# Is Lady Gaga really worth a million dollars a show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2018, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458 "2018-02-24T07:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/41 "2018-02-26T04:34:21Z")
I mean, I’m not an economist, but it seems to me that if 5000 people are willing to pay $200 bucks to see Lady Gaga, that’s what she’s worth, a million bucks a night. And if she can do that for 74 nights, then that’s what she’s worth too. What do you think she _ought_ to be paid? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/42 "2018-02-26T04:56:39Z")
Yeah, really, so the problem’s a philosophical issue with the use of the term _“worth”_? Since the news item is of a deal that involves her collecting $1 million a show, ISTM easily understood that the OP is referring to whether that is a viable investment vis-a-vis expected future value – i.e. is paying that price to put on Stefani Germanotta’s act “Lady Gaga” worth it as a MGM business decision, which is what we’ve been answering… because _what else could we quantify in dollars and cents?_ Like **msmith537** suggests, MGM surely considered relative margins when choosing what acts to put in residence and figured that this one fit their business plan better. If they are \*wrong \* and the residency bombs and all lose their shirts on it, then we can say it was not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/43 "2018-02-26T05:28:09Z")
Never mind then. If we can’t understand each other, let’s leave it be. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/44 "2018-02-26T05:35:27Z")
Besides, I’d pay $200 to hear her do [this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKRe99zvyoI&t=1232s) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/45 "2018-02-26T05:38:44Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > …she’s not better or more talented than a million others… Don’t be ridiculous. She’s a singular talent ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/46 "2018-02-26T07:13:54Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Don’t be ridiculous. She’s a singular talent No, she is not. She is a talent, but she is not unique or special like that. Right place, right time, right '80s artists to steal riffs from… She’s very, very good at what she does, but she’s not, IMO, a “singular talent” unless we agree that we are all “singular talents”. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/47 "2018-02-26T07:22:27Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Oh, most certainly. If not 2 million dollars a show. > [@RickJay](#): > > If she brings in $1.1 million a show, she absolutely is worth that much. Her Joanne tour just wrapped up 4 weeks ago. The [Joanne World Tour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanne_World_Tour) made $94,900,000 on 49 shows; that’s $1,936,734.69/show. Now subtract all the expenses. Now take $75,000,0000 and realize that expenses got cut by 90%. Lady Gaga would have been a fool to turn this gig down, but she very clearly is not a fool. She’s a very smart, very talented lady with a ton of drive and a very good business sense. ---
**Author:** ![flip-68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@flip-68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flip-68)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/48 "2018-02-26T08:10:48Z")
So is she just going to sing Poker Face for a couple of hours each night or has she done something else since? 'Cos that’s a lot of moolah for a one hit wonder ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/49 "2018-02-26T09:13:39Z")
> [@flip-68](#): > > So is she just going to sing Poker Face for a couple of hours each night or has she done something else since? 'Cos that’s a lot of moolah for a one hit wonder She has released four platinum selling albums and has had over a dozen top-ten singles in the United States. That’s hardly a one-hit wonder. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/50 "2018-02-26T10:09:19Z")
Greed may be a lousy basis for running a society. Envy is worse. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/51 "2018-02-26T10:11:35Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > No, she is not. She is a talent, but she is not unique or special like that. Right place, right time, right '80s artists to steal riffs from… > > She’s very, very good at what she does, but she’s not, IMO, a “singular talent” unless we agree that we are all “singular talents”. I agree with this. She is an impressive songwriter and singer. There was an earlier thread discussing why her popularity seems to have settled into a lower groove. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/52 "2018-02-26T10:18:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > She has released four platinum selling albums and has had over a dozen top-ten singles in the United States. That’s hardly a one-hit wonder. Hell - Poker Face isn’t even her only _Billboard #1_ hit - she’s had 3: Just Dance, Poker Face, and Born This Way. While Bad Romance peaked at #2, it sold 12 million copies, making her only of only 7 artists to cross that line twice (the other being Poker Face, of course) in the digital era (Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Kesha, Adele, Flo Rida, and Katy Perry are the other 6). > [@mbh](#): > > Greed may be a lousy basis for running a society. > > Envy is worse. Well, that’s why Wrath ran things, even though he was youngest… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/53 "2018-02-26T14:56:07Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Yeah, really, so the problem’s a philosophical issue with the use of the term _“worth”_? He’s given up on the discussion, and I don’t want to prolong it. But I do believe it’s not about the word but the underlying concept of assigning value based on what the capitalist market determines is correct. That makes capitalism inherently true. It alone measures value. That inherently has philosophical implications that cannot be so easily separated from morality or anything else. It seems to me that there must always be some other sort of valuation to compare any definition of value against to prevent this. I also don’t agree it’s clear what the OP is asking, because it’s a very sparse OP. It could just be a rhetorical question, with the answer “No, of course not.” And thus the thread was just about giving information. It could be a debate on what exactly value or worth actually is, with Gaga as a jumping off point. And, yes, it could be a question about justifying the monetary expense of paying her that much, and whether that is a sound business decision. Hence I think **GuanoLad** ’s response is just as valid as the ones that assume this is about whether it is a sound financial business decision. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/54 "2018-02-26T15:41:22Z")
Why are the earnings of entertainers made public, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/55 "2018-02-26T16:13:55Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Why are the earnings of entertainers made public, anyway? WAG, but the casinos are publicly-owned corporations, so that pertinent shareholder information. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/56 "2018-02-26T17:16:00Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > > [@RickJay](#): > > > > how much you want to have lunch with her > > $2 million a lunch. You’re in luck, then. After this gig, she will probably be able to afford you. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/57 "2018-02-26T21:29:13Z")
I suspect that MGM will make out just fine on this deal, and Lady Gaga probably welcomes the idea of not taking the act out on the road for a while. She cut the Joanne tour short recently due to chronic pain issues, so doing one show a week at the same spot probably has a lot of appeal to her right about now. I’m not someone who you would expect to be a big fan of hers, I’m a married straight guy in my mid-50’s whose musical tastes tend more to Blues and Americana these days. Her musical style isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse, but I did go see her late last year and I gotta tell you - that woman is an undeniably enormous talent and she owns a fucking room harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. I would totally go see her again, and my wife and I might well plan a Las Vegas trip around seeing that show. We’re due to get back there in the next year or so anyway, it’s been a few years since we’ve been there. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/58 "2018-02-26T21:36:26Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > …She’s very, very good at what she does, but she’s not, IMO, a “singular talent” unless we agree that we are all “singular talents”. I confess I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/59 "2018-02-26T22:41:56Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I confess I’m not. You’re the best Elendil’s Heir _I’ve_ ever met; you got that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458/60 "2018-02-27T16:31:32Z")
Upon review, the below looks like I’m a huge Gaga fan, which isn’t true. I don’t own any of her songs, and I wouldn’t travel to Vegas to see her perform. I’m just calling it like I see it. * * * > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Exactly. Far easier to have the fans bear the cost of transporting and lodging themselves than to move the entire stage and set and crew around the country. > > A nitpick tho: Celine’s _A New Day_ was the start of the residency thing here in Las Vegas, in 2003. Elton’s thing didn’t start until 2004. > . . . I’m pretty sure Tom Jones started it. 😉 Or maybe Frank Sinatra? Sammy Davis Jr.? > [@GuanoLad](#): > > That’s the money she’s contracted to receive. It will be distributed amongst her team, her crew, and her band. It’s not how much she’s worth, she didn’t work any harder than another musician, she’s not better or more talented than a million others - it’s just how much they’re giving her this time. I’m guessing that the million is just her salary. Usually the economics of a residency are that the house pays all expenses. But I haven’t seen the deal. > [@msmith537](#): > > It would be interesting to calculate “marginal Gaga” for a number of artists. That is to say, to what degree a venue would be more or less profitable by replacing an act with Lady Gaga. > > But yeah, I have no doubt they are making a ton of money. The economics of Vegas are different though. It’s mostly about the demographics and who you can bring to town. If Beyonce’s show was $1million more profitable, but drew audiences who don’t gamble, then it would be a huge loss for the hotel. Lady Gaga’s concert with Tony Bennett made her a huge draw for the whale set. The only better choice I can think of would be Barbara Streisand. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > You do realize you are both using different and equally valid definitions of “worth”, right? Your definition is subjective and based on merit, **RickJay** ’s is objective and just equating economic value. > > In your opinion she may not be worth( merit )that amount of money, but objectively she is probably worth( in economic terms )what she is being paid. Whether you happen to like her brand or not, Lady Gaga is an amazing talent, with a well trained voice,and the discipline to put on a great show night after night no matter what. There’s an iconic photo\* of her breaking down after a show right around the time her father passed away. It’s such a statement on the professionalism required in a business where dates are scheduled months in advance, expensive technological sets are constructed and huge crowds converge all to see ONE PERSON and no substitutions are possible. Beyond her voice she has a carefully crafted image and personna which appeals to a very broad swath of people. However you feel about the meat dress, all these years later you know what I meant when I mentioned it. [Ed Sheeran on Lady Gaga.](http://www.azquotes.com/quote/269267) She has the talent, the presence, the creativity and the reliability to pull this off, draw the right crowd, keep it fresh, and keep on doing it. Yeah, totally worth it. \*And of course I can’t find it now. Anybody know the one who’s got the google-fu to pull it out of the zillions of photos of her on the web? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lady-gaga-really-worth-a-million-dollars-a-show/809458.md?page=4)