Words by Corey Copeland
Earlier this year, 50 Cent referred to JAY-Z’s 4:44 album as “golf course music.” You can always count on 50 to give his honest opinion. He might get a good chuckle knowing tickets for the 4:44 tour are reselling for an abnormal price on Stubhub. Thousands of seats are still available at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Tickets are available for just $6 for a show in Anaheim, CA.
4:44 grabbed a #1 spot on the Billboard charts moving 262,000 album equivalent units, earning a platinum certification from the RIAA. Based solely upon free album downloads to existing Sprint subscribers. Technically, Sprint bought the albums, not actual fans. If you don’t understand the magnitude of this accomplishment, you don’t quite understand JAY-Z.
Three dates into the tour, average gross for the 4:44 Tour’s completed shows is up 21 percent over his 2013 Magna Carter Tour — Live Nation says the Honda Center show in Anaheim earned nearly 49% more than the same stop in 2013.
$6 seats signify that the Brooklyn MC has successfully priced ticket scalpers out of the game by charging market rates for the best seats in the house. Hov is arguably the most methodical rapper in the game. Every move is calculated and made swiftly like a game of chess.
By effectively charging more for front row seats and VIP experiences, the strategy eases pressure for upper-level seating sections.Artist and promoters can now direct traffic as many ticket brokers are forced to buy and sell tickets in the upper bowl. And since consumers have more primary and secondary outlets , many brokers end up selling off tickets below face value, taking a loss.
“This tour will be the biggest headlining tour of Jay’s career,” says Omar Al-Joulani, VP of touring at Live Nation.
The result: JAY-Z enjoys the last laugh, in route to the bank and fans looking for a deal can get in the door for an affordable price.
