Brian and Roger are money grabbers

dudleyfufkin you seem to have not taken into account that Brian and Roger are professional musicians with a very long successful legacy. It's there right to tour and do whet they enjoy.

Yes they make a lot of money from it, but the show is huge, expensive to staff, transport, set up and run. If they were doing it just for the money they would tour on a smaller budget but charge the same amount.

As for the Live album being a cash grab, yes in your mind it maybe because it doesn't interest you. However re releasing an old album with bunch of bonus out takes ( not all of great musical or production quality) and already available on the Internet could also be seen as a cash grab.

As far as living in the past and trying to conquer America, as a live band they have, they've got three sellout arena tours behind them (as Q+AL) and as a live band in The States are a bigger draw than in 1982.

Call it what you like, but they have earned the right ( with Freddie and John's input) to be where they are now. John could have been part of it but chose an easier quieter life.

Quite simply if you don't like it don't spend your money. But don't try dictating what they should or shouldn't do.

Thomas, the promoter's do have a huge amount of control over ticket pricing, but so do ticket agents, the more successful a tour is or the bigger they are at the time the more agents will increase ticket values.

as an example, the London o2 postponed gigs, standing tickets through ticket master were £90 or more, but if you went to the trouble of finding the o2 box office the same tickets were £57.

it sometimes is beyond the artist control. 

The other controlling factor is the size of the production a big show like the Q+AL show costs a huge amount to staff and run, there are plenty of arena size shows that tour with a third of the production Queen do and still charge similar amounts.

Ticket Prices are extremely high, yes. Interestingly, most casual concert goers aren‘t surprised, because they made the experience that similar acts often charge even more. When I looked into EBay yesterday, I noticed that not too many tickets for next year‘s European tour are on the market. People do pay almost 300€ for a ticket and the seat could even be in the upper level. That’s about 3 times more than the original asking price. These tickets sell like hot cakes.
Everyone having a ticket could make a lot of money with it. Still, people keep their tickets. Because the shows are worth a lot of money. For the people wanting to go, at least. 😉

The prices tickets on the last Q+AL tour of America was very low compared to many of the older bands.

Queen always put extra into their shows, it's not just a performance of a song it's a visual show. I could imagine that most of Queen's ideas they use now would be the same or even more extravagant if Freddie was still performing - their shows would have a theme. The technology has improved dramatically so they have a huge advantage compared to thirty or even ten years ago.

Also, the point of legacy to me is making sure that something is still or just as popular. It doesn't matter that if pre-existing fans don't agree or like it as it won't make any difference (sorry but it's true as we're already fans I'm included) but making it appealing for the younger generations especially. The movie and Q+AL has certainly helped boost Queen's sale and streaming figures so why shouldn't Brian and Roger get any credit for it? John is still getting paid royalties from what those two are doing as is Freddie's estate.

Thanks for this. It's always weird to me when people talk of John retiring as if he goes to seclude himself to meditate on a mountain rather than getting all the benefits along with Queen.

If they want to play live, then supply and demand dictate location, frequency, and price.

Personally i could not give less shits how much they fleece the public for, as it doesn't affect me. Concert ticket prices have gone up a lot over the last 10 years as artists have lost the royalties revenue stream and tried to recover the markups applied by the secondary ticket market - which creates a higher "market rate" for any band playing eg the O2.

What is good for me is that continued touring maintains b(r)and awareness, which makes archive releases less unlikely.

But you have to strike the iron when it’s still hot. QAL is currently hot. Releasing that in say 10 years doesn’t make any sense, while any new Queen compilation can be released any day, if they feel like it. 

There's nothing wrong with being 'money grabbers'. They're not stealing from anyone or making false promises to anyone; they're not blackmailing anyone and they're not being dishonest. They're offering a product which they want to sell and which thousands of people willingly buy. Nothing wrong with that.

Just to offer a comparison, Genesis tickets are more expensive than Q+AL tickets, and that's with a singer who has to sit down for most of the show. And I still bloody bought one! 🤔

Yes. Without a doubt.

The high prices are a reflection of the point the industry is at.

despite what you think it remains a fact that many big tours ticket price levels are the choice of the promoter. The vastly inflated prices are often, as I stated, the result of individual ticket agencies, the example I gave being a case in point. How can you be sure Queen+ AL have total control over their promoter and the choice of prices.

Back in the mid to late 70's and into the 80's Queen were one of the bands who presented a big, and expensive for the time, show. They continue to do so.  Their production has always been big on lighting and from 84 a physical stage set. What they present now is a continuation of that kind of show. I understand your view, but being a fan at what point did you change your mind about big productions?

 

If they would be money grappers, they could simply open their vaults and throw out live albums and DVDs with Freddie and demos and alternate takes etc. with nearly no effort. Since they don't do that, I find it hard to call them money grappers.

When it comes to ticket prices, you're now talking about blowing in excess of £200 to see one of the major acts such as Q+AL or Genesis. It's not just the cost of the ticket you have to consider but the price of travel to the gig, parking, possibly a drink / meal while you're there, and all the other associated expenses. If you're talking about a family going, then you're looking at somewhere in the region of £800 for a night out. Most average working families couldn't afford that outlay, so it could be said that ticket prices are making gigs restrictive to all but the most affluent fans.

I think this has got a lot to do with the way that music is marketed these days, as bands don't make as much money out of Spotify and the like, and because of those streaming services, CD sales have plummeted in recent years. In very general terms, the only way that artists can make any real money these days is by touring, and I guess that's at least partly what has pushed up the ticket prices.

I went to see Iron Maiden at the O2 a couple of years ago, and the tickets were about £65 each for decent enough seats. They put on a fantastic show, with suspended aircraft on stage, and several different sets throughout the performance. It would take some explaining to convince me that at three times the ticket price, Queen or Genesis will be providing the same kind of value at their upcoming shows.