Low ticket sales have Shoreline singing the blues Low ticket sales have Shoreline singing the blues (July 16, 2004)

Local businesses, city also impacted

By David Herbert

Ticket sales at Shoreline Amphitheatre are down this summer season, forcing the popular concert venue to lower prices and hurting some local businesses.

The sluggish economy, high gas prices and a number of last-minute cancellations have hurt ticket sales at Shoreline and other music venues across the country, according to Aaron Suida, a spokesperson for concert producer Bill Graham Presents.

"The cancellations have been a disappointment," he said. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and the rock festival Lollapalooza, which were set to play Shoreline, have all called off their nationwide tours.

In a move to boost revenues this season, Bill Graham Presents offered music fans $20 tickets for lawn seats for all summer shows June 20. The promotion, said Suida, was a tremendous success, with over 51,000 tickets being sold in less than 24 hours.

Music fans also tend to buy tickets right before shows, meaning it may be too soon to tell how drastically sales have fallen, Suida said. A number of high-profile artists remain on the calendar despite the cancellations, including Jessica Simpson, Sting, The Who and the rock festival Ozzfest.

But the declining numbers of concertgoers is still worrying Bill Graham Presents, in addition to Mountain View businesses.

"Shoreline is fantastic for business," said Carol Olson, president of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce. Local restaurants and hotels thrive on the crowds, she added, which can sometimes number up to 20,000 people.

But with the decline in ticket sales, some area businesses are hurting. At the 91-room Hotel Avante in Mountain View, which is a popular accommodation for concertgoers, occupancy rates were 54 percent this June, down from 65 percent the same time last year, according to Julie Conde, the hotel's general manager.

The city, too, is feeling the squeeze from the drop in ticket sales. According to Finance Director Bob Locke, Mountain View's cut of Shoreline's revenue is down about $20,000 for the first months of this summer as compared to last year, a small but troubling figure.

"It's not enough to make us reevaluate the budget, but it's not a good sign because we need all the revenue we can get to continue city services," he said.

E-mail David Herbert at dherbert@mv-voice.com

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