Once again the GOP has embraced a muddled populist who can’t grasp basic economics and math.
Oliver Anthony has cancelled a scheduled show at a Nashville venue after learning that regular tickets were going for $90, with meet-and-greet tickets going for $200. To his credit, he was appalled by the prices, saying that tickets should cost no more than $25, with a free meet and greet for all fans.
The problem?
Explaining the cost for the concert, the venue said, "The North Man of Richmond contracted to play the Cotton Eyed Joe for $120,000 for 60 minutes.... after doing the math and knowing we can only hold apprx. 1500 people, paying the ticket website their fee to sell the tickets, paying the tax man, opening the JOE on a closed night... we set the ticket price to break even and bring our customers a show we thought would be fun."
Do the math.
- At 1,500 patrons, Anthony’s fee works out to $80 a ticket. Given the costs cited by the venue (all real), $90 does not seem at all unreasonable.
- The band’s hourly wage? $120,000. Does not strike me as a very working-class, man-of-the-people payday.
This after he expressed opposition to his song being weaponized. One gets the impression Mr. Anthony does not understand much at all about the topics that outrage him.
That makes him the ideal provider of the soundtrack for the Republican outrage machine.