[Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne along tour producer Live Nation announced at the Concert Industry Consortium in Los Angeles that their 12th annual touring metal festival - a 25-date run launching July 7 in Los Angeles - will be completely free for fans.
As for the reasoning behind the decision, Sharon Osbourne says, "For the last few years, ticket prices have steadily climbed as artists demand more and more money for summer tours. We certainly want everybody to make money, however we also want the kids to be able to afford to come out and have an incredible experience. If we continued with the traditional touring festival model, we would have no choice but to raise ticket prices again this year."
"We're reaching the same point we did years ago when kids no longer wanted to pay for overpriced CDs. As a result, they found alternative ways of getting music. That's what's happening with summer touring in this country, it's out-pricing itself. We started this and we want to keep it and we want to make it bigger and bigger each year by getting bigger sponsors to be involved with the festival and underwriting the festival. That's what it's about."
The plan is for OzzFest and Live Nation will turn to sponsors to pick up the tab for the tickets for the festival's new incarnation. Bands will not be paid to perform and expenses will be covered from sales of food, drinks and merchandise.]
Way to go Ozzy! (Well, maybe I should be congratulating Sharon) Way to stay ahead of the game before ticket prices get out of hand. Now if they can only do the same for a music genre that I care for...
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