Billboard has an interesting story you can read in full here.
Here's a brief excerpt...
U2 will receive an estimated $19 million worth of Live Nation shares as part of a 12-year deal the rock band signed with the concert promotion company earlier this year.
So what does this mean for the average concertgoer? In short, based on conversations I have had with a few insiders, it is not good. I was told to expect a "significant" increase in ticket prices compared to their 2005 Vertigo tour and that it may no longer be true that the GA tickets will be the cheapest (If the band decided to do GA, one option Live Nation wants to institute is floor seats in the $200-$250 range, on par with the Madonna tour. Plus the possibilities of stadium gigs is highly likely in the biggest markets (NYC, Chicago, Boston, LA, etc.).
Here's the issue, one person I spoke to said that U2 would probably fight those prices, but then another I spoke to basically told me that since U2 is now fully invested in Live Nation, they need to help make as much money for them as possible, as it is widely known that the Madonna tour is currently a losing venture for Live Nation. So does U2 stick to their guns and make tickets tiered appropriately? Or have they given up some autonomy in exchange for the stock?
What's disappointing is that U2 is probably the only artist who can truly sell out arenas anymore and even at prices in the $250 range in stadiums, it'll be a hard ticket.
