Thread: Economic Downturn/Recession and Burlesque

As the world goes into an economic downturn or goes into recession (depending on which politician/economic analyst you listen to) the pressure must at some point transfer itself to the good old Burlesque show.

With less cash in your pocket after the cost of living will you be able to justify going to a Burlesque show? Will you be more selective of what you watch?

As a performer have you noticed less bookings because promoters can't afford your petrol expenses?

As a promoter of a small show, funded out of my own pocket, I'm startin to feel the pinch, but I've also had excellent advanced ticket sales for my September show!

How does everyone else feel?

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I won't bother talking about whether the downturn has affected us businesswise because, touch wood, things have never been better for MoB/Castlist.

However, we've certainly noticed a few things. For example, when I bought my car last year, it cost £60 to fill up with petrol. Sixteen months later, it costs £90!!!

On the bright side, it's been statistically proven that entertainment based businesses tend to do better when there is a recession. This is down to a few factors including escapism and the fact that an evening of entertainment costs much less than buying something tangible.

Originally Posted by James

I won't bother talking about whether the downturn has affected us businesswise because, touch wood, things have never been better for MoB/Castlist.

Good... I want the MoB/Castlist around for a long time - this really is the only forum worth using to promote events as I shall explain later.

Originally Posted by James

However, we've certainly noticed a few things. For example, when I bought my car last year, it cost £60 to fill up with petrol. Sixteen months later, it costs £90!!!

I believe that the cost of travel is making it harder for us to get talent for our shows because we have a policy of not just employing anyone.

Originally Posted by James

On the bright side, it's been statistically proven that entertainment based businesses tend to do better when there is a recession. This is down to a few factors including escapism and the fact that an evening of entertainment costs much less than buying something tangible.

I think you may be correct. Although I attribute some excellent advance ticket sales to my show down to the MoB advert (I did say I'd explain later) I'm still suprised that people are spending the money on a good night out.

:wallbash: grrrr, you bugger, i was thinking that earlier and sent my head into a spiral of horror. In all honesty, No it will not affect me.

Have lived on a diet of cous cous and morrisons winter veg selections to be able to afford to go to the candybox and the pitty patt as a student.

Managed to still see my friends when on the dole, though it was very hard and i got depressed as fuck at times.

Last costume cost £25 including home made pasties. dress, boustier, robe, bra, knickers.

I do think that it will become harder to find work, and i think that corperate work will drop of, and audience numbers will drop as people cut back.

But then burlesque is a luxuery and it's a monthly thing for most people and it is a treat.

I don't think people will change lifestyle dramaticly, im certainly not.

If the US is ****ed and china is ****ed and the euro is ****ed were certainly **** ed.

But we are still in a good place to be, free health care, the right to vote without judgement, the right to say and wear what we want, bad flooding but no droughts, plague, or pestulance.

As bad as it may get, there are millions of people who suffer worse, and go without food, water, shelter, and yes shock horror internet.

Thats why i plan to submerge Damien Hurst in a vat of his own creation screaming and kicking and then padlock the thing.

It just disgusts me that in the current echonomic climate money like that is being flaunted when other people in the country are struggling to make mortage payment and could be made homeless.

( Rant over ) hides .x

Gehenna! I despair...I thought the MoB forums were the last bastions of sanity away from the fear-induced outside world. There's a reason I'm not watching the news or reading newspapers at the mo...I can't cope with all the fear, doom and gloom. I had hoped this would be a little safe haven, a happy place. Oh well. The depression gets in everywhere.

Originally Posted by Gehenna

I believe that the cost of travel is making it harder for us to get talent for our shows because we have a policy of not just employing anyone.

Amusingly enough, I bought a people carrier so I could cut down on what was then approximately £2000 per month in performer travel expenses. Unfortunately, my style of driving is best described as 'erratic' and people started to refuse to get into my car due to sickness. See Ministry Of Burlesque - Performers Who Have Nearly Chundered In The MoBfathers Car for more details.

Amongst several highlights - Lord Dashwood needing to get out of my car at 4am and only 1 mile away from home (out of an 80 mile journey) and seeing him walk down the road, frantically wiggling his fingertips as this was his way of keeping the sickness under control.

There was also the time I had to stop the car so that Gypsy could spend a few minutes dry-retching by the side of the road at 3am.

Kittie has to go in my car and her mood normally markedly changes during the duration of any trip!

Originally Posted by Gehenna

I think you may be correct. Although I attribute some excellent advance ticket sales to my show down to the MoB advert (I did say I'd explain later) I'm still suprised that people are spending the money on a good night out.

Glad to hear it

We're actually in the process of asking that people who use the site solely to promote their goods/workshops/wares provide a link back to us on their own websites or MySpace accounts because at the end of the day, it's a community and this involves give and take on both sides.

Obviously this doesn't apply to members who contribute properly to the site, but we hope that they would want to link to us anyway!

Im trying to bury my head in the sand about the current economic climate otherwise I'll have to think about my self assessment tax returns :worried:

But totally agree with Heather-if you need a hand with trapping Damian let me know :lol:

As for travel sickness, James, I hope for your sake you NEVER have to drive me anywhere....:yuk:

Axx

Originally Posted by tempest devyne

this is just a blip and not a particularly bad one in the scale of things...

This is simply the lull before the storm. Things will unfortunately get much worse before they get better. We had an unprecidented 16 years of economic growth, based primarily on building wealth on money that only actually existed on balance sheets.

For example, the second company I started during the dotcom boom was valued in the tens of millions (ironically by Lehman Brothers) back in 1998, despite the fact that we managed to burn through several million of investors cash and the company never turned a profit. Back then, we were told that EVERY SINGLE PERSON who registered for a free account with us was worth approximately £2000 to our overall value. This was total lunacy but it's the way that the new-age economy worked!

Here's how screwy the maths was back in 1998...

• Freeserve, the UK's first free ISP had a market valuation of £9 billion.
• Freeserve made a loss of approximately £11 million in its first year of operation.
• The Dixons Group owned 80% of Freeserve and had a turnover of over £350 million and record profits for the year.
• The Dixons Group had a market valuation of just over £1 billion, despite owning 80% of a company which was worth £9 billion.

I know this because my second company ran the webmail systems for Freeserve and The Dixons Group!

This type of phantom economics was totally unsustainable and built around the possibility of future earnings that never bore any resemblance to reality. Now the system has been exposed for what it is and is in the midst of imploding. Because the entire worldwide financial institution was such a delicate balancing act in the first place, the scales tipped too far in one direction and they're now swinging back to the other direction.

Newtons law of motion (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) also applies to economics!

Originally Posted by James

I won't bother talking about whether the downturn has affected us businesswise because, touch wood, things have never been better for MoB/Castlist.

However, we've certainly noticed a few things. For example, when I bought my car last year, it cost £60 to fill up with petrol. Sixteen months later, it costs £90!!!.

Never mind the cost of petrol - its what cars are now worth! If you do less than 30 to the gallon (sorry don't do litres to the mile!) start weepin'. Thats where the web will really flourish for everyone - its so expensive to travel with petrol / parking etc everyones online!.. and with all thats going on here thats not a bad place to be!

Oweee, my head hurts. Im so confuzzled with the maths of it all.