Rodeo.  They are the folks that make anniversary cards and send them across the country for everyone to sign.  You get the idea.  Those folks - they are without doubt Blue Rodeos buggest fans - the other fans don't even come close.  You may not have to post here to clasify as a big fan, and I know a lot of folks who don't post here that fall into that catagory, but, for the most part, the folks that do post here, no one is a bigger fan than those folks!   IMHO - those folks deserve the best seats!

You see you Hazy, you fall into the catagory of "Uber Fan".  I don't think your other friends are as a big a fan as you, and you'd have a really time convincing me of that.  You are one of those folks that deserves to sit up front!

 

 

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Talk Is Cheap - Well I Outta Know!!!!!!
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Wow... very interesting discussion going on here.  You all make some valid points.  I've never been a fan of fan clubs.  haha - that sounded funny.  They are really expensive for the most part.  If it was only $20 though, I'd be fine with that.  It's just that some of the bigger names in show business charge ridiculous prices to be members of their fan clubs.  I don't agree with that at all.  It's a big money racket if you ask me.  I guess I don't feel the pressure of the pre-sales as much as some of you do in Ontario because shows in the Maritimes aren't as competitive.  Besides myself and a couple others, there aren't many Maritimers who post here.  Monctonians in general are very lethargic when it comes to concert tickets.  They often wait until the day of the show to buy them.  It's really odd.  I've even seen concerts get cancelled due to low ticket sales (i.e. The Tragically Hip show in Saint John this past September).  It's nuts man!! 

Anyway, I'm getting a little off topic here.  To sum up... maybe a fan club is a good idea, but please don't charge an arm and a leg for it!  Keep it reasonable. 

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"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good...
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood."

Another solution to discourage scalpers would be to bring back the "WILL CALL" for ALL venues. The purchaser's name would be printed on the ticket and the purchaser would have to provide photo ID before ticket was released. You would be given the option of specifying at time of purchase whether or not the ticket was for you or someone else (As is often the case with me - I purchase MY tix with Farmer Dan's plastic! LOL!)

SnowFalling:

Bluegirl:

SnowFalling:

Does anyone know if any other artist or band treats its community like BR does?

I'm not really sure what you mean by that... Could you clarify?

I'm also really sorry to hear about your troubles... Don't ever feel like you can't express yourself here. Heck, my bestest friends in the whole wide world are the ones who disagreed with my idea the most in this thread and you know what? That's a-ok! LOL!

I mean offer first crack at some special seats. Who else does this without exacting a premium? Anyone? It can't be simple to arrange.

I know of a few... Not very many though! Like Dizzy said, we're spoiled and pretty lucky as far as fans go!  

Dizzy:

One other comment - to Hazy!

You mention the people that don't come here everyday and how that "doesn't make them any less of a fan".  Well, that may be true, but (and it's a big but), the people who do come here everyday, the folks that I've come to know - they are without doubt Blue Rodeo biggest fans.  Nothing will ever convince me otherwise.  They are the folks that travel to almost every show on every tour that they can get to.  They are the folks that load up the car and go on a road trip to see the band.  they are the folks that get on airplanes and fly across the country to be part of some crazy party in Stratford - all about Blue Rodeo.  They are the folks that make anniversary cards and send them across the country for everyone to sign.  You get the idea.  Those folks - they are without doubt Blue Rodeos buggest fans - the other fans don't even come close.  You may not have to post here to clasify as a big fan, and I know a lot of folks who don't post here that fall into that catagory, but, for the most part, the folks that do post here, no one is a bigger fan than those folks!   IMHO - those folks deserve the best seats!

You see you Hazy, you fall into the catagory of "Uber Fan".  I don't think your other friends are as a big a fan as you, and you'd have a really time convincing me of that.  You are one of those folks that deserves to sit up front!

With all due respect Dizzy you're wrong.  A number of people I go on these trips don't post.  Also, the person who I am sure goes to more shows than anybody elese doesn't post.  I think it is arrogant to assume that those of us on the board are the biggest or most important fans.  It doesn't sit right.

Dizzy I really like your first idea the best about just posting it on the site.  The fans will find it.  The paying fan club is just a money grab.  Frankly I think the ticket prices for this tour are a price grab too and if I had to pay another $20 I really don't think I would bother.  I am not paying $100 to see Blue Rodeo. 

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Greg Keelor met Jim Cuddy and then I met you people. Serendipity is a marvellous thing.


"I guess I don't know if I believe in God but
I know a song can make you feel good once
in a while." ~Greg Keelor~

One other thing about this paid fan club idea is that people in Ontario have a lot more opportunities to see Blue Rodeo.  They generally come to Vancouver at least once a year but that is a far cry from the number of shows you guys in Ontario have an opportunity to catch.  Take someone like Allison, and I don't think anyone will claim she is not a big fan, she may get an opportunity less than once a year so perhap $20 for someone in Ontario who might go to five or ten shows is not a big deal but if you're paying $20 to be able to catch one show it sucks! 

I know a lot of other bands do this but one of the things I think we can all agree on is that Blue Rodeo isn't like other bands.  I like having actual people (Aaron & Lindsay and before that Lisa & Vishal) to deal with.  When you have a problem they are willing to help you.  Once you bring in a bunch of rules we may end up losing what was most appealing about this place.  These pre-sales for all their problems are one of the reasons I have always respected Blue Rodeo.  They try to do what it best for their fans which frankly is also just good business.

 

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Greg Keelor met Jim Cuddy and then I met you people. Serendipity is a marvellous thing.


"I guess I don't know if I believe in God but
I know a song can make you feel good once
in a while." ~Greg Keelor~

I've read this whole thread and I would have to agree with Hazy.  I'm sure there are tons of Blue Rodeo fans out there that wouldn't even think to come to this site or those that may not have a computer and can't get online.  There are others, I'm sure, that can't afford to fly all over the country to see them or even to get to a local show (I myself have been one of them in the past).  I personally don't think that makes them any less of a fan than those of us who come here.  IMHO, it's a priveledge to have the option of a presale, so we should be happy to get what we do when we order tickets.  When did we all become so spoiled? 

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Yesterday is yesterday. (This Town)

It's only heaven descending. (Black Ribbon)

Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.

mthead:

IMHO, it's a priveledge to have the option of a presale, so we should be happy to get what we do when we order tickets.  When did we all become so spoiled? 

The pre-sales are indeed a privilege. I don't think anyone said otherwise.  Every single person who posted in this thread expressed gratitude at having access to these pre-sales. I can only speak for myself when I say that the way the last couple of pre-sales have been conducted have been extremely frustrating in terms of having the site screw up because of excess traffic or whatever the problem was. I am NOT blaming anyone in particular. I'm just saying that it was a pain in the arse and that it's more common than not for these "perks" to be offered first and foremost to members of online communities and then to the general public afterwards. Having more than one pre-sale isn't unheard of. I don't necessarily think that someone who posts here every day is a bigger fan than someone who doesn't post because I do know people who never post here at all who are HUGE fans and go to tons of shows. When you get people signing on saying that they've never been to a show and asking for secrets about how to get backstage/how to meet the guys, you know darn well these people are not "dedicated" fans. Gimme a break. LOL! They come on here the day of the pre-sale, grab their tickets, maybe post and hope they'll magically find out how to meet Jim and Greg and then we never hear from them again. If we're lucky some of them stick around and our community grows. I only hope this will be the case this time around.

You ask when did we all become so spoiled. I think that Blue Rodeo fans as a whole are spoiled because our favorite band has always been so accessible to us. We get these great pre-sales during every tour. We often get to go back stage. Most of us have tons of pics with the band and lots of autographed memorabilia. You just don't get that with most bands nowadays. Of course people aren't going to want to pay a fan club fee (however modest) when they're thinking at the back of their minds "Why should I pay? I already get the perks for free!" 

I’ve been a huge Blue Rodeo fan since the first time I heard the song “Try” on the radio.  I remember in the pre-internet days when you’d have to rely on the radio stations, Much Music, or newspapers to find out about the release of a new album or where and when the tickets were to go on sale when the band would come to town – and boy, did you have to be attentive not to miss that last bit of information because they would announce it just a couple of days before the tickets went on sale. I remember, on more than one occasion, standing in line in the cold very early in the morning because I wanted to get great seats.  

Back in 2000, when I didn’t have a computer yet at home, I used to come to this website to read about the band’s activities on my lunch hour at work where I had access to a computer.  One of the first things I did when I got a computer was to become a member of this lovely community, but I don’t think I was less of a fan before I joined and started posting on this board. 

One thing I’m extremely grateful for now is that we have this site where I can find out everything related to my favourite band and of course, it’s wonderful to have access to the pre-sales when the band goes on tour.   I guess my point is that a true fan will come here to find out about the band’s activities.  If a pre-sale announcement appears on this site for a concert that I want to attend, I don’t need to receive an e-mail to find out or to remind me about it.  My other concern about the pre-sales from BR.com is how to keep the scalpers away and from what Dizzy mentioned, I kinda like what Gwen Stefani is doing i.e pick up your pre-sale tickets on the day of the concert and enter the venue immediately!

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Don't waste the time, the time that isn't lost (Jim Cuddy)