Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?

Subject: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 18 Dec 14 - 09:32 PM

Recently someone showed up at a venue saying that because of his level of donation to the performers Kickstarter CD campaign, he'd earned two free concert tickets. He showed the person at the ticket table (not me, but I was standing nearby) an email from the performer verifying that. The performer was doing soundcheck, so the ticket person let the man and his companion in. Later she asked some board members how this should be handled in the future. This person could show that email at another venue; the email didn't specify a venue. One board member suggested that at the end of the evening the amount the venue should have earned could have been deducted from the performer's pay because he, not the venue, gave away the ticket.

Who has had experience with this as a performer who promised free tickets during a fundraiser, as someone who has earned free tickets by donating to a fundraiser, or as someone has experienced this while working at a venue? How is this usually handled?

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: GUEST,#
Date: 18 Dec 14 - 10:09 PM

If I offer you a ticket (leave your name at the door as being someone who gets in no charge) to a performance, I pay the full ticket price to the venue. My deal with you has got zip to do with the deal I have with the people hosting the show.

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 03:59 AM

Over the years I've had several performers "put someone's name on the door" without telling me, so I just deduct the price of the ticket/s from the money I pay the performer. A small folk club in a community centre is not the same as a large venue like a pub or theatre.

Guest,# put it very concisely.

sandra

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 05:01 AM

Comps are legit if they are for:
People supporting the performer (eg putting them up for the night or driving)
Press
the performer's mother
any others only if agreed at the time of signing the contract

In the position specified in the OP I would ask the customer to pay with the offer of a refund if the performer OK'd it (and the venue had come to an arrangement with the performer).

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 05:03 AM

Hit enter too quickly - I do know one promoter who always specified the number of comps permitted as part of his standard letter/email when agreeing the booking.

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 05:41 AM

Sounds like the Kickstarted guest has delusions of stardom.

Do you actually get to make it big by acting like a selfish spoilt showbiz arsehole?

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: GUEST,Jonny Sunshine
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 06:51 AM

Sounds mighty suspicious to me. Any performer offering free tickets to a show ought to have put their names on the guest list for the chosen show (having approved the guest list with the organiser). At least that's what I'd do

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: DebC
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 10:34 AM

I could certainly see this as an oversight on the performer's part, especially since we (I am a performer) wear so many hats. Something inevitably gets overlooked and this sounds like that might have been the situation.

I think the venue was very generous in letting the person into the show. But I also think the performer was in error both in not informing the venue and having a procedure in place to deal with a comped ticket as a premium in a crowdfunding campaign. The performer placed the venue in a bad position and I wouldn't be surprised if the artist wasn't asked back because of this.

My brother is a popular performer in Australia and NZ. He occasionally will comp friends of mine to his shows and he has a very specific procedure in place for folks to obtain these tickets.

In the end it's all about communication and it sounds to me like that broke down somewhere along the line.

Debra Cowan

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 05:27 PM

Thank you to those who have responded so far. I hope to see more input from others.

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 08:45 PM

Refresh.

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 11:26 PM

Unless the performer has been allotted comp tickets, the full price of the tickets should come out of the performer's fees. Otherwise, the venue is left paying for the performer's generosity.

Furthermore, the person at the ticket table shouldn't have let those people in until the issue had been checked out with the performer to determine if the email was legitimate. Performers work hard to get their bookings, and most wouldn't risk a relationship with an offer like that.

As it stands, because the ticket seller would neither interrupt a sound check nor make the parties wait for someone to check out their claim, the performer is at risk of losing future work. So much for being "polite".

Subject: RE: Crowdfunding 'free' concert ticket: how?
From: doc.tom
Date: 23 Dec 14 - 06:56 AM

We don't really have a problem with 'comps' given by the performer AS LONG AS THE VENUE IS NOT SOLD OUT! But it must be agreed in advance. The habit is a cross-over from a theatre and pop-concert norm - and up to a few years ago, in our experience, the demand for comps on the door was more frequent from American performers then British.

It was certainly never a norm in the folk club circuit - a guest might ask the club organiser if a couple of friends/aquaintances/promoters could have guest tickets and that was never a problem (sold out clubs are rare!).

TomB