The Rolling Stones have done little to change their image in the 44 years they've been together. Yet they still lead Pollstar’s list as the top-grossing tour for the first half of 2006.
How veteran rockers like the Stones can still command such a successful go-round is something newer bands should study … hard.
First of all, the Stones’ audience is full of baby-boomers, who at this point in their life have the money to drop on a band that they could have seen for $10 when they first started out. Sometimes, experience pays.
Newer bands rely on college students or even teenagers to fill the audience, who usually can’t pony up more than about $50 a ticket. That lesson was in full effect in 2004 when pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera both ended up canceling tours due to fans balking over their high-priced tickets.
The older/wealthier a band’s fan base is, the better their chance of success. Look at Barry Manilow, who led the pack with an average ticket price of $154. The Stones commanded and average of $134 per ticket, and though they only played 42 shows, they were all either sold out or near capacity.
This second factor in the Stones success is that they are able to fill major stadiums with the fans they’ve picked up over all their years of playing. They’ve played in huge stadiums, packing a serious punch with each show. U2 chose smaller arenas this time around, marking the main difference between the Stones taking the top slot last year and U2 slipping to second.
Since their inception in 1962 the Stones have released about 40 albums, spanning the differing sounds of each decade, yet still staying true to their signature style. In fact, they’ve seen the most success when they stuck to their own sound, as they know from experience.
In ’67, reacting to the new style of the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the Stones came out with “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” regarded as an “ambitious mess.” The next year they returned to their roots with the release of “Beggars Banquet.” Hailed as their finest achievement, it was a testament to the strength of their unique style.
A few solo releases started a feud between Jagger and Richards. Though Jagger did reach platinum status with his 1984 “She’s the Boss,” a following effort in ’87 proved less than stellar, as did Richards’. His ’88 single, “You Don’t Move Me” was a cut aimed at Jagger. But their reunion in 1989 produced “Steel Wheels,” confirming again that together they have always had the recipe for success.
Their first studio release since 1998, “A Bigger Bang” fueled their most recent tour. But they may have been able to roll simply playing their older music, like Jimmy Buffett is still doing. He hasn’t changed his style either over the years, but it’s still working.
A top-selling tour, Buffett was No. 10 in 2005, getting $76 a ticket, but playing all the time. The artist has been around the concert circuit every year it seems, and still brings in the fans. He’s selling the experience, a Buffett concert has its cult-following. Buffett has bred his own sea-side sub-culture.
There are many bands that rely on touring as their main source of income. The Grateful Dead may have started the trend on which many jam bands have been able to capitalize. Just like the Dead, with a low (or non-existent) number of top 10 hits and not-so-hot record sales, bands such as Bela Fleck, Phish and String Cheese Incident have been able to stay afloat by staying on the tour bus. Especially in today’s climate of music sharing and falling CD sales due to CD burners and free downloads.
Quantity can be an easy answer for income. Touring can bring major money, but for Celine Dion, in 2005, staying in one Las Vegas spot won her the No. 3 spot for top-grossers, commanding more per ticket than the Stones, at $136 a pop. So being big enough to bring the fans to you can work as well. But, had she staged her show in the middle of Iowa, it’s doubtful whether as many fans would come.
The Stones, along with the other aging bands that top these lists, have another thing going for them: Age. The chance that this may be their final tour comes up every time they hit the stage.
Hinting at it, but never actually saying so, is a back-pocket trick that only works for legendary artists. Especially with Richards recent brain surgery due to his random accident, the “what if” may be working to propel this band to heights even higher than that coconut tree.
