It’s the new year and I was clicking around for upcoming events to check out.  If I don’t make myself a list in advance, I usually forget and then do the facepalm when I figure out that I just missed something I wanted to see.

I’m sure I can be fairly criticized for a complete failure to comprehend the business model, but some of the arts ticketing around here seems outrageous.  I hate to pick on the Alys Stephens Center – they’re clearly doing good by bringing some different and interesting acts to Birmingham – but I’ve got to question the pricing.

Here is a list of the minimum (non-student) ticket pricing on events they have listed from today through March:

• $15 – January 14
• $35 – January 15
• $37 – January 16
• $10 – January 17
• $32 – January 22
• $35 – January 24
• $45 – January 29
• $40 – February 12
• $8 – February 13
• $25 – February 13
• $35 – February 28

Even if I was curious about seeing the Battleworks Dance Company or the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra or the Soweto Gospel Choir, there’s pretty much no way I’d shell out $25+ for an artist I really don’t know that much about.  Or ask a date (now it’s $50+) to something that may or may not suck.  And these prices aren’t for the good tickets.

I could understand if every show sold out, but I rarely see shows in Birmingham that are completely full.  Can someone explain to me the thought process in this kind of practical exclusion of younger and middle-class arts fans?  How do I become a regular, paying arts fan if I can’t afford to see these shows?  Do these performances exist just for corporate sponsors?

Could it work to have a “last minute” email list for cheap leftover tickets that might be released shortly before the performance?  It might be really cool if I got an email at 5pm that there were X leftover tickets to tonight’s performance for sale at $10 each.  If I really wanted to see a show, I’d get my tickets in advance, but if I was just “kinda curious”, I might wait to see if it sells out and try to snag a couple of $10 tickets, rather than just ignore it completely.  Full and diverse audiences are more fun for everybody.  And that’s the kind of email marketing list that can be priceless to an organization.

At the very least, maybe organizations – not just Alys Stephens – could do a better job explaining to me why I’d want to pay to come see these acts.  I’m not sure I can get excited about anything from just one picture and a paragraph.  (Much like online dating, maybe, you gotta try a little harder…)  I note that the Birmingham Festival Theatre has worked extra-hard on the promotion of their upcoming play, Bus Stop, including links to the script, a review, the wikipedia and imdb entries, and pictures of the cast in costume.  Very cool, and it lets us all try to figure out in advance whether the play is worth the ticket price.

Changing the subject entirely, I’d like to briefly re-broadcast this sad news from our Birmingham roller derby, the Tragic City Rollers: “Founding skater and beloved bench coach, Sally Slaughter, was killed New Years Eve in a car accident on US-280.  TCR thanks you for your love and support.  Please keep her family, friends and teammates in your hearts, in your thoughts and in your prayers.”  I’m really sorry, and everybody try and stay safe out there.