Are 'live'concerts value for money

The concept of value is a tricky one to pin down in any financial transaction. It comes down to the notion of what people want, and what they are willing to pay for it.�If you are a massive fan of an artist such as Madonna for example, who hasn't toured for nearly ten years, you�may not have minded paying out the top ticket price of �85 a seat for her Earls Court show on 4 July. The black market prices make the official ticket price look like a snip - they are already �400 each, and that price will rise steadily as the date approaches.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� What are the 'logistics' of putting a tour together

A.� It's a wonderful word isn't it You just know it's a word used by people who make serious amounts of money out of organising the nuts and bolts of a huge operation with the main�aim of pleasing the general public. What it comes down to is working out how to stage a show worthy of the artist's appeal, how to move it from place to place, how much the whole thing will cost to put on, and then add in a hefty profit margin before arriving at a ticket price. The price will be gasped at by the media, and paid out for by the public, with the public winning hands down on speed and a willingness to be there on the night.

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Q.� So where does the actual value come from

A.� In the case of a show�such as Madonna's 'Drowned' Tour (you should always give your tour a snappy title, it adds to the glamour of the whole event) you are getting the lady herself, plus ten dancers,�eight musicians, lights, cameras, and no doubt a piece of musical theatre which is choreographed down to the last split second, underpinned by some of the best pop music produced over the last twenty years.

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Modern concert shows are a triumph of technology with state-of-the-art staging, sound and lighting. That's because modern concert audiences are far more sophisticated than in years gone by, and demand a spectacle in keeping with their considerable expectations.

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Q.� When you put it like that, it does sound like value for money!

A.� From the Madonna fans' perspective, it probably is. But let's look at another angle of the live concert experience. Take bands�such as Hear'Say or SClub7, who are idolised by millions of pre-teenagers, with no discernable income of their own. Parents wishing to take their kids to see the bands play live can expect to pay around �20 per ticket. Reasonable you might think - but when you add on the costs of transport, refreshments, and merchandising, the costs can triple or even quadruple very easily.

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Q.� Where does merchandising come in

A.� Merchandising is what used to be called 'souvenirs' years ago, and in terms of profit for the bands and companies involved, it dwarves the profits made from the live show itself, and can be the biggest single generator of money in the entire operation.

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Tee-shirts, key-rings, posters, toys, programmes, anything and everything with the artist or band's name on will be the subject of a licensing deal, which generates hundreds of millions of pounds in additional revenue, income which will far outstrip anything the band will make from ticket sales alone. Given that younger concertgoers will be keen to have one of everything, the value-for-money factor can take some serious dents by the end of the evening. Even artists with lower ticket prices - Robbie Williams at �32.50, will clean up on the souvenir front, which all needs to be calculated when assessing the true value of the concert as a financial undertaking.

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Q.� Are live concert tickets money well spent �����

A.� The fact that the popularity of a live concert as an evening's entertainment shows no signs of diminishing, would suggest that they are good value. Certainly, the production levels have had to increase to keep pace with the audience's tastes. Spoilt by modern cinema and video effects, as well as computer games, all competing for the same entertainment money from the public, live concert audiences demand extremely high standards of production and delivery of the goods.

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The days when The Beatles could play anything for twenty minutes, and then wander off, confident that no one could hear their tiny 30 watt amplifiers above the noise of screaming girls are long gone. If people turn up to see Janet Jackson or N'Sync, they expect a full-scale show with lights and noise, the whole nine yards, and in the majority of cases, bands will deliver.

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