Sturgill Simpson — er, Johnny Blue Skies? — is embarking on a North American tour later this year behind his forthcoming album, Passage du Desir, under his new moniker. Under any name, the singer-songwriter is well aware that the live music industry has been kind of shitty for both fans and artists lately, so he's shared his plans to keep his ticket prices affordable and limit scalping.
Simpson uploaded a brief tour announcement video to YouTube last night (June 11) summarizing how he'll attempt to make the ticket-buying process less painstaking, including opting out of dynamic ticket pricing (which fluctuates based on consumer demand), face-value exchanges, and limited platinum ticketing.
It really isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's always nice to see artists doing what they can to make things accessible, even when it comes at a loss to them. The Cure's last tour was a prime example of big-name musicians really going to bat to let fans be able to come to the shows (and probably really pissing off Live Nation — now being called to dissolve its merger with Ticketmaster by the US Department of Justice — in the process).
"The Why Not? Tour has opted out of using dynamic ticket pricing. We will be doing everything in our power to keep tickets in the hands of fans and out of the hands of scalpers," the text in the Simpson tour video reads. "We are vetting our presale sign-ups for bad actors, doing face value ticket exchange, and limited platinum ticketing to combat scalpers and out-of-control prices."
Tickets for the Why Not? Tour — which includes a pair of Toronto dates at Massey Hall — go on sale to the general public this Friday (June 14), with various presales beginning today. See Simpson's announcement video below.