Tiers of Joy
by Scott LaMay
Despite the warmth and sunshine of our Wisconsin winter thus far, in a far away land, Punxsutawney Phil still sees his shadow and declares 6 more weeks of winter. Dah! With this insightful knowledge from a member of the rodent family, one might fall deeper into a depressed state and crawl back into bed to hibernate for another six weeks. As sarcastic as that sounds, I'm far from thinking about winter's harsh chill yet due, rather, I'm excited about the warm days ahead.
Last year we broke records with more than 30 days over 80 degrees. I recall all the fun times I had fishing, camping, and canoeing. These are the thoughts I wish to hold through spring to warm my heart. In fact, I'm banking on another awesome summer after recently buying a new 19' Mirro Craft fish & ski boat complete with a trolling motor, water skis, tube, CD player, GPS, fish locator, live wells, and nets. After making this investment for the purpose of enjoyment, there isn't a guarantee we'll catch fish, have fun, or that the weather will be as nice as last year. I also look forward to summer concerts, camping trips, white water rafting, festivals, shows, and thousands of other things in Wisconsin to see and do that Gary Knowle's shares in his weekly newsletter. Wow, I can't wait! The older I get, the more I appreciate these moments which memories are made from while sharing them with family and friends.
In an effort to further enjoy my tax refund, I ponder going to summer concerts. While thinking about buying tickets, I get this chill and burning sensation. No, it's not a seasonal bladder infection. More like blowing off steam and shaking off the chill of finger nails drawing down a chalk board. Here it is February and I'm not sure what's happening in any certainty during June, July or August that might also invite my undivided attention. But if I were to purchase my tickets now, I will save a bundle. So I think maybe I should, but then decide something else might be going on that weekend that is more important, like taking a youngster from a single parent household who needs a male role model out for a day on the water bass fishing. So I think I'll wait a few more weeks before I decide to commit a day or an entire weekend not knowing the concert schedule this far in advance.
Weeks have now past and I return to the site to make an online purchase only to find I missed the cutoff date for the first tier of the ticket price. Oh, I could just kick myself! Now they are $15 dollars more than a few weeks ago and the schedule still is not updated. If I wait and buy them at the gate, it will cost a whopping $55 for a day pass, but at least I will know who is playing. I get angry and click off the site. After stewing for yet another month, now I hear some of my friends are going, but as disgusted as I am over the tiered pricing structure, I tell my friends I can't afford to go. But the real truth is closer to it just goes against my value system to buy into something that just seems so wrong, regardless how much fun I might miss out on or how great the musicians and speakers might be.
Last year this really bothered me so I called Dr. Mark at WPFF radio, the promoter of PowerFest. I also called Lifest too. I introduced myself and told them I wanted to write this article. As we continued our conversations, both promoters said it was an issue of being good stewards. I prayed about this back then and decided not to write this last year.
Well, a year has past and this issue is still on my heart because it's that time of year again. I'm a man of principle and there must be others who think as I do that tiered pricing is just wrong. It alone has prevented me from attending concerts in the past. Country, rock, bluegrass, and Christian, all of which I enjoy listening to. Last year Dr. Mark confided in me that PowerFest lost over $20,000. The good news is that the shortfall didn't come out of the general fund. Instead, an anonymous contributor covered the loss because of its importance to the community. Lifest shared they broke even as I recall.
The perplexing issue here is stewardship. Although I personally consider a tiered pricing structure as gouging— a punishment or penalty based on supply and demand (something I expect from gas, electric, and communications providers after a potential natural disaster), promoters call it an incentive to be good stewards of financial resources, both theirs and that of the consumer, and also of their time. We are lead to believe planning ahead saves everyone in the long run.
Also a consideration are the costs involved in promoting an event, especially those of this magnitude and complexity. It can, and usually does, cost many thousands of dollars well in advance to book nationally known recording artists, entertainers, and speakers. Since many of these venues lose money or break even due to inclement weather, the necessary funds are not readily available shortly after the event to start planning next years concert. Vendors and sponsors don't normally commit until a few months prior. So where does this money come from? It can come from a loan, but this is clearly not good stewardship. It's unreasonable to pay interest on a $35,000 dollar loan for 8 months with no income until ticket sales pick up. So what is the answer?
I admit my frustration over this issue, but this is not something one person is going to change. Naturally I want to fight it. Through all the emotion, I have weakened my position which opens the door to an acceptance of this unethical practice, and I want to be clear that I don't condone this as an acceptable business practice— especially for a Christian organization! I don't believe Larry Burkett intentionally left this practice out of his audio cassette series, "God's Principles for Operating a Business," available from Crown Financial Ministries. The answer to this problem is in each of us to accept and commit to wholeheartedly. The reality is that if we don't, concerts and other events requiring large numbers of people to take ownership in for personal growth or enjoyment, will ultimately be forced to fade away.
Since my change of heart, I now contribute monthly to WPFF. As an incentive to monthly giving, I receive a pass to PowerFest. Who knows, I may further sponsor PowerFest by getting naming rights to a camping area for singles'. After all this unrest, all I had to do was let go of what might not be politically correct or accepted by our culture by give up a little more of myself than my values comfortably allow to experience the lure of my first Christian concert this summer— rain or shine.
Now that it is ticket time again, save a bundle by buying tickets early. It will make a difference as to who promoters book, which will make all the concert goer's all the happier! The tiered pricing structure is not something to shed a tear over if taking advantage of the first level ticket price. It will surely mean more joy when the event takes place and you're there to enjoy it! And if for some reason you are unable to attend after buying tickets so far in advance, give them to someone who can't afford to go at the gate price. It just might cause you and the receiver to shed a real tear, reaping songs of joy.
