Repost: Mark EG on Low Ticket Sales
Though I’m copying it from Rio without my computer, I wanted to repost this. I first saw it shared by Brian “Levitation Jones,” who has grown into a big name in the USAmerican bass world. The original post by DJ Mark EG is here: https://www.facebook.com/markegofficial/posts/pfbid02pksyevSRvVVvcix1XT7o2SwYCTPARt99GniTuEpNUYwzJ2tmmX7aD1ipW6U3dj3Pl
Scrolling the comments, the most common excuse for the decline in pre-sales was disposable income. But I don’t buy that. Many are still in Starbucks every day, and a rave costs the same as a few shaken espressos. We’re not talking arena ticket prices.
Other people blamed shifting priorities. Sure, but who doesn’t still love dance? Dance is primal.
The real reasons are deeper and harder for people to admit.
Party culture itself is in decline, replaced by a phone-in-hand, “health-conscious” culture. People don’t want to be filmed while they’re gettin freaky. They want to signal that they’re making “better” lifestyle choices. Everyone knows drugs are woven into the arts, not just rave culture, and the growing risks of impurity only make things worse.
The second reason is that PLUR is dead. PLUR means embracing differences. Today, faux-liberals are encouraged to cut off anyone who disagrees. That doesn’t build community. And yes, the endless Palestine discourse is part of the rot—it poisons even dance floors with division. Bands and DJs are literally boycotting their fans to get likes.
I saw the death of PLUR firsthand. In the Florida EDM scene—especially the breaks community—I dealt with actual Nazis. As in rednecks who think minorities are inferior, not the many other groups blindly labeled Nazi. Because of my naive PLUR ideals, I reluctantly tolerated these people. By contrast, in 2021, when a PLUR raver from Pittsburgh who makes phat pants and kandi jewelry found out I was Israeli, she accused me of murdering children. That was during the last war, not even the current one. So you can imagine things got worse.
But more on the death of PLUR at the hands of the Palestine death cult another time.
Mark EG
Sep 6, 2025
Today, I saw a post on a FB group about the decline in pre-ticket sales at events, and obviously that affects us DJs, the music scene, clubs, crowd, promoters and the whole industry. As I am now about to begin my PhD, I thought it would be good to analyse this from a neutral and theoretical standpoint and ask for your thoughts. I wanted to share my findings with you for further discussion, to support those who are worrying about this and to explore how we can all learn to do things better CONTEXT: This was a hardcore discussion group (electronic music).
Several recurring themes emerged in the thread:
1) Nostalgia and scepticism about contemporary events were mentioned frequently, suggesting that trust in present-day promoters and line-ups is weaker than in earlier decades. This points to Thornton’s (1995) concept of subcultural capital, where credibility and authenticity drive consumer engagement. If events are not seen as authentic representations of the culture, audiences are less inclined to commit financially in advance.
2) The comments highlighted fragmentation within the scene, with disagreements over genres, line-ups, and the perceived 'commercialisation' of music. This mirrors Hebdige’s (1979) observation that subcultures inevitably fracture once incorporated into mainstream circuits. Fragmentation reduces collective enthusiasm and creates hesitation in pre-committing to events, as attendees wait to see whether a particular event will align with their preferred vision of the culture.
3) I found evidence of consumer caution and risk-aversion. Several people mentioned economic pressures (e.g. cost of living, travel, accommodation), making them more selective about advance purchases. This aligns with research on the experience economy (Pine & Gilmore, 1999), which shows that consumers increasingly weigh value and uniqueness before committing to spending on going out. In the current climate, audiences may also delay purchases until closer to the event, when certainty about attendance is higher.
4) The shift to digital platforms for last-minute engagement also plays a role. Social media enables real-time updates and peer validation, reducing the necessity of early commitment. Gibson and Connell (2005) argued that globalisation and digitalisation have restructured live music by promoting immediacy and flexibility over long-term planning. This dynamic appears strongly in the thread I analysed, where attendees indicated they prefer to ‘see who else is going’ before buying.
5) There are emotional and cultural debates in the thread that reveal a weakening of trust in community cohesion. Fraser’s (2000) work on recognition and representation is relevant here: if participants feel alienated from how the scene is represented by promoters, they are less likely to support events in advance. The erosion of recognition and inclusivity thus directly affects purchasing behaviour.
Conclusion:
The comments in this thread suggest that the decline in pre-ticket sales cannot be attributed to a single factor. Instead, there is an interplay between economic pressures, fragmentation of identity, digital consumption habits, and contested notions of authenticity.
My recommendation to promoters:
Rebuild trust, promote inclusivity, and innovate in audience engagement.
Please remember, this my analysis of one post in one genre, being totally neutral. I obviously have my own thoughts on this. But I am super excited for your comments and your own experiences
PS I will put a link to the thread I analysed in the comments x
Feel free to comment your thoughts. One comment did remind me of another major issue, which I do associate with the terminally online culture of today: “I think it also depends on the promotion. Promoters who speak and communicate with ravers definitely seem to do better than promoters who don’t. The scene has definitely changed over the years compared to the early 2000’s.” [He then goes on a rant about hardcore music vs other genres, which was ironic given the post.]
Anecdot time: I still have admin rights for a 6k member Facebook group. A month ago someone reached out to ask me to permit their post advertising an upcoming event. I agreed. But I also suggested to the DJ/promoter that he tries to speak with people in the Facebook group, especially by way of generating discussion. I even gave him some discussion topics, like simply introducing himself for people unfamiliar. He did not take me up on it.
Because people are fixated on optimizing their algos and online marketing, they forget about actually talking to people. Personal relationships are absolutely essential for promotion. In Israel, I’m seeing a growth in physical flyers and meetups with promoters, at least among the people who get it. Promoters need to stop just posting to Facebook, Bands In Town, Resident Advisor and make new friends. Older friends are busy with their new lives or dead.
