How Much Is Too Much For A Webcast?

[MormonMatthew]

As many here know, I have long been a huge enthusiast of The Radiators' music, I have been seeing them regularly since 1992, in various venues both large and small in at least 20 different states, at assorted festivals, free outdoor events and literally dozens upon dozens of clubs and bars in huge cities and tiny Western mountain ski towns alike.

I just got an email from Tipitinas that the band will be playing their annual anniversary shows there this year (I can't tell if there will be a live audience in attendance or not?) and the price to livestream the shows is $39.99 per night.

Well, to be honest, the price was frankly shocking to me, as I would guess that 90% of the actual tickets I have bought over the years for their live shows have been less than that, in fact usually about half of that, as in most markets The Rads have always just been a "$20 Bar Band from New Orleans" (in a few cities where they had a sizeable following and so would play several times per year, like Denver/Boulder, San Francisco, Minneapolis tickets would usually be a little more, $30 or $35 was seemingly the upper limit)

I also imagine part of my surprise was that it is apparent to me that the world is getting pretty bored with the entire concept of livestreaming music by now, as I recall when the pandemic first started there were 5 or 6 threads here per week about various webcasts with many of us enthusiastically supporting our favorite bands and venues, the last few threads here about livestreamed shows have not recieved a single post in response, which tells me that the market is not going to respond to the "opportunity" to spend $40 for a couple of hours of entertainment in your living room, even if it is for a good cause (Tipitinas and the band)

In the end I will probably spring for one of the nights, (selfishly, I want Tips to still be open the next time I fly into the Crescent City) although it really does seem extravagant to me, I guess in no small part because that I can't help compare how far $40 goes over here in Krakow with what I am getting in return. (seriously, for example, my monthly cell phone bill on T-Mobile Poland is $6.00, for unlimited calling, text and data including free roaming anywhere in the E.U., a case of "expensive" Polish beer is $7.00 and about the best pizza I have ever eaten anywhere on Earth is $5.50 for an extra large. Simply put, $40 bucks goes a long, long way in this part of the world)

Anyways, what do you think, is $40 for a webcast overpriced or should I be ashamed for being such a cheapskate?

[McGregor]

$13 and some change if you share it with 3 folks. but yea, never seen one higher than $29 for a single show I don't think. Definitely high.

[duende]

I’ll chime in by saying that it depends... is your TV a very recent smart TV? My TV apparently has limitations when connecting thru the internet. I wound up punting by routing my iPad’s lightning Jack out to HDMI and Bluetooth’ing the audio to my stereo for the Tip’s NYE streaming show. The signal dropped several times, forcing me too log back into Nugs.effing.TV and re-connecting my Bluetooth... every time. AT&T u-verse also dropped out once... wash>rinse>repeat. Frustrating as F and I’m still somewhat tech-savvy at my advanced age. My wife just wandered off a couple of times during said outages, probably worried that on the next re-boot I’d just see how far I could throw some of my electronics. When the feed was good, it was very good, audio & video. A couple of acts were on the grainy side, visually, and there were mixed audio, uh, mixes. Seeing Anders get completely into the home-alone pandemic style by appearing in gray sweatpants was affirming - though I did wear jeans and a collared shirt for sushi dinner (at home) with the wife, but sure, get comfy lol. I tipped each artist, so that was a chunk of change on top of the streaming fee. And full disclosure, as a fan and a player, that’s probably the last time I engage in a big production event like this. Iguanas or Tin Men, or the like, in someone’s back yard or driveway? Sure! It’s not like the laptop screen or PC speakers will detract from the experience, but let’s be clear - none of these streaming shows is going to even closely approximate a truly live event. And dropping a thousand bucks for a do-it-all smart TV that will be current for about 18 months isn’t topping my priority list either. That said, they could all use the cash right now, so support them any way you can.

[Picklemic]

I've been contemplating about getting these Rads streams too. It's actually $35 a night and $90 for the 3. Still expensive. I knew it was going to happen for a month or so and figured $25 A night and $60 for all would be reasonable, but this is pretty crazy. I did get the NYE steam and enjoyed it and for the $20 early buy, I thought it was a good bang for the buck. The one other thing that I find interesting is that these Rads shows and the NYE show are actually pre-recorded. Probably for the best presentation. So they can get the audio and the edits better. Oh, yah and another thing that is making it hard for me to pull the trigger on all 3 is that they only give you 3 days to re-watch it. If they gave you a month, I would at least think about it. Love the Rads, been seeing them since '94. First time was after the GD shows in Eugene, OR. I left my hippy dippy fake opium smoking buddies at the on-site camping spot and I skateboarded over to the WOW Hall with my d-7 DAT to get Radiated. Good times!!!!!

[ice nine]

You may as well get Wrestlemania. Watch some guys hit each other over the head with folding chairs.

[HankAndLeeStamper]

There's some yes and no to what MM is saying.
Yes, the Rads were a $20 bar band from Nola for 33 years.
Then, i know it doesn't seem like it, but a full NINE YEARS ago they retired from touring and only perform at Tips in January and at Jazzfest.
The January shows have been $70 tickets per person per night for several years now, and are usually only sold in 3-night packs to people who fly in specifically for the shows and a hardcore collection of locals.
And just to clarify a quasi question from MM, who is out of country, there will NOT be fans at the gig. I went to see the Pelicans play last night; was one of the privileged 750 who got to go sit in an 18.000 seat arena. 4% of capacity is the currently allowed number at Orleans parish sporting events, and that is likely to go down, not up.

[festbabe]

What HALS said ^^^^ . The Rad's January "Family Reunion" shows have been $60-$70 per ticket per night for several years, so I was not surprised by the streaming price. I like their music, but I've thought for years their pricing was ridiculous. But they sell out, and I keep going, so its hard to be too judgy.

Also - t0 answer the general question, "How much is too much for a streaming show?": musicians are hurting and I'm willing to pay equal to or a bit more than what I'd pay as a cover to an in-person show. I'd go up to $20-$30 range for someone I really like. The Write Brothers' upcoming album release show (streaming) is $20, which is higher than in-person, but I'm ok with it. The Tip's New Year's Eve show was $20, which I surprisingly thought was a bit low for the quality and content of what they presented.

[HankAndLeeStamper]

What HALS said ^^^^ . The Rad's January "Family Reunion" shows have been $60-70 per ticket per night for several years, so I was not surprised by the streaming price. I like their music, but I've thought for years their pricing was ridiculous. But they sell out, and I keep going, so its hard to be too judgy.

And to be clear: I am NOT saying that $40 bucks to stream a show is a good deal in ANY WAY. I'm simply saying if your belief is that Rads shows cost $20 and now they charge $40 to watch them on tv, that's not the case.
As to the price of their actual live shows (not the liveSTREAMS), as festbabe notes, it's just market based supply and demand: there are 4 club shows (3 in January and 1 during fest) and 1 festival set (at jazzfest, about half the length of a club show) every year.
As Dave is 68 and he is the youngest member of the band, you wouldn't be crazy to calculate that there are probably less than 20 club shows left in this group's existence and that thus $70 to see them on their home floor is a bargain.

ALso --- editing in late --- I completely agree with Picklemic --- when you pay for something like 9 hours of recorded streaming music, giving you 3 days to watch it is total bullshit. Available to watch for a month is a FAR more appropriate scenario at ANY price.

[MormonMatthew]

I knew that the Radiators Anniversary shows had gotten pretty expensive since the band "Retired" (although I haven't personally been down for any of the January anniversary shows since the "Earth Vs. The Radiators: The First 25" run that they recorded as a DVD, which featured a ton of special guests including George Porter Jr., Karl Denson, Taj Mahal, Gregg Allman, etc. which was a fine and wild weekend indeed) but I guess I forgot that they were asking for $70 per ticket these days.

Still, $70 for a once-in-a-lifetime, in-person live experience seems like a much more attractive prospect than $40 for a pre-recorded stream of a "show" played in front of a few sound crew and maybe a few close friends.

After learning that it is a canned, more-or-less studio performance, there is no interest here, even if it was priced out at $4.99 per night.

[Headless Hornman]

I've viewed a few online concerts this year and they just don't work for me. And when I saw the Rads price I said 'nope.' But then I realized that there's a good chance that one of those nights will be a tribute to Joe Perez. I'll buy that if it's possible to confirm which one.

[Kemp]

I'm glad musicians can make some dough in these hard times with on line shows. They just make me miss the real thing, but if it's someone I want to support, I will try to participate.

[CEfromLA]

I'm not a huge fan of the live-steamed events.
I miss the 'connection' with the band and the other fans and I feel like they are too 'produced'.
Having said that, I do like the little living room shows by Anders, Alex and others. They are more 'real'. I'll throw $10-$20 to the artist who's just trying to hang on, doing shows from their house.
I'd never spend $90 for a Rads show, especially since their 'retirement' doesn't seem to stick. When N.O. is back to normal (as normal as it gets) and there is a full-on JF, I suspect the Rads will be in the mix.

[jjazznj]

I've been contemplating about getting these Rads streams too. It's actually $35 a night and $90 for the 3. Still expensive. I knew it was going to happen for a month or so and figured $25 A night and $60 for all would be reasonable, but this is pretty crazy. I did get the NYE steam and enjoyed it and for the $20 early buy, I thought it was a good bang for the buck. The one other thing that I find interesting is that these Rads shows and the NYE show are actually pre-recorded. Probably for the best presentation. So they can get the audio and the edits better. Oh, yah and another thing that is making it hard for me to pull the trigger on all 3 is that they only give you 3 days to re-watch it. If they gave you a month, I would at least think about it. Love the Rads, been seeing them since '94. First time was after the GD shows in Eugene, OR. I left my hippy dippy fake opium smoking buddies at the on-site camping spot and I skateboarded over to the WOW Hall with my d-7 DAT to get Radiated. Good times!!!!!

You can always just copy them so you can watch as many times as you want.

[Headless Hornman]

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_l...3bacd9f7d.html

"[Dave Malone] was apprehensive about playing to an empty room for the Tipitina’s TV taping, then pleasantly surprised by the dynamic that developed with his bandmates in the absence of an audience.

“I thought it would be weird, not getting that energy back from the crowd. That feeds a live performance.

“But what happened — and I don’t want to belittle how much better it is to play for fans — was that our communication with each other was like when we were playing in the early days. It was like when you get in the zone, and everything’s clicking, and magical musical moments happen spontaneously.”

[jjazznj]

I’ll chime in by saying that it depends... is your TV a very recent smart TV? My TV apparently has limitations when connecting thru the internet. I wound up punting by routing my iPad’s lightning Jack out to HDMI and Bluetooth’ing the audio to my stereo for the Tip’s NYE streaming show. The signal dropped several times, forcing me too log back into Nugs.effing.TV and re-connecting my Bluetooth... every time. AT&T u-verse also dropped out once... wash>rinse>repeat. Frustrating as F and I’m still somewhat tech-savvy at my advanced age. My wife just wandered off a couple of times during said outages, probably worried that on the next re-boot I’d just see how far I could throw some of my electronics. When the feed was good, it was very good, audio & video. A couple of acts were on the grainy side, visually, and there were mixed audio, uh, mixes. Seeing Anders get completely into the home-alone pandemic style by appearing in gray sweatpants was affirming - though I did wear jeans and a collared shirt for sushi dinner (at home) with the wife, but sure, get comfy lol. I tipped each artist, so that was a chunk of change on top of the streaming fee. And full disclosure, as a fan and a player, that’s probably the last time I engage in a big production event like this. Iguanas or Tin Men, or the like, in someone’s back yard or driveway? Sure! It’s not like the laptop screen or PC speakers will detract from the experience, but let’s be clear - none of these streaming shows is going to even closely approximate a truly live event. And dropping a thousand bucks for a do-it-all smart TV that will be current for about 18 months isn’t topping my priority list either. That said, they could all use the cash right now, so support them any way you can.

I have a laptop dedicated to my TV and the TV connected to my stereo. The sound and picture are awesome. I cut the cord and have watched TV online and using a digital antenna for years now. I watch any and all sporting events, news and endless music online for free. I do not miss anything that was on cable.

I did watch that NYE Tip's show if for no other reason but to support the artists and it was ok but not even like watching real live music. You can see the artists feel weird when the songs are over and there is no applause. Also I hate to say it but Galactic continue to get worse by the year. What happened to this once great band? I still listen to their older shows with Erica, Cyril, Corey and Houseman singing which are great but not a fan of what they have become.

I wouldn't pay that much to see The Radiators in person never mind on TV. And 3 nights of them in a row? I'd rather just thrown on some older and better Rad's shows from back in the day. That being said I hope many people do it to support Tip's.