Singers charging luxury prices: Is it really worth it?

Entertainment TV programs such asI am a Singer, Masked King, Voice of China,are a big pusher to stars' performance price[Photo/Xinhua]

Price bubble created by both celebrities and entertainment executives

The sky-high prices are, in fact, plagued by a bubble and it's both the celebrities and the entertainment executives that created it.

In terms of performance fees, many celebrities have a sort of comparing mentality that keep forcing the overall price to shoot up to the sky. Once a famed singer increases his or her charge, others will follow.

"Many singers lift the price just for comparison," said Liao Siyong.

"Once some popular singer called me and said 'look, Na Ying's price grows to 1.5 million yuan, now please change mine from 600,000 to 1.2 million yuan on your website. I insist to charge that much even if I would only give one performance a whole year’."

Meanwhile, competition for better performance art resources among entertainment companies is also fierce. Many companies use price war and offer bigger bucks just to win a certain singer's bid, which strengthens the current growth and causes a vicious circle.

Zhang Yiming, general manager of Jing Qi Fei Fan group, a company focusing on entertainment performance business, said that the vicious competition makes the business work harder for the whole industry.

Time to reduce the price?

Facing the still-growing performance fee, professionals of the industry have mixed views.

"The increasing cost of performance will result in a higher ticket price for the public," said Zhang Yiming.

"And those singers will be arranged to give more set of performances by the companies, in order to increase earnings and reduce the overall cost."

Zhang stressed that over-consumption of certain singers will lead to audience's aesthetic fatigue, which would set up obstacle for a healthy and long-term development for both performers and the relevant business companies.

Well then, the question is: how shall the price is reduced? Shall singers cut their fees first?

Zhang pointed out both companies and singers should be realistic and act according to the real market. The law of supply and demand of the market will lead the proper price adjustment.

However, Liao Siyong stressed that celebrities should take the initiative to cool down the prices.

"They (Singers) don't set the price too high and end up staying at home with no performance invitation at all most of the time," Liao said.

“And for those b-list performers, they would go and give shows in smaller cities, if they are no longer popular in big cities."