Pitty's comeback tour: are concert ticket prices too high?
2 · Read
Welcome to RoundTalk. Pitty is back with new music and a tour. Are ticket prices too high or fair? Marcus books shows. Fernanda writes about music. Diego goes to many live events.
Marcus, what does it actually cost to put Pitty on stage right now?
Her prices are fair. A rock show needs big lights and sound. It needs many workers too. Nobody talks about the people behind the stage. They work every day, and they need money.
No, wait. I work with sound. We talk about this.
Right, Fernanda.
Oh, come on. We do talk about them. I was there back when— small clubs in Salvador, 1999. The workers were paid, and tickets cost little.
No, no, sorry. Workers are not the reason. I set up sound, I get paid the same. The high price is the resale. SeatPick sells Pitty tickets three times the real price.
Resale is high because the face price is too low.
No, no, wait. That idea scares me. If we raise the face price, the fan loses twice. Pitty keeps a solidarity ticket for a reason. One kilo of food, and you get in.
Marcus, over to you.
You get paid the same, yes. But the show still pays for lights. It pays for hotels and buses too. Resale is big for one reason. The sector price sits under the real cost.
Diego, does Pitty really need stadium prices to cover lights and buses?
No, she doesn't. And the face price is not under the cost. In Varginha a shop worker pays almost nothing with a Sesc card. That show still happens. So the cost is covered.
Sorry, but that cheap ticket does not show us anything. One low tier does not pay for the show. The big sector pays. And then poor fans sit far away.
Key vocabulary
- solidarity — mutual support among people with shared interests
- discount — a reduction in the usual price of something
- sector — a distinct area or division of something
- tier — a level or rank in a system
- resale — the selling of something previously bought
- donation — a gift given to help or support someone
Comprehension questions
- Why does Marcus think the ticket prices are fair?
- What does Diego say is the real reason for high prices?
- Why is Fernanda worried about raising the face price?
- How does Diego say Pitty covers costs in Varginha?
- What does Fernanda think about using only one cheap ticket to pay for a show?
True or false?
- Marcus says workers behind the stage need money for their work. T / F
- Fernanda remembers small clubs in Salvador in 1999 where workers were paid and tickets cost little. T / F
- Fernanda thinks one low ticket price can pay for the whole show. T / F
Fill the gaps
- The high price is the .
- Pitty keeps a ticket for a reason.
- The price sits under the real cost.
- One low does not pay for the show.
Discuss in pairs
- Do you think it is fair to have very different ticket prices in one concert? Why or why not?
- Is it better to have lower ticket prices with fewer workers, or higher prices with better lights and sound? What is more important to you?
- How can concerts help poor fans get good seats? What is a good solution?
The whole debate, free every day Students can hear the full 6-minute episode with a synced transcript in the RoundTalk app.
Get it on Google Play iPhone: join the waitlistAnswer key
Comprehension- Because a rock show needs big lights, sound, and many workers who need money.
- The resale. SeatPick sells tickets three times the real price.
- Because fans will lose twice—they pay more, and resale will still be high.
- With a Sesc card, a shop worker pays almost nothing, but the show still happens and costs are covered.
- It does not work. The big sector pays for the show, and poor fans sit far away.
- True
- True
- False
- resale
- solidarity
- sector
- tier
roundtalk · https://www.getroundtalk.com/listen/english/a2/pitty-s-comeback-tour-are-concert-ticket-prices-too-high/worksheet/