When a concert is announced, the assumption is that it will sell out quickly. Fans rush to buy tickets, eager to secure their spots to see their favorite musician perform live. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a concert fails to sell out all of its tickets. This can happen for a variety of reasons and can have implications for the musicians, promoters, and venue. In this article, we will explore some key questions around concerts that don’t sell out.
What are some reasons a concert might not sell out?
There are a few main factors that can contribute to a concert not selling out:
The artist is not as popular as expected
If a concert is booked at a large venue with the assumption that the artist can sell it out, but they end up not having as much drawing power as anticipated, this can leave many unsold tickets. An act that was hot and selling out shows previously might see demand cool off by the time the concert comes around.
High ticket prices
Particularly for very large venues, ticket prices can be set high, thinking fans will pay any price to see their favorite act. But if prices are too high, it can price out some fans who would normally attend. Things like VIP packages and other add-ons can also increase the ticket cost and prevent sell outs.
Over saturation
Sometimes an artist might book too many shows in a given market and this can lead to lower demand, splitting the fanbase. Or they may go on tour too frequently, meaning fans don’t feel the urgency to catch every show.
Competing events
If another big concert or local event is happening around the same time, it can draw attendance away from the non-sold out show. Fans often prioritize what they want to see most and only have money for so many events.
Decline in popularity
As artists age and music trends change, the height of an artist’s fame can pass. Acts that once sold out arenas may slip to only selling out theaters or clubs later in their careers. If they keep playing the same sized venues, this can result in empty seats.
Lack of promotion
Robust promotion and marketing is crucial to drive ticket sales. If events aren’t promoted well via ads, radio, social media, etc, it can be hard to generate enough buzz. Without awareness, fans may not even know about the concert.
How far in advance can promoters tell if a concert won’t sell out?
Promoters use a few metrics and timeframes to get a sense early on whether a show will fully sell out or not:
Advance ticket sales
Looking at daily or weekly ticket sales gives promoters an idea of demand. If robust sales don’t materialize in the first onsale window, that’s an early warning. Comparing to past tours for the artist also gives context.
6 – 8 weeks out
By about two months before a show, promoters should have a sense of whether momentum is building or stalling. Selling only 50% of tickets by this point can be a red flag.
Website traffic
Fan engagement on an artist’s website and social media is tracked, so dwindling interest can show up online well before lagging ticket sales. Declining streaming numbers also warn of waning popularity.
Secondary market prices
If tickets are selling below face value on secondary sites like StubHub, it indicates low demand. Similarly, if the promoter has to discount tickets, it suggests the initial price was too high.
Tour history in market
Looking at past tours, how did the artist sell at the venue? Have crowd sizes been shrinking or growing? Fan loyalty in each market varies.
Google search trends
Artists and promoters can use Google Keyword Planner and search volume data to gauge fan interest and see if it’s rising or falling leading up to concerts.
What can the artist and promoter do if it looks like a show won’t sell out?
If it seems like tickets sales are lagging and a sell out is unlikely, the artist and promoter have some options to try boosting demand:
Add a strong opening act
A popular opener can provide extra incentive for fans on the fence to buy tickets. The additional act also broadens the appeal beyond the headliner’s core fanbase.
Lower/discount ticket prices
Dropping prices or offering flash discounts makes tickets more affordable to price-sensitive fans and helps fill more seats. Promoters would rather sell discounted tickets than have empty seats.
Schedule smaller venues
The artist could try playing smaller theaters and clubs if they can’t fill arenas. Scaling down venues helps create the illusion of a hot ticket.
Boost marketing
Ramp up advertising and promotions to increase awareness and visibility. Contest/giveaway packages with tickets drive interest.
Add VIP packages
Providing special meet & greet, exclusive merch, and photo opportunities entice superfans to pay higher prices for unique experiences.
Reschedule date
If the timing seems bad due to competition from other events, consider rescheduling for a better date on the calendar.
Cancel/consolidate shows
For multi-night stands in one city, cutting some dates or combining into one night reduces the inventory to help concentrate demand in a smaller venue.
What happens on the day of the concert if tickets are still unsold?
Once the concert date actually arrives, there are some things the box office and promoters will do if tickets remain available:
Keep selling tickets
They will obviously continue selling every last ticket possible leading up to showtime to get as many fans into the venue as they can. The box office typically stays open through the evening on show day.
Reduce prices
Further discounts may be introduced via promotions like a 50% discount code on remaining seats leading up to showtime to spur last-minute purchases.
Sell upgrades
Fans already with cheap seats are targeted to upgrade to better seats in unsold sections for a price higher than they paid but below full price. This helps fill the venue better.
Paper the house
The promoter gives away unsold tickets to radio stations, local media, contests, etc to fill all the seats even if some are comps. Having an empty venue looks bad.
Cancel sections
Block off unsold balconies or levels and consolidate everyone to a smaller section so the place still feels full even if it’s not at capacity.
Reconfigure seating
Use drapes or barriers to close off upper levels and turn the space into “festival seating” general admission on the floor to get a big pit crowd by the stage.
How does an unsold show impact the venue?
Venues bear significant costs when concerts don’t sell out. It hurts their bottom line in a few ways:
Loss of ticket revenue
They miss out on their share of revenue from every unsold ticket vs. a sell out show. This could mean hundreds of thousands in lost income.
Loss of ancillary spending
Fans that don’t attend won’t be buying overpriced food, drinks, merchandise, parking, etc. Concessions are a big profit center for venues.
Wasted overhead costs
They incur substantial overhead expenses regardless of attendance like staff, utilities, and preparing the building. With unsold seats, those costs are spread among fewer fans.
Refunds and reimbursements
For the seats that didn’t sell, the promoter will collect refunds on facility fees and rental costs, eating into the venue’s budget.
Booking difficulties
A pattern of undersold shows hurts the venue’s reputation with promoters, who may look to book tours in other nearby venues with better track records selling tickets.
Fan experience suffers
Empty sections detract from the crowd energy and environment for the fans who did buy tickets, which can hurt repeat business.
What is the financial impact on the performer when concerts don’t sell out?
Artists depend heavily on touring revenue, so unsold shows also take a financial toll on the performers:
Lower gross ticket sales
Not selling all the available tickets means substantially less income for the artist. For arena concerts, unsold tickets could represent hundreds of thousands in lost revenue per show.
Lower merchandise revenue
With fewer fans in attendance buying merch, the artist misses out on a significant income stream from concert tees, hoodies, posters and other souvenirs.
Negative optics
Poor ticket sales numbers, empty seats and undersized crowds don’t look good for an artist’s image and popularity. It signals waning interest.
Lower guarantees
If tickets don’t sell for a current tour, promoters may be hesitant to continue booking the act in large venues or offer lower guarantees for future tours, shrinking their concert paycheck.
Production costs
The show’s overhead expenses like equipment, staging, lighting and travel stay largely fixed, so those costs account for a larger share of revenue with unsold seats. Profit margins fall.
Morale issues
Seeing small crowds can be demoralizing for artists and make tours feel like more of a grind when the arenas aren’t full of cheering fans.
What about refunds if I can’t attend an unsold concert?
If you can no longer attend a concert that has empty seats, you have a few options regarding refunds:
Official refunds
Many tickets allow refunds or exchanges if requested a certain number of days in advance (typically 1-2 weeks). But fees are usually non-refundable.
Sell on a resale site
You can resell the tickets on StubHub, VividSeats, Ticketmaster, etc. You’ll often recoup more than the face value if demand exceeds remaining supply.
Give tickets away
Gifting tickets to friends is an option if you can’t resell them. The venue may also accept donated tickets to give away to last-minute fans or comp groups.
Negotiate with the box office
On the day of show, unsold tickets may allow for exceptions to standard refund policy if you visit the box office and speak to a manager about refunds.
Write the promoter
Appealing directly to the concert promoter, detailing your situation and hoping for goodwill credit on a future show may work if policies won’t allow an official refund.
Eat the cost
If the show is low demand, trying to resell may yield no buyers and policies won’t allow refunds, so you may have to eat the cost of the tickets.
Conclusion
In an ideal world, every major concert would be a swift sell out. But the realities of waning popularity, poor promotion, oversaturation and other factors often prevent shows from reaching capacity. While this undoubtedly has negative financial impacts on artists, venues, and promoters, strategies like lowering prices, booking smaller venues, consolidating dates, and boosting marketing can help mitigate situations where high demand fails to materialize. And for fans stuck with tickets to an undersold show, options like resales and refunds provide some remedy as well. Though concerts not selling out are rarely ideal, clever adjustments by all parties involved can still deliver great live music experiences for passionate fans.