Blake Shelton Camp Deceiving Public About Sold Out Concerts
Country music superstar and NBC’s The Voice judge Blake Shelton has some explaining to do about the direction of the current marketing campaign for his upcoming “Ten Times Crazier Tour” staring in June. Soon after tickets are put on sale for some of the tour’s whistle stops, stories are showing up in the press about how the concert is “sold out.” However a simple check of Ticketmaster’s website shows many tickets still available for these shows.
On March 7th, Blake Shelton’s camp put out a press release declaring that the country star had sold out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. “I’m in LA to film The Voice and I drive by the Hollywood Bowl on my way to the set. It is such an iconic venue in LA and I have wanted to perform there for a long time,” the press release quotes Blake Shelton as saying. “Then there is Madison Square Garden. Hands down, there is not one artist who doesn’t dream about playing Madison Square Garden its mind blowing to think I’m performing at Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl let alone selling them out. I’m incredibly thankful for my fans selling out both these shows so fast. I promise the band and I will bring you a show you won’t forget. I love you guys!”
Multiple news outlets saw the press release and ran stories of their own, congratulating Blake on the sold out shows. However when you actually look at the current ticket availability for Blake’s Madison Square Garden and Hollywood Bowl dates, it is clear no sellout has occurred.
For example, a check of Ticketmaster for Blake Shelton’s August 1st show at Madison Square Garden shows many available tickets. Same can be said for his concert on October 4th at The Hollywood Bowl. As you can see from the ticket legends below, as of the posting of this article, many seats in multiple sections are still available for both shows.
And the stories on Blake’s sold out shows don’t stop there. GAC is reporting the first six shows of Shelton’s tour are sold out.
Why would Blake Shelton’s camp proclaim tickets are sold out while seats are still available? The news could create even a bigger rush for tickets, or drive the price higher for tickets in the secondary market. Sometimes blocks of tickets are held back by promoters or venues to be released later, or used for giveaways or for sponsors. Also, even though tickets may still be available for a show, if the vast majority of them are sold, or only single seats are still left, sometimes a “sold out” show can be declared within the parameters of the industry standard. But it is clear this is not the case with these particular Blake Shelton shows. Some are also speculating the news is to help gin up support for Shelton during the final round of voting for the upcoming ACM Awards on April 6th.
Ironically, many of these Blake Shelton shows are selling very well, and will likely sell out on their own, leaving fans questioning why they’re being misled.
March 12, 2014 @ 1:07 pm
Would Blake have to sell a certain number of tickets for it to be a sold-out show? It’s certainly interesting…
March 12, 2014 @ 1:58 pm
I am no way an expert on this topic, and I’ve been trying to find a good explanation of the nomenclature of the business to no avail. But I do believe there is a point in the sale of a venue that you can customarily say it is “Sold Out” even though there might still be a few tickets left. But it would have to be very few, and “singles.” Many times when a venue is being sold, because people buy tickets in blocks, there can be single tickets left that go unused. So if you go to buy two tickets, they would be so far apart, it wouldn’t be fun for two people to go. So even though there’s tickets left, technically it is “sold out.” But it is not the case here where either such a vast majority of the tickets are sold, or only singles left to the point where they could declare it’s “sold out.” I can only speculate, but trying to create attention for Blake would be the only reasons to declare this without the actually data being behind him.
March 12, 2014 @ 3:58 pm
If there are only single seats left it is often called a sellout. It’s very difficult to sell every single seat.
I saw a Matchbox 20 show last year that was dubbed a sell out when I bought my ticket. There were 2 single seats in different parts of the theater available but it was called a sell out even though they had 2 seats yet to sell. I went by myself and it was a great show.
March 12, 2014 @ 1:21 pm
Ironic that a sellout can’t sell out! 😉
March 12, 2014 @ 1:37 pm
Ahh, he’s too busy getting fresh fajitas (whatever that means) to make sure if his dates are sold out.
Priorities, I tell ya, priorities.
March 12, 2014 @ 1:28 pm
On a related note, I’ve been following the washed-up frat-country also-ran (at least at the moment) Chase Rice’s Twitter feed in that he has raised antennae quite a bit lately for his passive-aggressive posts; which include saying that he’d punch the next person who had a popped collar on one’s shirt or berating those who are tired of songs about trucks and beer……………and he certainly obsesses with characterizing his shows as “Sold Out” too! 😉
That must be his way of injecting a shot of self-esteem into his bloodstream to conceal his insecurities about his struggles in catching up with his frat-country peers.
March 12, 2014 @ 3:48 pm
Funny that Chase Rice wants to punch people that wear popped collars.
He ran a contest where he’d visit the Fraternity or Sorority that made the best video to his “Ready, Set, Roll” song. Frat boys are notorious for popped collars. Southern frat boys are just as guilty of it as Coastal frat boys.
March 12, 2014 @ 6:00 pm
Not to mention he sports a frickin’ popped collar of his jacket on the cover art for his “Ready Set Roll” single! 😉
March 12, 2014 @ 3:57 pm
I loathe Chase Rice. No surprise to see him defend the truck and laundry list songs, since his livelihood depends on them. That reminds me: Has Trigger destroyed any of his songs in a rant yet?
March 12, 2014 @ 6:03 pm
Chase Rice’s “songs” shouldn’t be dignified a rant in my opinion! (though it is fun making Chase Rice angry on Twitter) 😉
If Trigger does commission a rant his way, it should be about his toxic personality in an “Aw shucks!” genre.
March 12, 2014 @ 7:09 pm
Damn it. I just checked out Chase Rice’s twitter and website and now I really want to punch him. The schmuck.
March 15, 2014 @ 12:10 am
Who the hell is Chase Rice?
;p
March 12, 2014 @ 1:41 pm
Why would Blake Shelton”™s camp proclaim tickets are sold out while seats are still available?
I think your paragraph discussing this is right on. I would add another factor that I mentioned in my tweets about this. The press release about Blake’s “sellouts” conveniently went out just as the final round of voting for the upcoming ACM Awards began (March 10th, as confirmed by this link). So, this “news” item was more hype and attention for Blake, who’s in a tough races for Male Vocalist Of The Year, Entertainer Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song and Single Of The Year, just as voting is set to begin.
Luke Bryan had 2 declared sold out shows at Madison Square Garden back in January this year. Blake’s team may have felt like this was a way to try to keep up with the Bryans.
In addition to being deceptive at best, press releases like this take advantage of the good will of the network of country blogs that carry news about mainstream country acts. All it took here was some simple fact-checking to see through the PR, but still.
March 12, 2014 @ 2:05 pm
I definitely think this is a possibility, but would an artist really swap potential ticket sales for an ACM nod? It is yet to be determined if declaring a sell out will eventually mean the venue will go undersold (by people hearing of the sell out and not pursue buying tickets, or pursuing tickets in the secondary market), but that seems a little bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul. Or maybe they’re confident they will sell the venues out eventually, so what does it matter when they declare it a sell out. Do it now and gin up support for the ACM’s, and worry about putting butts in the seats closer to the show date.
March 12, 2014 @ 9:32 pm
Or maybe they”™re confident they will sell the venues out eventually, so what does it matter when they declare it a sell out. Do it now and gin up support for the ACM”™s, and worry about putting butts in the seats closer to the show date.
Yes, I think that’s it. I’d imagine that based on their formulas that track sales patterns, the number of tickets already sold gives them the ability to predict with confidence that they’ll sell enough tickets to declare this show a sellout.
I also think your secondary market point is key. The sellout announcement boosts hype and awareness, and it also sends the message that people wanting to attend are going to have to find tickets in the secondary market. You know who runs a legitimate secondary market? Ticketmaster – it’s built into their system. You know who acquired Ticketmaster back in 2010? Live Nation. You know who is promoting the Blake Shelton tour? Live Nation. I’m not saying they did this to push people to their own secondary market, but I think the fact that Ticketmaster runs its own resale market limits the potential loss of ticket sales from a prematurely declared sellout.
March 12, 2014 @ 3:07 pm
Correction: Blake sold out.
March 12, 2014 @ 3:08 pm
I was going to buy a ticket until…
March 12, 2014 @ 7:14 pm
this happens all the time, not just people like blake shelton. i never could figure it out either, sometimes tickets get released that were previously bought, or it could be a ploy to spike the economy through sites like ebay, tickethub, or other scalping. as you have exposed before, the music and concert industry is sleazy and none of this surprised me. i have heard the radio say concerts are sold out, but i still find tickets online through the regular outlets
March 13, 2014 @ 8:36 am
When you make it to the top of the mountain, it’s a breeze to coast back.
It’s human nature to lose the edge and become an ole softie. Larger and longer shirts, denim jackets can stave off a paunch. One day, the ‘voice’ is gone.
March 13, 2014 @ 10:12 am
That’s just sad, he has to boast up his own shows. Big time “Jackass,” what a loser.
March 13, 2014 @ 1:24 pm
Blake Shelton should not tell lies about ticket sale though I personally would not go to see him.
March 13, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
I used to Like Blake Shelton a lot. That is until he stopped wearing his cowboy hat, and completley sold out. So I do not really like him now. I do not care for his music, and I am so fed up with all of the attention that he has, and why they look at him as the darling judge on the voice. He is not good enough to be judging other singers.
March 13, 2014 @ 7:10 pm
Well, the Shelton camp has already deceived the public that Blake plays country these days to begin with..
March 14, 2014 @ 5:56 pm
Yeah, still not sold out as of this writing
March 15, 2014 @ 9:29 am
Well there are some seats left on ticketmaster in poor visible areas, stubtub has quite abit. I know I paid decent money and have floor seats. They are for my daughter’s 21st birthday and she will be over the moon. As far as his pr firm goes, that’s their business to generate sales. These artists dont watch this stuff if they told him he sold that then he reacted. My understanding is Hollywood bowl is vlose to sold out, the majority of artists have people buying oi
March 17, 2014 @ 10:40 am
I use to LOVE Blake Shelton when he first came out and no one heard of him and he had a mullet. I remember when he covered Conway Twitty’s Goodbye Time and I thought it was a good cover. Every album, since his first, he released slowly got worse and there were less songs I liked on each album to where now I don’t like any songs. Also his voice has changed for the worse not sure if its the drinking or what.
March 17, 2014 @ 2:14 pm
Tony Bennett is 87 years old. He maintains his voice like a finely tuned machine.
With vocal exercises, he’s one of the rare few that still has a voice. Boz Skaggs sounds great, too.
When you coast on your laurels, thinking it will always be there for you…you wake up one day and it is gone. Vocal cord nodes (nodules, polyps) are caused by constantly straining your voice. I don’t know how many of the gifted can step out on the stage and belt it out, night after night without wear and tear.
God given talent can fall by the wayside if you forget Who gave it to you and it’s abused. ‘She’ can all go down the crapper in the blink of an eye.
March 19, 2014 @ 5:09 am
I heard Blake sing ages ago, opening up for Hank Jr., if you like his songs, you’ll enjoy his show.
I just happen to not like most of his songs, not a slam on him… they just don’t turn my crank.
That’s weird to declare a show sold out… ya think it’d make people not buy tix.
Weird.
I’m sure there is some promotional douchebag behind it.
-W