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alright here& #39;s my take on the bullshit, a thread:
international fans aren& #39;t the ones keeping broadway alive, nor are those fans who can& #39;t afford to see shows.
like, seriously, think about it for like 0.5 seconds, okay? just— just bear with me.
international fans aren& #39;t the ones keeping broadway alive, nor are those fans who can& #39;t afford to see shows.
like, seriously, think about it for like 0.5 seconds, okay? just— just bear with me.
so let& #39;s say you can afford to see broadway shows regularly. yeay, congrats! nothing wrong with that!
but since you can already afford to see those shows, you& #39;re probably not interested in bootlegs. why? because you can afford the entire experience, the live theater experience.
but since you can already afford to see those shows, you& #39;re probably not interested in bootlegs. why? because you can afford the entire experience, the live theater experience.
therefore, it makes no sense for you to watch often poorly recordings of shows you can simply go see live, unless of course they& #39;re closed, or you& #39;re just bored and want to watch something or whatever.
THESE are the people keeping broadway alive.
THESE are the people keeping broadway alive.
now say you& #39;re an international fan, like me and many others. to go nyc, you& #39;d have to convince others to travel with you, to follow you on a trip most likely across an ocean that involves plane tickets, expensive accomodations and food, not to mention the actual tickets.
which aren& #39;t cheap, by the way! during the 2018/2019 season, the price was 122! (source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/198306/average-paid-admission-at-broadway-shows-since-2006/)
but">https://www.statista.com/statistic... this isn& #39;t just you, it& #39;s also the people you& #39;re travelling with that you& #39;ll have to convince to watch a super expensive show.
but">https://www.statista.com/statistic... this isn& #39;t just you, it& #39;s also the people you& #39;re travelling with that you& #39;ll have to convince to watch a super expensive show.
if you& #39;re lucky, they& #39;re also a theater fan and you can go crazy go stupid with the amount of shows you wanna attend.
if, like the majority, they aren& #39;t, they& #39;re likely not going to appreciate having to pull out 122 dollars to watch a show they likely have no interest in.
if, like the majority, they aren& #39;t, they& #39;re likely not going to appreciate having to pull out 122 dollars to watch a show they likely have no interest in.
if they do concede, you& #39;re at most gonna be watching one show, and one show only, because nobody& #39;s crazy enough to pay that amount again if they& #39;re not a big theater fan.
so now this person has invested more time, energy, and money into seeing a show than the regulars have.
so now this person has invested more time, energy, and money into seeing a show than the regulars have.
and yet, they were only able to support ONE show. and they& #39;re likely not going back to new york that soon, either.
so now we have a regular, who is still going to choose the live experience over bootlegs whenever they can.
so now we have a regular, who is still going to choose the live experience over bootlegs whenever they can.
and the international fan, who is STILL going to make that same option because god knows it hurts to see all your friends at stagedoor and outside the marquees and there you are an ocean away (eh, hamilton pun) crying at three am because your favorite show just closed and +
you& #39;re never going to be able to see it, or the actor that& #39;s always inspired you (looking at you, anastasia and christy altomare!)
you hear everyone talking about this and that swing, this and that reprise which aren& #39;t in the cast recording, their fav versions of the characters!
you hear everyone talking about this and that swing, this and that reprise which aren& #39;t in the cast recording, their fav versions of the characters!
and you& #39;re excluded from it all because of your location, OF ALL STUPID THINGS.
so naturally, you turn to bootlegs. why? because in the end, it doesn& #39;t make a difference. you were likely never going to see that show, because you& #39;re in a whole ass different continent.
so naturally, you turn to bootlegs. why? because in the end, it doesn& #39;t make a difference. you were likely never going to see that show, because you& #39;re in a whole ass different continent.
therefore by watching the bootleg, you& #39;re not taking money away from the business, because it& #39;s money that wouldn& #39;t have gone to the business anyhow.
like what, you& #39;re gonna tell me an international college student can afford to regularly see shows???
like what, you& #39;re gonna tell me an international college student can afford to regularly see shows???
you& #39;re don& #39;t pass up the opportunity to see a show because you& #39;ve already seen the bootleg. you pass up the opportunity to see a show because you literally cannot afford it.
you don& #39;t watch bootlegs because you& #39;re stingy and don& #39;t care about the live experience.
you don& #39;t watch bootlegs because you& #39;re stingy and don& #39;t care about the live experience.
you watch them because it is literally the only way you can enjoy theater. online communities are ESSENTIAL when it comes to supporting up and coming shows and performers— just look at six and how much it blew up.
by watching bootlegs, you& #39;re entering part of a community and feeling more included, and the louder that community is, the more likely others will hear about it, be curious, enjoy it, and therefore give shows more popularity and profit.
to conclude: stop demonizing bootlegs and painting them as the cause of broadway& #39;s death.
P.S.: Have you considered that maybe, juuuuuuust maybe, the business is dying because of exorbitant ticket prices and a lack of connection to the reality of your fans? no? thought so.
P.S.: Have you considered that maybe, juuuuuuust maybe, the business is dying because of exorbitant ticket prices and a lack of connection to the reality of your fans? no? thought so.
