AlreadyGone:

It just sucks to see the people who have made this community what it is not get presale tickets.

That was my point exactly!!! I honestly don't know whether or not my idea is the best solution, but there has to be some solution out there. I think if we put our heads together, we can come up with something!

I don't think a person should have to be a member of a fan club for a full year before they're able to reap the rewards. If that were the case, your membership would run out before you could benefit from it. I joined the Rolling Stones fan club just so I could get in on the pre-sale. I had no intention of ever, and I mean EVER paying $100 to be in their fan club again. I just wanted good seats for the Ottawa show. As far as I'm concerned, the Stones are like KISS. They're blood suckers. Most bands aren't like that though and most bands do have paid fan clubs. That's the norm today. We've just become accustomed to being spoiled because it just so happens that most of the bands we love happen to be so easily accessible.

I also joined the Keith Urban fan club. I think I paid $25 for that membership. I did get to participate in an exclusive pre-sale which got me great seats to the upcoming Ottawa show, but that's not the only reason I got a membership and I will renew it once it expires because I'm a HUGE Keith Urban fan. I don't mind paying that little bit extra. 

With all due respect, I find it kinda funny that people would balk at this idea, given the amount of money some of us spend on our tickets and yearly BR road trips. What's an extra $20 - $25 if it means we don't have to deal with what we went through today?  

 

These issues have come up before and I am repeating myself but what the heck.  I think it is very important to realize that there are lots of dedicated fans who never post on the board.  I have a number of very good friends who go on the website & love the band just as much as I do but never post.  That doesn't make them any less of a fan.  I LOVE the idea of just having the pre-sales posted on the board.  The fans will figure it out.

As for the charging for the fan club I think there are people who don't have an extra $20.  Granted they are not the people like us that go to lots of shows but I don't think you should have to pay a fee to get good seats.  The Edmonton/Calgary/Toronto seats are very expensive.   As it is I think I will only going to one Vancouver show (I am guessing they will add a second) because $75-80 is a lot of money.  I believe the last time they toured the tickets were about $60.  Blue Rodeo wouldn't be where they are if they just relied on their fans who have a lot of money.  A lot of less fortunate people save to go to one show and I don't see why they shouldn't have a chance at the good seats.

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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'm speshul.

Bluegirl:

I'm speshul.

Forget the Greyhound, Lori, just get on the short bus.

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I talk to you, you talk to me
And in my heart I've been set free ~ Shannon Lyon

...then curl up by the fire and sleep for awhile,
it's the grooviest thing, it's the perfect dream ~ The Cure

Keep it simple

K, I was just told I have to stop posting in this thread until the end of the work day.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm so lucky my sistas love me.

 

Bluegirl:

K, I was just told I have to stop posting in this thread until the end of the work day.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm so lucky my sistas love me.

 

Don't post then, Lori! Call her on the phone instead & yell, "Listen, listen, listen" at her everytime she tries to get a word in!!!

bwahahahaha!!!!

---

I talk to you, you talk to me
And in my heart I've been set free ~ Shannon Lyon

...then curl up by the fire and sleep for awhile,
it's the grooviest thing, it's the perfect dream ~ The Cure

Keep it simple

Sammie:

Bluegirl:

K, I was just told I have to stop posting in this thread until the end of the work day.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm so lucky my sistas love me.

 

Don't post then, Lori! Call her on the phone instead & yell, "Listen, listen, listen" at her everytime she tries to get a word in!!!

bwahahahaha!!!!

You wuz intawupting meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  

Bluegirl:

You wuz intawupting meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  

I humbly beg your forgiveness, Your Royal Speshulness.

---

I talk to you, you talk to me
And in my heart I've been set free ~ Shannon Lyon

...then curl up by the fire and sleep for awhile,
it's the grooviest thing, it's the perfect dream ~ The Cure

Keep it simple

I have mixed feelings about a membership fee, I see both sides of the issue. 

But one thing I feel strongly about is that, presales should NOT be exclusive to message board participants.    Participation on the message board is not an accurate measure of fan loyality.   There are many dedicated fans out there that never go on message boards and rely instead on emails from the band. 

This presale stuff sure is a complex issue....and it is hard to determine the ideal solution.

 

 

 

I do think you have a very good point, Joanne. I'm a big fan of many other musicians, but this is the only DB I participate in. Yet, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy other bands music, or look forward to their concerts, just as much as Blue Rodeo's.

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I talk to you, you talk to me
And in my heart I've been set free ~ Shannon Lyon

...then curl up by the fire and sleep for awhile,
it's the grooviest thing, it's the perfect dream ~ The Cure

Keep it simple

HazySoul:

These issues have come up before and I am repeating myself but what the heck.  I think it is very important to realize that there are lots of dedicated fans who never post on the board.  I have a number of very good friends who go on the website & love the band just as much as I do but never post.  That doesn't make them any less of a fan.  I LOVE the idea of just having the pre-sales posted on the board.  The fans will figure it out.

As for the charging for the fan club I think there are people who don't have an extra $20.  Granted they are not the people like us that go to lots of shows but I don't think you should have to pay a fee to get good seats.  The Edmonton/Calgary/Toronto seats are very expensive.   As it is I think I will only going to one Vancouver show (I am guessing they will add a second) because $75-80 is a lot of money.  I believe the last time they toured the tickets were about $60.  Blue Rodeo wouldn't be where they are if they just relied on their fans who have a lot of money.  A lot of less fortunate people save to go to one show and I don't see why they shouldn't have a chance at the good seats.

I've been sitting here and sitting here trying to think of a way to say my piece without getting flamed off the board. Firstly, if the Vancouver tickets are that expensive, I won't be going. It was an awful stretch for both schedule and money in the first place, and now it looks plain stupid. I'm winding down a business, working only part-time, and am about to take an extended, uninsured medical break. I'm definitely in the less fortunate people club until spring. Secondly, there are surely some very sound business reasons why the band would want to pre-sale as many tickets as humanly possible. A paid fan club with exclusive ticket access might not be the best idea for them. Thirdly, and please don't shoot me for this, like Hazy, I don't think community activism is the acid test of fandom. Long before I ever joined the board, I was spending money I shouldn't have on things Blue Rodeo. I'm still doing so as I try to update my BR collection to digital format strictly through legal, properly purchased discs.

The notion of community, however wonderful, generally implies that some people are not part of the community. If I lived in the States or abroad and couldn't see the band very often, would I be able to qualify as a diehard? (That may happen next year.) If my temporary poverty became permanent through medical misadventure, or I lost consistent internet access, would I no longer count? So what is the test of fandom, and why do I have to qualify to get a nice seat?

I don't mean to cast aspersions on people who do join fanclubs (or run them) and, for the record, love this community. A lot. I've had so much fun here. I'm just saying, that's all.

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borderline useless from hanging around

I'm a little sad that you were concerned about expressing your opinion, Snowfalling. This place has certainly had its moments' in the past, but I think we're in a pretty good place right now, as far as accepting different opinions & debating them sensibly.

I think you've made some very good points.

---

I talk to you, you talk to me
And in my heart I've been set free ~ Shannon Lyon

...then curl up by the fire and sleep for awhile,
it's the grooviest thing, it's the perfect dream ~ The Cure

Keep it simple

 

           How about some sort of Lottery system?
 

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HUH?

I AGREE WITH SOME SORT OF PAID FAN MEMBERSHIP....I WAS ONLINE THIS MORNING FOR A HOUR TRYING TO GET GOOD SEATS, CHECKING THE WEBSITE ALOT AND I THINK THAT SHOULD MEAN SOMETHING.

MICHELE...SIMCOE ON

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" I know my past you were there in everything I've done....You are the one."
...Jim Cuddy

Sammie:

I'm a little sad that you were concerned about expressing your opinion, Snowfalling. This place has certainly had its moments' in the past, but I think we're in a pretty good place right now, as far as accepting different opinions & debating them sensibly.

I think you've made some very good points.

Of course I edit myself. Besides being flexible enough to get both feet into my mouth by accident, I'm a skeptic and a cynic and Internet communities tend to be dens of enthusiasm. Love the general enthusiasm around here: it was so what I needed when I joined up. Still, I'm new here and I'm never sure how people will react. 

As far as I'm concerned, most paid fan clubs are just a way of milking the fans a little harder. However, thinking it over this afternoon, I might be willing to pay a very small subscription to the board if it went toward maintaining the back-end tech that supports this place, especially the tech that runs the pre-sales. Smoother pre-sales might be worth it. Paying for special seat buying privileges? It would depend on how much. Also, I'm not sure I'd want a front row full of people whose primary qualification would be the ability to "rattle their jewelry."

Should loyalists deserve special treatment? I don't know if they do, or who would qualify or how, but perhaps some bands cannot afford to provide special consideration without payment. From a business perspective, the casual "customer" is functionally as or more important than the core loyalist. The business case for special considerations must be interesting. Does anyone know if any other artist or band treats its community like BR does?

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borderline useless from hanging around