Today, a longtime Bruce Springsteen-themed fanzine, Backstreets, officially announced that they’ll be shutting down after 43 years of publishing. The zine, which has covered The “Boss” and his E Street Band since 1980, felt “dispirited, downhearted, and, yes, disillusioned” over Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model.
Backstreets broke the news on social media, with an image bearing lyrics from Springsteen’s “Nebraska” and a longer goodbye letter on their website.
https://t.co/TCDJkGYZuC pic.twitter.com/pwpROJ8ggP
— Backstreets Magazine (@backstreetsmag) February 3, 2023
“After 43 years of publishing in one form or another, by fans for fans of Bruce Springsteen, it’s with mixed emotions that we announce Backstreets has reached the end of the road,” Backstreets‘ editor-in-chief, Christopher Phillips, wrote.
“There’s no denying that the new ticket price range has in and of itself been a determining factor in our outlook as the 2023 tour approached — certainly in terms of the experience that hardcore fans have been accustomed to for, as Springsteen noted, 49 years,” he added. “Six months after the onsales, we still faced this three-part predicament: These are concerts that we can hardly afford; that many of our readers cannot afford; and that a good portion of our readership has lost interest in as a result.”
Springsteen’s trouble with Ticketmaster started last year after he announced his 2023 tour, which he currently is playing right now. Certain cities, through Ticketmaster’s “platinum” option, fluctuated because of increased demand and had tickets being sold for thousands of dollars.
“You don’t like to be criticized. You don’t like to be the poster boy for high ticket prices. It’s the last thing you prefer to be,” Springsteen later told Rolling Stone.
Read Backstreets‘ full closing statement here.