2012 TICKET PRICES INCREASED TO $390! WTF???

[sandgoddess]

LOL @ lucky420......

Yes! I am going. But I don't like being fucked as I sit in line for 6 hours before I pass through the gate and hand over my $400.00bucks

Is that what happened to you last year Kimo? You sat in line for 6 hours and paid for your ticket at the gate? Sheeze....no wonder your pissed.

[Just_Joe]

Have you seen the price of tickets this year?
<SNIP>
Yes, that's right boys and girls... over $14 MILLION DOLLARS!!! <SNIP>

Ya got a coupla math errors in there.
The number (based on ticket prices/quanities posted) is actually north of eighteen million smackers.

[Borris]

We all have to make our own value judgment on the things we buy and do with our time. If you feel the price has increased unfairly and you are unwilling to pay the stated prices, you are welcome to exercise your rights as a consumer and not purchase tickets. Top tier is $390, up from $320 for the 2011 event (about a 22% increase), but bottom tier is $240, up from $210 in 2011 (14% increase). And they've increased the number of bottom tier from 8K to 10K, and will be offering more low income opportunities. The increase seems reasonable to me.

Actually the top tier in 2011 was $360, so it's even a smaller increase. BUT the average ticket in 2012 will cost $343.5 (not including the scholarship tix) while the average ticket in 2011 was an approx of $280 (assuming 15,000 tix were sold at $320 and 5,000 tix were sold at $360 + the 27,000 tickets sold at the lower tiers). it's a 22.5% increase in the average ticket cost.

But then, it's a recreational event, no one says you must go. if you don't like it, go make a better one yourself. I assume the BMorg have done their math, added the figures and came up with those prices.

[Borris]

Some details as to last years ticket prices and tiers
Tier 1: 9000 tickets at $210
Tier 2: 9000 tickets at $240
Tier 3: 9000 tickets at $280
Tier 4: ???? tickets at $320 (I guess there were 15,000-18,000 of those)
Tier 5: ???? tickets at $360 (I guess there were 2,000 - 5,000 of those)

my guesses are based on the total attendance number (53,963) from this subtract 3,500 scholarship tickets, and another educated guess is 2,500 free tickets to workers / community / old time volunteers. Those numbers when added up give an average of $280-$290 per normal ticket.

this years numbers are on the top of this topic (except for the summation, it's not 14M, it's somewhere north of 18M). Average ticket is $343.5

[theCryptofishist]

Oh no, yet more outrage, yet more vague "occupy" ideas.

What does this mean?

It means that he's yet another person who's come into this sub-forum, screamed at the TOP OF HIS LUNGS, and borrowed the idea of "occupy."

I suppose I should have stayed with the smaller, shorter clearer "Yawn."

[Kimo]

Yes, I did in fact make a booboo. Thanks for checking my math. The correct amount is in fact north of $18,218,000.00. But hey, what's another $4MM ?

As I've said from the beginning, the increase doesn't seem to be justified. And the annual reports that shows expenditures are worth not even the paper they're printed on. This has turned into a clusterf#€£ with lotterys and increased ticket prices. It's one thing when there's a value add to justify the price increase. But to just raise prices in the double digits in this economy, for no particular reason, is pretty screwed up.

BTW... The "occupy" was meant as a humorous note for those who took that literally.

[A Jester]

@ cryptofishist and Eric....

So you think a 25% hike in ticket prices is fair and just? What if your utility company hiked their rates by 25%? Would you like it and say, ahhh no worries. Of course not. Or, if your "other" favorite vacation destination jacked their rates by 25% in one year, would you maybe look for other options?

What I'm saying is there's no justification for this kind of unprecented price hike! Is it just a coincidence that it comes on the heels of the not for profit reorganization? Let me know what you see when the fog clears. Or, clean your glasses.

Good idea, why don't you get right on that.

I want to hear an answer from BM on why they are raising the prices. What are they planning to do with the extra money?

All of this "I demand Burning Man tell me!!!!" "something ad nauseum" is sure entertaining, and gives me so much to write about in my secret diary that I will burn in The Temple, if I go in 2012, after purchasing my FOUR Holiday drawing tickets...which I have no doubt I will "win".
*words words words*

I don't spend thousands every year on camping supplies. I'm an experienced primitive/backpacking camper. It doesn't have to cost a bunch. I make very cool things for gifts, all year round, out of scraps of clothing and jewelry I find at yard sales, thrift shops, Craigslist etc. I live Southern Idaho, so fuel doesn't cost me as much as it costs many, but it's still a lot. I have a bus, which I chose not to take last year because of the cost of fuel. I took my car, and tent camped instead. The entire trip cost me $478.67 to be exact. Yes, that included my ticket. Fuel and water were my biggest expense. I don't eat much (tho I prepared several lovely meals and fed my neighbors), and I don't drink alcohol.


This is the last sane post you'll ever see from me (maybe). My two cents worth of suggestion to Burning Man? Raise the ticket price to $400. Or $50 a day. No tiers. The Burn is worth it.

In the meantime....I'll just keep s-trolling around FB and Eplaya for my own personal viewing entertainment.

When we're married can I drink all the booze people offer you that you don't want?

[Theres Always One]

360 vs 390 is 9% Just look at the highest tiered ticket for one example: $390 this year vs $350 last year. And 25,000 of them this year. $40 increase over previous year's $350 price is 12%. Last year I bought tickets at the pre-Xmas price, which was $295. This year that ticket will cost $420 (nice number btw). That's an increase of $125, or 43%.

Based upon the different tiers and different prices and different quantities, let's just agree on an average increase of 25%.

So what the hell did we do, except come year after year, to deserve a 25% hike in the gate fee? And where is that money going? They got volunteers, recycled fencing, infrastructure, etc.

This increase is unprecedented and only happening because THEY CAN. So if you're too blind to realize that you're being fucked, then a least have them kiss you while they're doing it.

.... Somewhere, back at the BMORG offices: "Can you believe we actually sold out last year?" "Yeah, fucking unbelievable what a Facebook page will do for advertising. That was a brilliant idea Larry!" "and how about those eBay auctions and Craigslist ads? I can't believe people were paying a premium price for tickets!" "Well, let's make damn sure we raise ticket prices this year since we know there's a strong demand and they're willing to pay for it". Now we can all give ourselves a better pension plan. They want to come to our event, at any cost".

[tattoogoddess]

SO ok I have to ask this. I am trying to get a low income ticket cause well yeah my ass it flat broke. I will be pinching pennies to be able to go. If I am some how rejected for a Low income ticket does this mean that im stuck with the overflow sale? I wish they would have posted info on those tickets. I mean now I have to wait till Jan to plan what I am going to do

[oneeyeddick]

Yes, that is what it means, maybe this is your year to go, maybe it isn't.

[AntiM]

SO ok I have to ask this. I am trying to get a low income ticket cause well yeah my ass it flat broke. I will be pinching pennies to be able to go. If I am some how rejected for a Low income ticket does this mean that im stuck with the overflow sale? I wish they would have posted info on those tickets. I mean now I have to wait till Jan to plan what I am going to do

You are going to Burning Man, that's what you are going to do. You just have a slightly different planning curve.

[EspressoDude]

Some individuals spend more than that on "party supplies", booze, etc. for the event.

Maybe if the price was $500 there would be more tickets available.

[portaplaya]

As I've said from the beginning, the increase doesn't seem to be justified. And the annual reports that shows expenditures are worth not even the paper they're printed on.

You know that the event and annual expenses cost more last year than the took in, since you did the math. Last year they spent $17,515,083. How is going to $18m income a surprise?

[theCryptofishist]

As I've said from the beginning, the increase doesn't seem to be justified. And the annual reports that shows expenditures are worth not even the paper they're printed on.

You know that the event and annual expenses cost more last year than the took in, since you did the math. Last year they spent $17,515,083. How is going to $18m income a surprise?

Oh dear. You just don't understand the fine art of the freak ou---

Maybe I should do a freak out performance piece in center camp this year...

[Nipple]

Some individuals spend more than that on "party supplies"

I'm fond of party hats and party horns.



YAY! IT'S BURNING MAN!

[yellowpants]

hey, the OP has a point, they did jack up the price quite a bit (see Borris' post). Probably because they can and people are willing to pay that much. In their defense, I believe the prices hadn't increased for a few years.

[Nipple]

Yet, Jay-Z's tickets cost $200 for floor access.

Man, fuck that guy! (Please don't tell him I said that... he has guns and stuff.)

[Xain]

Srry to break to yall but this is how Supply and Demand works, and after a sold out event last year and a record number of social media videos and pictures uploaded and shared online, can you really say that you didn't see this coming?

A lot more people want to go than can be supported by the current facilities. what would you do?

Burning man is like no other event in the world, for less than $500 we get to participate in this amazing event for about a week per year, with tens of thousands of other people who also worked to get there. (one of the many things that sets it apart from most other events, and one that I love, imo you enjoy it more when you have to work to get there)

as long as 'they' (bman llc?) remember that it is vastly the people that make the event what it is, than I personally will still try to attend as long as I can afford (IMO this is something that is worth working yet another job for) (basically as long as they provide the location and it doesn't get too overrun by spectators* I'm still showing up with as many friends as possible and having a blast)

IMO even those on a low income should be able to put away 500-1000 (for ticket/transport/supplies) over the period of a year.

if the ticket price difference of 50 dollars is going to make or break your burn, than maybe your focus should be elsewhere (<---ready.)

even in this shit show of an economy anyone can make a couple hundred dollars over the period of a year....if you disagree, I'll prove you wrong....sorry let me rephrase that, if you cannot think of a way to make the $$ difference than I'm happy to give you some ideas as to how you might get it.


*wouldn't it be cool if they had those tubes like at the aquarium cutting through burning man? that way if you wanted to see the burn but not participate you could take a walk through the little tunnel and point and take pictures of all the crazy people, but never even have to get dusty!! (as an added bonus it would keep the spkt8rs in one area)

[A Jester]

SO ok I have to ask this. I am trying to get a low income ticket cause well yeah my ass it flat broke. I will be pinching pennies to be able to go. If I am some how rejected for a Low income ticket does this mean that im stuck with the overflow sale? I wish they would have posted info on those tickets. I mean now I have to wait till Jan to plan what I am going to do

I kinda thought the Low Income tickets were for people who wouldn't be able to go otherwise. If that's the case, you wouldn't be stuck with overflow, you wouldn't be going at all.

At least, that's why I never applied for one.

[trilobyte]

I agree, Jester. Low income tickets aren't just meant to be a way to pinch pennies so you can spend it on other parts of your burn, it's a means to be able to make it to an event that otherwise you would not be able to attend. If you're able to find a way to get to a $390 ticket at any point in the process, then your situation may not be as dire as you think.

[tamarakay]

I have no problem with ticket costs. It was (and will be) worth every penny.

[remi]

I have no problem with ticket costs. It was (and will be) worth every penny.

I agree. Not only that, but for most people, if you can't afford a 300$-400$ ticket, perhaps you shouldn't be going to one of the harshest environments in the planet while having the equipment and supplies to remaining radically self reliant.

[pyrocat]

I think that whatever it costs to run is what they should charge. I would really hate it if tickets eventually became subsidized by a more influential entity that had a larger say over BM. I'm really buying into this radical inclusion thing and going to BM for the first time this year. Seems like a lot of BS that I have to buy into. I guess I could just ignore it?

[pyrocat]

That didn't really come out the way I meant but whatever.

[burningmanmike]

hey, it takes a lot of cash to throw an event like this.
where do you suggest the money should come from?

[tamarakay]

That didn't really come out the way I meant but whatever.

Lots of things I say don't come out how I intend. People tend to think i'm mean, when i'm trying to be funny.
Welcome to eplaya!

[Drawingablank]

Okay, so last I looked the economy was in a major recession, housing prices are dropping like a brick, unemployment is raging out of control and jobs are being cut everyday.

I just want to point out that one of the things that characterizes the recession is that the cost of everything has increased. I don't like it one bit, as I am making less and living is costing me more.

House prices may have dropped overall, but rental housing hasn't - at least not here (it has increased). Our taxes were even increased to offset decreased revenue (due to businesses folding and unemployment).

I now pay more for everything from food to fuel, from repairs to taxes, from merchandise for my now struggling business to the cost of shipping our products.

In light of that - it seems unrealistic to expect the Borg's expenses to remain the same.

[theCryptofishist]

Stagflation?

(No, it's not a male deer on viagra.)

[dragonpilot]

Hey...just put it in perspective: At $390 for 8 days...why, that's only $48.75 a day! Most of us spend that much or more daily on worthless crap! Do with less daily crap and you've bought your ticket...and more!

[A Jester]

hey, it takes a lot of cash to throw an event like this.
where do you suggest the money should come from?

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir.


Dragon - I don't spend $50 a day on anything. Just sayin'.