The Ute Muster, a couple of days of people with Utes paying big prices to see some of the best bands and solo artists on offer and of course seeing how many singlets there is and how many utes are in the area plus much more.

There’s been suggestions that Deniliquin residents should get a much lower ticket price which makes sense to some because it is a local event and nobody wants to be priced out of an event situation on home soil.

So here is some of the pros and cons of the ticket prices as they stand right now and we say some because there’s probably more pros and cons out there.

Pros of current Ticket prices

1. Early Bird tickets lower costs
2. Payment plans ease the financial burden
3. Kids are spared from expense
4. It’s about right when artist fees etc are factored in
5. There’s a stack of artists on the bill so crunched down it’s considered fair
6. Ensures the Ute Muster keeps on going into the future

Cons of current Ticket Prices

1. Still considered very costly regardless of option
2. You might only want to see a portion of the event
3. Parents may not want to go just for the kids
4. Travel Expenses (not if local)
5. Accommodation (not if local)

What would be a fair price for a local to go if such a discount was in operation? Somewhere between $150 and $200 probably be a logical area because if you dip towards $100 total admission people would be very unimpressed at local bias.

So a lowered local price would draw local people in but as mentioned above you don’t want the discount lowered to a point it would make travellers unhappy at the price tag because if they stay home there would be a profit loss.

There’s also discussion on lowering prices for everyone to attract more people, it’s been a passionate debate for some time and many people have valid points for example artists cost money and so you got their fees, insurance premiums to ensure nothing happens to them on stage etc.

On the other hand, artists have been saying that some shows just cost too much and are fighting to keep the costs down to enable everyone to have a shot of seeing them.

The counter to that is that somebody can see Keith Urban for $200 at one of his concerts (see a support act or two too) and then go to the Ute Muster and pay around $30 more to see him plus a whole  bunch of others performing for the people if music is your reason for going to the Ute muster.

DNS’s conclusion is it’s a complicated mess and may the right balance be found to suit everyone so everybody can have a great start to October.