Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
It's all about substitution.
Calgarians went to 41% as many concert-seats as Edmontonians did. So what are the implications?
1) Calgarians aren't as interested in concerts and just don't spend as much money on entertainment (that seems very unlikely)
2) Calgarians are substituting other things instead of concerts (the libarary, the zoo?)
3) Calgarians are going elsewhere for concerts, such as Edmonton, Vancouver, Phoenix and Las Vegas.
#3 is both the most likely explanation, and - by a mile - the worst, because if they are going to other cities to see concerts, they aren't just spending their concert money elsewhere, they are also attending bars and restaurants, spending travel dollars, shopping, etc.
And that's the multiplier effect. It's impossible to quantify. But suggesting it doesn't exist is just silly.
I will get roasted for this by a certain segment of the poster-base but pretty much everyone I know does the majority of their 'concerting' in Vegas and Phoenix.
Obviously that's anecdotal. And obviously, that doesn't represent everyone. And of course, people would still do some of that even if we had more top concerts here. But the bottom line is that some of that money would stay in the city, pay taxes here, fill our restaurants, etc.
People can glibly say "I don't care if we are missing concerts" (and I don't go to concerts anymore, personally), but to suggest it doesn't affect he city, and to suggest we aren't losing entertainment revenue, restaurant and bar revenue, and significant local tax revenue, is flat out blind denial.
To the bold: the extra taxes means more city revenue for all those things you want
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Except Phoenix, Vancouver and L.A. aren't our competition. Those cities get bigger and more shows because they are significantly bigger metropolis' and are on the "concert" route. (Vancouver being on the coast is more palatable to do the coastal tour).
The only city that we should be comparing ourselves to is Edmonton, and although it sucks we get less, I'm not sure the 4 concerts a year justify it.
Stadiums are even more ridiculous, I suspect we miss 1/2 shows a year MAX, that commonwealth gets (even then, we might split with them, no one is going to play both). Stadium tours are pretty rare these days.