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Wednesday Morning Roundup


by Stephen Becker 24 Dec 2008 7:38 AM

AISLE ECONOMICS: When going to a concert or play, most of us would just assume have an aisle seat, right? Sure, you have to constantly stand up to let those in the center of your row in (how many times can one person hit the concession stand during a performance?). But the ease of getting […]

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AISLE ECONOMICS: When going to a concert or play, most of us would just assume have an aisle seat, right? Sure, you have to constantly stand up to let those in the center of your row in (how many times can one person hit the concession stand during a performance?). But the ease of getting to your seat, plus the ability to hang that leg out into the aisle if needed, are worth it.

And some arts organizations are catching on. The latest trend in ticketing, “demand pricing” seems to be taking hold across the country. Sure, every venue charges more for, say, the lower bowl as opposed to the upper deck. But demand pricing seeks to micro analyze ticket-buying trends for the venue to see which seats tend to go first. And those are the ones you can expect to pay a premium for.

As one arts group after another files for bankruptcy, it’s hard to argue with the practice. Higher demand equals higher prices – it’s Economics 101. And these organizations are smart to take advantage of that principle.

Or at least try to. If, in the course of their research, they find that those premium aisle seats start going last after a surcharge is tacked on to them, then maybe people aren’t as willing to shell out a few more bucks for almost the same seat as the one next to them.

At that point though, you could argue that “demand pricing” really kicks in. If all you have left to a hot show are the 40 aisle seats in your 200-seat house, aren’t you economically sound in raising the price on those final tickets? The demand remains high, but the supply has gone way down. Maybe they’ll call it “last-minute” pricing?

RED AND GREEN WITH THE BLUE: With this being Christmas Eve and all, how about a feel-good story to get us through the day? The Dallas Police Choir recently made its annual rounds to area hospitals, bringing the holidays to those who can’t be home with family. It’s a tradition that the officers have carried on for 25 years. And the good news for those taking in the performances: the choir doesn’t just rely on the same tired versions of those classics.

“Right now, we have a very cool version of ‘Jingle Bells’ that we started this year,” Lt. Sally Lannom told The Dallas Morning News. “A nice, jazzy little version that we just learned.”

Note: The Morning Roundup will be taking Christmas Day and Friday off. But Monday morning we’ll be back at it again, having come down from the sugar rush of eating all those candy canes.

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