AMAs: Coldplay, Leona and the $1,040 ticket
The American Music Awards just got a bit more British, adding Coldplay and Leona Lewis to its performance line-up, according to Billboard. The two join a bevy of previously announced performers, including Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, the Pussycat Dolls, Taylor Swift and Annie Lennox.
The fan-voted extravaganza, as previously reported, is set for Nov. 23, and will be broadcast live for the East Coast from the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Voting is underway now at the AMA website, and will end on Nov. 7.
The gala is open to the public, and tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster. A mezzanine seat will run you $67.60, plus an $11.50 service charge. Or you can spring for the VIP package, which is priced at $1,040. But there's a catch: You need to buy 10 of those puppies.
So what's the service charge on 10 tickets price at $1,040 apiece? Just a cool $417.50, bringing the total cost to $10,822.45. And here's what it gets you: Access to a VIP lounge, a trip to the red carpet, a limo ride and into the official AMA party.
But really, in the grand Ticketmaster universe, that's not so bad. In fact, it's kind of a bargain.
To compare: A fancy $1,040 ticket to the AMAs carries a $41.75 service charge, and a box seat to see Madonna on Nov. 6 at Dodger Stadium (still available at $165.00), comes with a $21.30 "convenience" charge. To sum: The added charge on a Madonna ticket is about 12% of the total ticket cost, whereas the bonus fees on a four-figure AMA package are only about 4% of the total ticket cost.
But the cost of potentially seeing Kanye throw an award-show tantrum? Priceless.
--Todd Martens
Screenshot: www.ticketmaster.com
