LCD Soundsystem Last Show

(Andrew Fosbrook - Guest Blog Post)

Music and The Ski Monster go hand in hand. In fact, skiing and music go hand in hand. Whether you have a pre-ski pump up mix for the ride to the mountain, a favorite track from a ski movie, or look forward to the live band in the apres ski scene, its ingrained in your DNA as a skier to rock out.

The interconnectedness between the music and ski industry is real, but when can one industry take a cue from another? Tickets.

One of my new favorite bands, LCD Soundsystem, is calling it quits this spring and sold out their last show at Madison Square Garden. However, their tickets didn't go to fans. No, instead they went to scalpers who immediately reposted them for sale, effectively driving up the market price for a pass to the band’s penultimate show from $40 to $1,500. Concerned for true fans, the band immediately booked five more shows leading up to the finale. This brilliant economic move will allow fans to see the band at a reasonable price, albeit at a different show. However, it also effectively altered the supply of tickets enough to drive down the market ticket price for the MSG show. 

So, here we have a band standing up for the people that devote themselves to their music. But, with the ever-increasing ticket price at the mountain; my question is, who will be the LCD Soundsystem of the ski industry?

My pick is an organized rebellion, by the fans for the fans, again through economic means. Group buying websites like Groupon, Living Social, etc. have taken off and are quickly becoming some of the most powerful forces in discount purchasing. A new concept enabled by social media and mobile applications, group buying has made winners out of both buyers and sellers. Will this work for the ski industry? I think so, especially after seeing a Groupon deal for $38 tickets to Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont. I’m not asking if skiers will unite. I’m asking when. My prediction is sooner than you think.