When it comes to the modern model of live music ticketing services, Robert Smith is disinterested in framing recent practices as being complicated. Last year, when the Cure announced their first U.S. tour in seven years, the band opted out of Ticketmaster‘s dynamic pricing model and used non-transferable tickets to avoid scalping by both the seller and re-sellers. In a recent interview, the frontman voiced his criticism of the now-standard practice of hiking up prices for fans while also taking aim at the artists who turn a blind eye to what he calls a “scam” that is “just driven by greed.”
“We didn’t allow dynamic pricing because it’s a scam that would disappear if every artist said, ‘I don’t want that,’” Smith told the Times. “But most artists hide behind management. ‘Oh, we didn’t know,’ they say. They all know. If they say they do not, they’re either fucking stupid or lying.” It’s something he has been thinking about a lot in the process of creating the Cure’s new album Songs of a Lost World, out Nov. 1 as their first in 16 years.
The record circles themes of greed, inequality, and monetization. For Smith, those topics become something of a rabbit hole when he thinks too much about the way things used to be. “It’s easy to tip over to talking about the fond memories of a world that’s disappeared … but there are moments I just want to leave the front door shut,” he added.
On the performance front, Smith recalled a pivotal memory from a 42-minute David Bowie gig he attended when he was 19 years old. He remembered being shocked and a bit angry that the show was so short — that he bought a ticket, showed up, and received so little in return. The Cure’s concerts tend to run long, averaging nearly three hours on stage each night. Even as Smith approaches his 70s — which he says will likely mark the end of his touring days — he’s still operating with a mindset that prioritizes what true music fans would want.
“I was shocked by how much profit is made. I thought, ‘We don’t need to make all this money.’ My fights with the label have all been about how we can price things lower,” Smith explained. “The only reason you’d charge more for a gig is if you were worried that it was the last time you would be able to sell a T-shirt. But if you had the self-belief that you’re still going to be here in a year’s time, you’d want the show to be great so people come back. You don’t want to charge as much as the market will let you.”
He added: “If people save on the tickets, they buy beer or merch. There is goodwill, they will come back next time. It is a self-fulfilling good vibe and I don’t understand why more people don’t do it.”