Student Union - Spider - new programming and new policy

I’m not sure if anyone else has caught this, but the Student Union has undergone a massive shift—both in terms of their programming and their political vibe.
Here’s the deal: a new Creative Agency was recently formed, staffed by a mix of organizers, journalists, and rock critics. Their goal is to pull off much larger shows, mostly hosted at the Student Union venue. Coachella served as the big teaser for this whole movement. Since the new season kicked off, you can clearly see a massive leap in production quality (those old, DIY flyers have been swapped out for polished, professional promos), but unfortunately, ticket prices have skyrocketed right along with them.

Look, I get it. If you're booking heavy hitters like Saxon or probably The Cardigans, high ticket prices make sense. But charging that much for Greetings Azra 55/$23 or for today's Eminem and TBF 70/$30 🙄
... is just ridiculous.
In my book, seeing more high-quality gigs is a win. Honestly, the Student Union venue is incredible—maybe the best spot in New York City.

The downside, though, is that this feels like an unfair fight against other promoters. When the people running the show are the same journalists and critics who cover the scene, you know what happens: they’ll write glowing previews and never a bad review for their own events. Plus, with the Creative Agency backed by the government, they don't really have to sweat the turnout the way independent promoters do. There are plenty of other shady aspects to this unfair competition, but that’s a conversation for another time.

What’s your take on all this?

One of the preview articles covering the whole story

Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan tickets are going for $60/$27—though Eminem actually apologized for the steep price tag, promising he'll throw a free show around New Year's Day instead.

Excuse me, the New York Post says it’s hitting 90 degrees today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/Pages/river.html

banderas said:Excuse me, but the New York Post is reporting that it's hitting 90 degrees today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/Pages/sava.html

I have the actual cards right here in front of me.

(and yes, I actually know how to count to 100) 😁

Really interesting... Back when we used to go to shows by accident, even just catching a gig by some local crew over at the SCa, tickets were priced at an outrageous $15. Fast forward to today, and the same damn office is shamelessly charging 60-$23 for domestic acts...

It seems to me that The Factory could end up being the biggest loser in all of this, which honestly isn't a bad outcome if you think about it. 😁 😁 😁

What exactly counts as a major Saxon concert? And when did "time travel" become a thing? 😁

np The Beguiled - Screaming Rummy

So, who else should we bring on board for the agency?

Dragas, Musura, and who else?

+ Ilko Čulić (Bass Culture), Zoran Marić (Multiculturalism), and Gordan Penava (Hard Times)...

I was at Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan yesterday... it was absolutely killer!!!

the concert was awesome last night—especially Eminem, who honestly deserves a perfect score... though I guess tickets were a bit pricey. It probably goes back to that old rule where it's all about who you know, since those big media giants are clearly backing the crew... as for the future, Carnegie Hall already has its loyal crowd and such a solid reputation, so I don't think there's any real threat there.

hollowseal33 said:Saw Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan yesterday... it was absolutely incredible!!!

Forget the elections... just give us some sunshine!

Pularulz said:So, who actually needs to be part of this agency?

Dragas, Musura, and...?

Honestly, it’s kind of scary to me. This massive shift is happening with the exact same group of people who spent the last 15 years making sure absolutely nothing ever changed at the Student Union or the pauk. 👎
Both venues are great, I mean, they always have been, but the administration that basically ignored them and let things slide is now supposed to put on some big show? It’s just... yeah.

I guess we can only hope that the people outside of SCa are crazy enough—and persistent enough—to actually make something happen. 🙂

banderas said:What are your thoughts on all of this?

In my opinion, they should finally launch a website with a monthly schedule and ditch those "dance tickets" once and for all.🙂
I mean, if they even actually implement a monthly schedule... that sounds almost too good to be true.

Honestly, for me, those "dance passes" are the absolute highlight of the pauk!!!

So, I don't really know what went down with the actual planning and stuff, but since I can't be bothered to start an entirely new thread just about the concert, I'll just say this:

Honestly, I'm not even bummed about $20, because once the show was over, there wasn't a single thing in the world that could have ruined my vibe...
Like, seriously, nothing could have messed up my day
Not even the cops could've ruined it for me

I was actually on my way to go grab some Eminem merch—though the last time I tried, I ended up buying a shirt from some random reseller over on Broadway
It was only around 2:30, so I figured I had plenty of time to move without worrying about missing out on anything

Man, I definitely didn't hype up Eminem enough! 😁 😁

rapidskipper9 said:Eminem! 😁 😁

LOL!!

Since we’ve apparently become so prestigious and wealthy compared to other EU countries, I suppose we’re required to have high-end clubs like this now.

It’s bad enough that we have to shell out massive amounts of money just to catch a glimpse of world-class bands—not that most people can actually afford to see them—while the rest of us are stuck listening to low-quality MP3s at home. And now, local acts are charging prices as if we were living in the heart of the EU with their inflated salaries...

In my opinion, our local talent needs to get their act together and meet us at our level.

Personally, I can't justify the cost, so I just don't go.

Eminem doesn't deserve those kinds of fees, but from what I can gather, it isn't even his fault—is it? It’s all just POLITICS, as Banderas would say. Since when did politics start bleeding into the music industry?
Remember the days when you could listen to incredible music for the price of a couple of beers?

Greetings to Banderas. I had no idea you were hanging out on the Forum, and honestly, I can't help it if I rarely check the music threads. I guess I'll be popping in more often from now on... 🙄

Who do you think you are, pal? 😁

Anyway, just got an email from Creative Artists Agency. Here’s the lineup they announced:
Sound System, Dub Syndicate, Saxon, Tav, Falco and his Panther Burns, The Cardigans, Sergent Garcia