As many of you may know from the mass media frenzy that has surrounded the festival in recent weeks, the time has come for the 2013 iTunes Festival, live from the Camden Roundhouse. With a list of acts as long as your arm and an entire month of A-List performances flowing over the airwaves of London, it’s an event that has become synonymous both in and outside the music industry.
This year the event has hosted the likes of Elton John, Lady GaGa, Justin Timberlake, Paramore and Robin Thicke to name but a few and has resulted in hundreds of teenagers and adults alike going crazy for tickets. The media attention and demand for tickets is understandable when you realise that all tickets are in fact free of charge. What is disappointing nonetheless, is how getting hold of a pair is like trying to draw blood from a stone. For those who haven’t tried it recently, it’s nigh on impossible.
Issue 1 – App Accessibility
I concede that the iTunes app for android and apple is a very well designed one, a great layout, great aesthetics and easy usability. The issue however is that it massively restricts the demographic that are able to both apply for and attend the event. The fact of the matter is, you can’t download or even access the app if you are located outside of the UK and therefore denying the majority of the world access to the biggest ticket source. This is particularly frustrating when you look at the timing of the festival. Taking place in September, many of the ballot application windows are during July and August, also known as prime holiday time, meaning those of us that take a trip away over the summer may lose out on the opportunity to get our hands on tickets.
Issue 2 – Ballots
There is a great little blog that goes by the name of SOULFUNK who I believe describe this situation better than any other:
” When you break it down there are not actually that many tickets which fall in to the draw. Once you take out the 200 The Evening Standard will get for each gig, the easy 100+ going to every press music writer and blogger (except me!). Then the enormous amount of corporate tickets… talk to people there and you’ll hear is “oh I’m so and so’s son/daughter”. In total only 160 prizes for each show, not much when you think about the size of the Roundhouse. “
This means that the fans are the ones losing out at events such as these. It seems that this method of distribution is in many respects disregarding those who are keeping the record labels afloat by purchasing the music legally and instead handing all of the glossy benefits to the suits in the office of the company who is sponsoring the event or the major label employee who already get endless industry related benefits. I know a number of individuals working for these major labels and they can receive a couple of tickets to nearly any night they chose. I’m not saying that we should scrap all of the music industry perks that come with our new job at a label, simply that there must be a fairer method of distribution. When it reaches a point in which 160 tickets are left in a general ballot for an enormous venue such as The Roundhouse with a capacity of 1700, well, I’ll let you to do the maths.
This is what I find frustrating. The music industry itself has become overrun with corporate businessmen, sponsorship deals and brand advertising. I totally respect the fact that the music industry is a business, however those that take charge of the major labels and other music related companies are disregarding the music and going after the money, not the music. Nothing can be made or released unless it makes financial sense. Can you imagine Brian Epstein walking up to The Beatles and declaring, “sorry guys you can’t record, you may have a lot of fans but you’re not going to make us £1M plus profit, you’re not financially viable”.
A similar situation has arisen with the Brit Awards moving venue from Earls Court to the o2. Why could this be the case? A number of reasons regarding Earls Court being an inadequate venue have been banded about recently but what it fundamentally comes down to is that the o2 is a more financially viable venue. An industry event with a small audience pit that is used to create an atmosphere for the performer and 30 tables for artists has turned into a mass ticket selling spree that now allows the public to purchase tickets in the gods for a small fortune. I know members of the music industry that can no longer get tickets to their own event due to the number of financial institutions forking out thousands for tables and seats at these events, shunning the people who work in the industry the event is meant to be celebrating. Even Robbie Williams made scathing comments after his performance at this years Brit Awards, even recording a song entitled ‘The Brits 2013’:
“It’s like a VD clinic, only pricks are in it, so fucking corporate and professional and timid. To be frank sir, I prefer this showbiz chancer…”
I think that pretty much sums up the whole situation. With regards to the iTunes festival, SOULFUNK goes on to write:
” The iTunes Festival is NOT about the fans. Do not believe any PR or such you read, this is no thank you for collectively spending millions of pounds with them each month… The iTunes Festival is about Apple flexing their muscles. A gentle reminder to the music industry who is top dog right now and warning to any naysayers to fall in line.
The iTunes Festival is not about music, it is about business; pure and simple… However, the success of the festival means even more people apply for each draw making it almost impossible to be there. “
I believe that it’s about time the industry gave back to those who are trying to support it by legally purchasing music rather than illegally downloading it and for once throw caution to the wind and focus on the fans, not the corporate backers or media partners.
