The Unofficial Information Exchange (UIEX) received a tip from a quasi-sort-of-official-anonymous-perhaps-reliable source that NYCB's popular Fourth Ring Society, which allows one to join for an initial payment of $20-25 and thereafter entitles the member to $15 (now $17 with the facility fee) Fourth Ring tickets, will not be continued after this June and that NYCB may even close off portions of the Fourth Ring to sales if the rest of the house isn't selling well.
If this is true, NYCB is clearly over-estimating the loyalty of its low-end customer base if it thinks it can squeeze people into buying more expensive third ring and lower seats by denying them the cheaper options to which they are accustomed.
The Fourth Ring Society page is still up on the NYCB website. Haglund will regularly check to see if it disappears.
If this sorry news is true, what a bad idea in a bad economy. NYCB will be acting like it is the only one affected by the crummy economy. Does the company really think that the people in the crummy, cheap seats aren't being affected by the crummy economy as severely as NYCB?
Here's how the fallout from the decision will go:
- People will push back by attending the ballet less frequently.
- People will push back by attending only those performances of ballets which they are sure they will like and will avoid risking money on new, untried ballets which they haven't seen.
- People will become accustomed to and comfortable with attending NYCB less frequently, substituting other activites in its place.
- Those Fourth Ring Society members who also are the lowest rung of donors will keep their $90 contributions to themselves this year.
It's not smart to treat your low-end customer base like you think you can grab a little more out of its wallet by twisting its arm behind its back. Fewer customers will cry "Uncle" and hand over the money to the NYCB bandits than won't.
Let's hope the Fourth Ring Society doesn't end.
