Recently, the music festival’s “high water prices” that have been criticized have once again caused a stir in public opinion. On May 7, Xiao Yang responded to the "Electronic Music Festival Robbing Customers" Incident, saying that the purified water clearly priced at 20 yuan/cup was in line with the prevailing prices in special circumstances, and denied the "Customer Robbing" incident; on May 11 and 12, Lemonade for 20 yuan/cup appeared at Jinan JJ Lin's concert, and he was once again ridiculed for "eating ugly".
Ordinary bottled water, which normally sells for 2 yuan, sells for as much as 20 yuan per cup. Is such pricing the norm at concerts and music festivals? Does this pricing violate the rights of viewers? Who determines product pricing? According to incomplete statistics from New Yellow River Reporters, during the May Day holiday, cities across the country held more than 20 music festivals and nearly 50 live concerts. At most music festivals, the price of cup drinking water was controlled between 3 yuan and 8 yuan. A cup of drinking water is not widely available. During the interview, most of the audience agreed with the "reasonable premium" behavior at the performance venue, and they would accept it as long as it was not outrageously expensive. Industry insiders revealed to reporters that most performance companies (organizers or undertakers) will intervene in product pricing according to the situation and will not know anything about on-site prices. Some lawyers said that the pricing of goods in performance venues is subject to market-adjusted prices. If consumers think it is unreasonable, they can retain evidence to reasonably defend their rights.
Ordinary pure water cups sell for 20 yuan. Is high-priced water normal at music festivals?
html In May, the entertainment performance market continued to prosper, leading mainstream singers were on tour, and music festivals were held everywhere. First there were Phoenix Legend’s “audience lip-syncing” and other hot topics, and then there was Hua Chenyu’s top-notch marketing of singing at sunrise on the beach at 3 a.m., followed by “difficulty in refunding tickets”, “pillar tickets” and “music festival postponement” Cancel" and other negative topics. According to the consumer rights protection public opinion report released by the China Consumers Association during the May Day period, there were 161,123 negative messages in the "culture and entertainment" category, accounting for 10.77% of the complaints, with an average of 27,000 messages per day. It was mentioned that music festivals and concerts in various places during the holidays are very popular among young people, but controversies such as poor performance and insufficient operation capabilities also arise.After the May Day holiday, Brother Yang complained about the "customer smuggling" incident at the electronic music festival hosted by Three Sheep Group, bringing the "high price of water" at the music festival to the public eye. According to the price list previously circulated online, the pure water at the electronic music festival is priced at 20 yuan, while the prices of Pulse and Red Bull are 30 yuan and 28 yuan respectively. On May 7, Brother Yang responded that the stalls of the merchants on site were outsourced, and asked aggrievedly in the video: "Do you know the (drink prices) at other electronic music festivals and music festivals?" Brother Xiao Yang said that the food at the electronic music festival was , The price of drinks is in line with the common prices in special scenarios (electronic music festivals, bars), and the prices are clearly marked. There is no "customer rip-off" behavior of illegal operations to obtain illegal profits. He also said that he intervened when he found that the price of water was too high. On the afternoon of the first day of the performance, the price of pure water had dropped to 10 yuan a cup, which was "the lowest price in the history of electronic music festivals."
A cup of pure water costs 20 yuan. Is it expensive? Is such pricing the norm for concerts and music festivals?
New Yellow River reporter’s incomplete statistics show that during the May Day holiday, cities across the country held more than 20 music festivals and nearly 50 live concerts. Most of the performances mentioned in the security inspection requirements that it is prohibited to carry soft and hard packaged drinks, bottles and cans Similar requirements for packaged drinks, alcoholic drinks, non-sealed foods, etc. This also means that after the audience enters the performance venue, purchasing drinking water becomes a necessary need.
In these more than 20 music festivals, reporters found that it is not uncommon to discuss cups of water. Within a reasonable range, most audiences recognize the "premium" behavior in the venue.The reporter’s investigation revealed that during this May Day period, most music festivals controlled the price of cups of drinking water between 3 yuan and 8 yuan. For example, a large glass of water at the Tai’an New Youth Music Festival sold for 3 yuan; drinking water at the Beijing Strawberry Music Festival cost 5 yuan. Yuan, Pulse 18 Yuan, launch a 99 Yuan unlimited drink activity; Tianjin Bubble Island Music Festival official beverage station mineral water 5 Yuan; Jiangsu Taihu Bay Music Festival mineral water 6 Yuan, Coke and other carbonated drinks 12 Yuan; Chengdu Cactus Music A large glass of water is 5 yuan a cup, and a small glass of water is provided for free... Comparatively speaking, the price of electronic music festivals held at the same time is higher than that of mass music festivals. For example, the Hangzhou Storm Electronic Music Festival has launched an official water bag for 39 yuan, and the audience can buy it in the venue Hefei Dxyg-Vac Music Festival, one of the organizers of the Hefei Dxyg-Vac Music Festival, which was organized by Three Sheep Group, initially priced a glass of water at 20 yuan, but after controversy, the price was reduced to 10 yuan.
Who decides the drink premium?
Some viewers brought their own cucumbers to "quench their thirst"
The controversy over the high price of water at the "Little Yang Brother" electronic music festival has not subsided. On May 11th and 12th, during JJ Lin's concert in Jinan, there were also cups of drinks sold for 15 yuan in the venue. The price ranged from 25 yuan to 25 yuan, and the audience complained that it was "ugly to look at." The reporter saw on the catering price list posted online that the cold drink capacities are divided into medium cups, large cups and extra large cups.
An audience member told the New Yellow River reporter that she saw a lot of mineral water being thrown away at the security checkpoint. “It is not allowed to bring water. It is necessary for the audience to enter the venue to buy water. In this way, no matter how abstract it is, You have to pay for the price." She thinks it's normal for performance venues to have higher water prices, and she can accept it as long as it's not outrageous. "Even if you add a slice of lemon, the cost of the water won't be high. Personally, I think the reasonable price is around 10 yuan, which is acceptable. "Another viewer also said that she witnessed the staff pouring a bottle of pure water priced at 2 yuan and a slice of lemon into a cup, "I feel thirsty if I don't buy it, and I feel like a big injustice if I buy it."
13 On the same day, a reporter from New Yellow River contacted the concert organizer Shandong Youpeng Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. by phone. The staff responded that they were not clear about the pricing of drinks and could not answer related questions. "There are many departments here. I don't know who is responsible for this." It’s not clear whether our company is responsible for selling it or the people at the performance venue.” An audience member posted a payment record for buying a glass of water for 20 yuan on the evening of May 11. The payee was Qingdao Youshihui Catering Co., Ltd., Xinhuanghe. The reporter called the company's phone number several times but did not receive a reply as of press time. Some fans also provided records of drink consumption when watching other performances at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center. "On May 14 last year, a glass of water was 6 yuan for Joker Xue's concert in Jinan. You can also bring your own empty cup."
concerts and music festivals Who determines water prices? For audiences, it takes at least more than three hours to watch a concert from queuing up to the end of the performance. It takes even longer to attend a music festival, up to eight hours. After staying in a closed venue for a long time, drinking water is a necessity. Ronaldinho, a senior music fan, told the New Yellow River reporter that many people used to find ways to bring fruits, cucumbers, and disposable bags of water to "quench their thirst." "When the security check is not strict, you can Bring it in, but you are often asked to throw it away. "
"Selling a glass of water for 20 yuan is a bit excessive." An industry insider who has been in the music performance industry for more than ten years said in an interview with the New Yellow River reporter that most people now. 10 yuan for a glass of water at a music festival is already a high price. Even at more niche and higher-cost electronic music festivals, 20 yuan/cup of drinking water is not common.
What are the factors that affect music festival product pricing? Who has pricing power? The industry insider said that various performance companies (organizers or undertakers) may intervene in merchants’ pricing based on the income of the music festival. “Generally speaking, organizers will limit the prices of things sold by music festival merchants. We will charge Merchants have a certain deposit, and if there are problems such as customer fraud or food safety, the deposit will be clearly explained to the merchants during the recruitment process. "According to reports, the main income of the music festival comes from ticket fees, booth fees and brand investment. Artist performance fees account for the main cost.When holding a music festival, the number of spectators and ticket price range determine the upper limit of ticket revenue. If you want to increase revenue, you may only find ways to attract brands and booths.
The industry insider analyzed that the high price of 20 yuan for a cup of water at the performance may have been set by the organizer itself, or there may not be any restrictions on merchant pricing. A certain electronic music festival "crying injustice" just shirks the responsibility to the outsourcing company, "another One situation may be that the organizer charges too high a stall fee from the merchant, and the stall owner has no choice but to raise the price of the product in order to recover the cost. "
Lawyer's interpretation:
If the audience thinks that the product premium is unreasonable, they can retain evidence to defend their rights
for concerts. Regarding the phenomenon of high water prices at conferences and music festivals, New Yellow River reporter interviewed Jin Xiaodong, a lawyer at Shandong Quanze Law Firm. Lawyer Jin Xiaodong said that music festivals belong to a specific environment. From a common sense analysis, music festival prices will be more expensive than outside, but there is no absolute quantitative standard for specific prices. “Currently, the management of price ranges and food safety and hygiene is left to the industrial and commercial departments. "Definitely, but there is no clear absolute price range."
As for whether the industrial and commercial departments will control the prices of concerts and music festivals, Jin Xiaodong said that under normal circumstances, organizers or organizers of large-scale sports events and entertainment activities should reduce the price of events. All details from establishment to completion should be proactively reported to the relevant local departments. “I think that during this process, the relevant departments will register the sales and purchases of goods involved, but the specific extent and details of the registration will be managed differently. For example, there are The requirements are relatively detailed and require clear registration of all goods sold, operators, prices, etc. Some may be looser, requiring only the number of operators to be registered and not reporting in too much detail,” Jin Xiaodong said. Among them, commodity price is not the top priority reporting matter. “The priority reporting matter must be based on security, and for commodity price issues, the management in some places may be relatively broad.”
Director of the Competition Legal Affairs Department of Beijing Jingdu Law Firm Partner Lawyer Faye Wong previously told the media that spectators are prohibited from bringing prohibited items, food and beverages and other items in large-scale sports, cultural and entertainment venues or venues mainly because of the needs of public safety and food hygiene and safety, so as to avoid safety accidents and groups. Incidents, etc., threaten the safety and order of the venue. "Such operations have laws and practices to follow, and are not illegal." Regarding the phenomenon of high water prices, lawyer Faye Wong believes that the pricing behavior of water sales at music festival stalls adopts market-adjusted prices, and operators should follow the provisions of the Price Law. It is independently formulated following the principles of fairness, legality and good faith. “If the special advantages of the music festival’s relatively closed venue and limited scope of suppliers are used to overprice the goods that the public needs, it may infringe consumers’ ability to purchase at a reasonable price. rights to goods and violates operators’ fair transaction obligations.”
According to the Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, operators should follow the principles of voluntariness and fairness when conducting transactions with consumers. Consumers can ask merchants to issue corresponding receipts or invoices and keep the consumption vouchers. You can also keep recording evidence, on-site photos and videos during the consumption process to facilitate later evidence. Jin Xiaodong suggested that if the audience finds that the pricing of goods at concerts and music festivals is unreasonable, they can report it to the local industrial and commercial department or market supervision and management department. “When the public interests of so many people are involved, the industrial and commercial department or market supervision and management department will Send personnel to verify and go to the site to supervise and rectify problems. "
Reporter: Li Rui Intern: Xu Shuojing Proofreader: Tang Qi Editor: Xing Zhibin