Burniton Music Group (BMG) Head of Public Relations Vida Adutwumwaa Boateng has denied rumors that Stonebwoy’s “Up and Running” tour tickets were purposefully lowered in order to pack the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
Celebrated reggae and dancehall artist Stonebwoy sold out the O2 Sheperd’s Bush Empire last week, possibly ending the long-held notion that no Ghanaian musician could pack the venue without the help of core UK-based Ghanaian promoters. This is seen as a positive step for the expansion of Ghanaian music outside the borders of the country.
The impression was exacerbated when Mr. Alordia of Alordia Promotions, a UK-based promoter, implied prior to the event that the TGMA Artiste of the Year winner had lowered ticket prices in order to attract more customers.
In an interview with a radio station in Accra, Alordia’s thoughts on the subject could have raised questions about Stonebwoy and his crew’s capacity to put on a successful event.
It’s interesting to note that his perspective has led to the typical Stonebwoy/Shatta Wale rivalry.
Ms. Adutwumwaa Boateng, however, rejected the allegation as unfounded in a recent interview, stating that Stonebwoy lacked control over ticket prices because of current industry rules.
“Live Nation, the same event firm that organizes the internationally recognized music festival Afro Nation, collaborated with Stonebwoy to organize his ‘Up and Running’ concert. “He (Stonebwoy) couldn’t affect the ticket prices because they managed both production and ticketing,” she said.
She went on to explain that ticket prices were fixed at industry-standard rates and could be gradually adjusted in response to demand rather than individual choices.
Stonebwoy could not arbitrarily set ticket prices in an attempt to draw in more customers. He is never allowed to change ticket pricing to fit a certain purpose. She restated that prices were set and could only go up in response to demand.
Ms. Boateng provided more information, stating that early bird tickets were initially priced at £25, but as the event approached, they went up to £34 and then £36. She underlined that contrary to the assertions that they were lowered in order to attract more customers, the ticket prices actually rose as a result of strong demand rather than declining.
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