Concert Stats: Aug 14, 16, 17, 18, 20 and 21

another sold out show.

Pretty good for Florida, considering Massive Nuisance Fay was an issue for at least one of those shows.

I forgot how last year’s concert did. Is this the most successful? I wonder what season had the most sold out shows?

Pretty good for Florida, considering Massive Nuisance Fay was an issue for at least one of those shows.

That brings up a question I’ve been curious about: do they count attendance based on whether the ticket was scanned (used), or ticket sales? Cuz say folks buy tickets ahead of time, but can’t go last minute due to weather, etc. and wastes their money & ticket, it shouldn’t matter for revenues, obviously, but I wonder about the attendance stats. Just curious if anyone knows.

Pretty good for Florida, considering Massive Nuisance Fay was an issue for at least one of those shows.

That’s an interesting question. I’ve always thought that the vast majority of the tickets are sold early on. Something like a big storm or hurricane wouldn’t be known about that far in advance. But, if a lot of people buy tickets at the last moment, then a brewing storm would have a large effect on people buying the tickets.

I know that some people wait to buy tickets until near the end in hopes of scooping up something good that was just released, but that can’t be many people because not that many good tickets get released at the last moment. It wouldn’t be such a successful strategy if the majority of people were doing it (i.e. your odds of getting a good ticket would be slim. Better to take the moderately good ticket available earlier than risk getting a really poor seat later on).

Certainly, some concerts sell-out quickly (e.g. demand for the Police tour was big enough that it strained Ticketmaster’s system the day they were released) while others take some time. I would have thought that most Idol tickets would be sold shortly after they are announced (during the season), but it is possible that people get the idea to go only when the tour is a few days imminent.

Maybe there isn’t just enough Idol demand in that region of Florida. Last year, the tour started in Sunrise and went to Tampa the next day. Opening tour dates often see a surge because people want to see the first concert dates. Nevertheless, those two dates had a capacity of 70.7% and 78.6% respectively. Interestingly, the venues were “larger” this year. The number of tickets available last year were 10,938 and 9,876 respectively. If the same number of tickets would have been available this year, Tampa would have been a near sell-out (99.3% while Sunrise would have been at 84%). Numbers can be a little deceiving. Duluth sold out by selling only 200 more tickets than Tampa. Bigger venues are harder to sell-out (although one might presume that bigger venues indicate bigger audiences). I imagine the tour organizers know what they will be happy with selling.

Lots of questions appeared while I was posting:

That brings up a question Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been curious about: do they count attendance based on whether the ticket was scanned (used), or ticket sales?

I’m pretty sure that it’s based on tickets sold. I can’t imagine that everybody who buys a ticket shows up for the concert or has time to sell the ticket at the last minute. If they counted attendance, I think they’d rarely get a sold-out show.

I forgot how last yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s concert did. Is this the most successful? I wonder what season had the most sold out shows?

Last year’s concerts didn’t do so well. It did not sell out any concerts and with 42 of 59 concerts reporting, it had a capacity of 68.1% (I don’t have access to all the concert stats for Season 6, but Nevada who does told me that no sold out concerts were reported for Season 6. Nevada is the Queen of Stats. I am but a plebe).

This season is doing pretty good. The best season is Season 5. It sold 96% of its tickets with 19 sell-outs. Season 4 had 11 sell-outs (I need to run the stats to say what percentage of seats it sold). Season 2 had a capacity of 89.33% and 17 sell-outs. Season 1 had 5 sell-outs and sold 82.2% of it’s tickets. Season 3 sold out 3 concerts (all in Honolulu).

Thanks, Kirsten. You are a wealth of information and insight (despite being a self-professed stat-plebe!

I have a question – about how much do the Idols actually make on the tour? I realize that Idol doesn’t tell us but their ability to pull in the crowds at every venue is what is making Idol money and I hope they are paid accordingly.

Actually – I see that is a whole conversation about pay that I missed – I do hope they make a ton – they deserve it.

Kirsten – Thank you for all the info you give us! and Nevada too! I love all these figures on shows and CD sales, etc :thumbup_tb:

Interestingly, the venues were à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“largerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  this year. The number of tickets available last year were 10,938 and 9,876 respectively.

At the Times Forum in Tampa, they close off sections of the venue based on the event. For practical reasons, a big chunk of those seats are the ones behind the stage (It’s a hockey arena, so it goes all the way around). It seems weird that the same venue shows two different “tickets available” numbers for each year – so that’s why.

Pretty good for Florida, considering Massive Nuisance Fay was an issue for at least one of those shows.

Fay shouldn’t have been an issue for the Tampa show (except maybe for people who planned on driving a long distance?). The bulk of the tickets would have been sold before Fay even had a name. And, those last minute / same day buyers were well aware that Tampa was in no danger from Fay by that point.

Thanks for the stats and info, Kirsten. I really appreciate all of the work that you do for us. Although not as many sold out shows as Season 5, the shows have sold well this year. Last year, some shows were less than 40 percent full.

Kirsten, is this the first year that all of the Idols have performed every night on tour and no one missed any shows? It’s the first year that I can remember it happening.

When I saw the show after season 5, it was at an arena with a total capacity of 11,000, and only about 8,500 total seats for concerts like AI. They aren’t doing arenas that size (or at least not the ones around me) anymore. In comparison, the arena where I saw AI this year seats 18,000 total, or probably 14-15,000 for concerts.

As Kirsten said, how big the venues are definitely makes a difference when it comes to sell-outs and % of capacity sold. I’d be interested in total tickets sold compared across seasons, as well as total revenue.

Kirsten, is this the first year that all of the Idols have performed every night on tour and no one missed any shows? Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the first year that I can remember it happening.

Oh, now you’ve jinxed them. LOL.

I’m not sure about this one. I don’t recall anybody missing any concerts last year (anybody else remember). Season 5 certainly seemed to be plagued with mishaps, but I think that only two people failed to perform (Kellie for a few nights, though she did come out and wave to her fans, and…well…Kat). Season 4 had Bo dragged off to Emergency, so I’m sure he missed a few shows. In Season 3, Diana broke something, but didn’t she still continue to perform? Kat did after she broke her foot (was it her foot? Or ankle or something).

BTW I think that Season 3 holds the record for the lowest attendance at a concert. Only 27.4% (2,604) of the tickets were sold for a concert in Indianapolis. That must have been pretty empty. Then, in Evansville, they only had 2060 tickets sold ($91K). Poor little Season 3. Last year, the lowest selling venue was Birmingham (3,775 for 38.9%). Though, Nampa sold fewer tickets (3,577). If the Birmingham venue had been as “large” in Season 6 as it was in Season 5, it would have sold only 28.3% of it’s tickets (yes, both concerts were held at the same venue).

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be interested in total tickets sold compared across seasons, as well as total revenue.

Here is something I posted last year (based on stats on Ken Barnes Idol Chatter and leaks of Season 6 stats):

AI-1
Total Gross: $8.1 million
Average Ticket Price: $31.38
Average Attendance: 8,589
Total Attendance: 257,680
Average Gross: $269,520
Number of Shows: 30
Number of Sell-outs: 5
Lowest Attendance: Nashville/Rutherford – 50%
% Capacity: 82.2%

AI-2
Total Gross: $15.6 million
Average Ticket Price: $38.26
Average Attendance: 10,446
Total Attendance: 407,404
Average Gross: $399,661
Number of Shows: 41
Number of Sell-outs: 17
Lowest Attendance: Dallas – 55%, Houston – 52%, Oklahoma – 48%, Boise – 42%
% Capacity: 89.33%

AI-3
Total Gross: $11.3 million
Average Ticket Price: $45.34
Average Attendance: 5,337
Total Attendance: 250,862
Average Gross: $242,009
Number of Shows: 49
Number of Sell-outs: 1 (Honolulu)
Second Highest Attendance: Long Island: 82.1%
Lowest Attendance: Indianapolis – 27.4%

AI-4
Total Gross: $16.9 million
Average Ticket Price: $44.47
Average Attendance: 9,026
Total Attendance: 379,071
Average Gross: $401,403
Number of Shows: 42
Number of Sell-outs: 11
Lowest Attendance: San Antonio – 62.5%

AI-5
Total Gross: $35.2 million
Average Ticket Price: $54.50
Average Attendance: 10,945
Total Attendance: 645,782
Average Gross: $596,610
Number of Shows: 59
Number of Sell-outs: 19
Lowest Attendance: Austin – 80%
% Capacity: 96%

Season 6: (42 out of 59 concerts (or is it 60?))
Total Gross: $17.1 million
Total Attendance: 281,364
Number of Tickets Available: 413,307
% Capacity: 68.1%
Average Gross: $406,667.12
Average Attendance: 6699
Average Ticket Price: $60.70
Number of Shows: 30 (reported so far)
Lowest Attendance (tickets): 3,577 – Nampa, Idaho
Highest Attendance (tickets): 10,034 – Rosemont, Ill
Lowset Attendance (percentage): 38.9% – Birmingham, Ala
Highest Attendance (percentage): 93.2% – Glendale, Arizona
Lowest Gross: $217,035 – Nampa, Idaho
Highest Gross: $605,172 – Rosemont, Ill

Wow- thanks for all of the statistics, Kirsten. I’m getting 9,773 for the average attendance so far this year, which puts it 2nd only to Season 5. Not too bad, considering that our tickets were about $68 this year (and more like $80 after fees were added in), vs. only $54.50 for season 5. Pretty shocking to see the steep increases in ticket prices every year as well.

Aug 21: Tampa, Fla: 9,810 of 13,192 (74%) Revenue: $605,483

I still say: DAMN YOU, FAY!!!

Wednesday and Thursday were the worst days of the storm for Central Florida, and the show was on Thursday night.

I think more of those last minute tix would have been snapped up by people in the CFL area if they hadn’t had to drive through a tropical storm to get to the show – especially since there was no show in North Florida this year.

Not too bad, considering that our tickets were about $68 this year (and more like $80 after fees were added in), vs. only $54.50 for season 5. Pretty shocking to see the steep increases in ticket prices every year as well.

I think that you have to be careful with ticket price stats as well. I think that most people would rather sit close and pay a little higher price than sit in the rafters to save a few bucks. At least, whenever I go to see a concert the cheap tickets are all that seem to be left near the end (the cheap seats are the most likely to be vacant).

Therefore, if more seats sell, it is more likely the average ticket price is going to come out lower.

Let’s look at the Tampa/Sunrise Venue ticket prices:
Season 7: $68.50, $39.50
Season 6: $70, $39.50
Season 5: $68.50, $38.50
Season 4: $46.75, $36.75

So, ticket prices actually went down for that venue this year (highest tier prices $1.50 cheaper) and is only slightly higher in the cheap seats (up $1) from Season 5. The big jump was season 4 to 5. If we look at the average ticket price for Tampa (by dividing total revenue by the number of tickets sold), here are they are for each year (Season 7->4) $61.72, $61.26, $52.07 and $40.31. Of course, they may have just changed the classification of cheap seats to be expensive tickets (nothing would surprise me when it comes to the evilness of 19Alphabet….LOL)

Here are the numbers for Duluth:
Season 7: $68.50, $39.50
Season 6: No Concert (Atlanta was $59.50, $9.99)
Season 5: $72.50, $38.50
Season 4: $47, $37

So, ticket prices went down in the higher tier and up in the lower tier between 5 and 7. And now that I’ve bored everybody with these two/three examples. I will be quiet.

Let’s just say that even with concerts in the same venue, there are a lot of apples to oranges comparisons. I’m sure that a lot of factors like days of the week, time of the year, etc. play into things.

Judging by the average attendance numbers and/or % capacity, the S5 tour was the most successful to date followed by S2 and then S7. S7 can boast a successful return to form after the disastrous S6 but not OMG THE MOST SUCCESSFUL tour Evah.

It appears that boys winning AI equals a better-attended tour, while girls winning AI equals a less well-attended or very-poorly attended tour. 19E must be hoping that next year winner will also be a boy.

Totally agree that the male winners draw the crowds. Of course when it comes to album sales, the opposite is true with the megasellers being the female winners of S1 and S4. Their combined sales crush any of the male winners. Even Jordin who came off a horrible tour has done extremely well.

So if AI wants to move the units, the female winners do much better.

Thank you for the concert statistics, I really appreciate them. Kristin (or anyone else) if you have the specific figures for the season 5 show in Denver will you please post them or send them to me? I am always curious to know how that show did since its the only time the tour has been to Denver.

So if AI wants to move the units, the female winners do much better.

I believe that AI makes a LOT more money from the tours than from the AI winners’ units being sold, so it would be better to draw larger crowds to the tours. I bet a lot of tour shirts, pictures, etc, with the guys were sold at the venues this year.

Curious. Were the Davids’ shirts priced the same? The year that I went to the AI tour, Season 5, Kat’s shirts were $5.00 or $10.00 cheaper than Taylor’s at my venue.

Hawaii sold out for the AI tours there. I wonder why they stopped going there. TPTB probably wanted to save money. *sigh* I bet the kids are sorry that Hawaii is no longer a tour stop. I would love that for them.

Do they make more money from the tour or the albums? I never know. Of course, the tour is a one shot thing but when you have a megastar like Carrie they can make money for years since 19E are her management. The TV show is the big moneymaker though and the tour and the music are secondary.

Hawaii sold out for the AI tours there. I wonder why they stopped going there. TPTB probably wanted to save money. *sigh* I bet the kids are sorry that Hawaii is no longer a tour stop. I would love that for them.

Hawaii was a tour stop that year, because Season 3 held auditions there and two of the Top 10 were from Hawaii. That’s why the concerts sold out there. There was a bit of Idolmania in Hawaii that year.

I believe that AI makes a LOT more money from the tours than from the AI winnersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ units being sold,

Are there numbers for these (how much profit they make from the tour vs albums/singles sales)? The reason 19E would make a lot of money from the tours might be because they pay the idols relatively poorly. Successful stars make many many millions from their tours, while I suspect the combined paychecks for all the idols would be less than 2 million. Most of the money goes into 19E’s pocket. What with the punishing schedule and the relative low pay, the performing idols are really quite ruthlessly exploited, but I suppose they won’t complain too much because of their hunger for fame and exposure.

Last year, the lowest selling venue was Birmingham (3,775 for 38.9%). Though, Nampa sold fewer tickets (3,577). If the Birmingham venue had been as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“largeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in Season 6 as it was in Season 5, it would have sold only 28.3% of ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tickets (yes, both concerts were held at the same venue).

Ohhhh, so that explains why the nearest AI concert to me this year was three hours and a time zone change away! I think if they had come back to Birmingham this year, things might have been a little different. But then again, with Taylor, Bo, Ruben and Diana D. ( sorry, I didn’t watch that season and don’t know how spell it), all having spent some part of their lives in or just outside of B’ham, the town kind of had an AI overload for awhile. All of them still make the local news when they come back to town. Or in Ruben’s case, when he gets in trouble with the IRS or starts a school program or opens a nightclub, or gets married, or . . . .. (he’s still here!)

If you take out variables like price of ticket and total revenue it looks like this.

AI-5

Average Attendance: 10,945
Number of Shows: 59
Number of Sell-outs: 19
% Capacity: 96%

AI-2

Average Attendance: 10,446
Number of Shows: 41
Number of Sell-outs: 17
% Capacity: 89.33%

AI-7
Average Attendance: 9,773
Number of Shows: 36 (reported)
Number of Sellouts: ?
% Capacaity: 85%

AI-4

Average Attendance: 9,026
Number of Shows: 42
Number of Sell-outs: 11
% Capacity: ?

AI-1

Average Attendance: 8,589
Number of Shows: 30
Number of Sell-outs: 5
% Capacity: 82.2%

AI-6:

Average Attendance: 6699
Number of Shows: 30 (reported)
Number of sellouts: 0
% Capacity: 68.1%

AI-3

Average Attendance: 5,337
Number of Shows: 49
Number of Sell-outs: 3 (Hawaii)
% Capacity: ?