OzzFest Free This Year
Posted by Michael Melchor on 02.08.2007
A new way to do business?
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.
The other OzzFest cities as of now are San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Kansas City, St Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford, Charlotte, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Nashville. A final confirmed list of cities and dates is forthcoming.
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.
To gain entry into the event, fans will go to Ozzfest.com or Livenation.com to find links that will direct them to special sponsor sites where tickets can be secured. More details regarding the process are forthcoming.
