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Only For The Rich?
Are outrageous ticket prices ruining music?
Hello You,
What was the last live music event you went to, and what did the tickets set you back?
A topic that has been discussed for years is that gig tickets seem to increase in price to what feels almost extortionate. We now see a phenomenal cost attached to even ‘standard’ tickets, with VIP packages reaching the thousands.
What caused the sharp price increase, and should live music be a luxury?
Do you think live music is a luxury nowadays? |
Why are concerts skyrocketing in price?
The short answer is that everything has been increasing in price in the last ten years, and even steeper in the previous four. Fuel, energy, and food have increased, so the knock-on effect is that things like live music events have, too. The Famuan reported that concert tickets are currently at an all-time high for big artists with an average cost of $123. (Note that artists like Taylor Swift can see upwards of $1,100 for front row, with tickets going for $6,000 and more in resale.)
While you might think it would lead to a decrease in attendees, the opposite is true. According to the New York Times (pay walled), concert ticket sales have increased by 65% since 2019. Live Nation reported in 2023 that more people are attending live shows than ever.
Statista’s data shows that in 2024, 60.9 million music tour tickets were sold. This doesn’t include smaller venues or when bands sell their tickets direct to fans, which are not accounted for.
Back to the question—why are concert ticket prices rising so steeply? The reasons include travel, food, labor, lodging, fuel, shipping or transporting equipment, and team and artist fees, not to mention the cut that is taken by the venues, labels, management, and more. The impact of significant staff loss during the pandemic meant venues needed to claw back substantial financial losses, hire new staff, and initially implement safety protocols.
Millions of music fans were starved of live events over that period, so when we were allowed back outside, an increased demand arose, which was met with increased ticket prices. This demand hasn’t waned, keeping prices high.
Throw in the massive rise of the poor-paying DSPs, making live music (and merch sales) one of the main income streams for artists of all sizes.
Does live music matter this much?
Maybe you’ve been lucky and snagged tickets in presale or at special prices, or the best band you’ve ever seen cost $25. The answer to whether live music matters this much is individual. It mattered for the parents who took a second mortgage to pay for Taylor Swift tickets for their children to the tune of $1000s. Kendrick Lamar fans ready to drop over $180 for a ticket for his upcoming tour; it matters. And for EU Adele fans who paid up to $572 per ticket for Munich Messe last August it mattered.
But why?
Imagine walking into a place where everyone loves what you love to the same extent that you love it. You and these hundreds or hundreds of thousands of people all have this in common: you’re home.
As the first notes of the songs start to play, everyone around you is electric—you can feel the excitement, hair standing on end—and in unison, you all start singing. You know each word by heart and don’t have to hold back. You’re spurred on to sing at full volume, just like everyone there—you don’t need to pretend you love it any less than you do. Track by track you hear all the words you usually hear through your headphones, except now it is live, and in person.
As the act on stage says goodbye and leaves, the crowd slowly starts clapping or cheering, ready for an encore. During those last 15 minutes, they play throwback hits, crowd favorites, or something just for the fans.
As you leave, with the music ringing in your ears, people of all ages are high on excitement.
Every live gig is unique. While the track list may remain the same, the energy, ad-libs, and interactions differ. That one singular moment will never be repeated or replicated.
So the question might be: For this priceless experience, does the dollar amount matter? And if that is the question—and the concept of luxury is the consumption of something expensive and enjoyable but unnecessary—live music, with modern prices, falls into the luxury category.
How much would you pay for concert tickets? |
Should live music be a luxury?
We covered a couple of the top reasons that live music tickets are so expensive and a bit about why it matters. But should live music be a luxury? That is a more difficult question to answer.
People go deeply into debt for the chance to see their favorite artists. Some news outlets covered families who had taken a second mortgage on their home to buy Taylor Swift tickets. For that once in a lifetime experience, is that luxury worth it? Your Money reported that a third of music fans would give up mortgage or rent payments to see their favorite acts.
Most venues haven’t made the appropriate changes and accommodations for larger numbers of fans who may need wheelchairs or support for people with them, making these tickets like finding gold dust at the best of times, putting added pressure on this demographic of music lovers.
Add dynamic pricing, pre-sale codes and registrations, online queues, and ticket resellers. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to get a ticket, and even in the last 15 minutes, your seats might get put back into the scrum due to internet failures.
Then, including those on lower incomes, all those things can lead to the biggest fans being left in the dust. The balance between realistic pricing to cover the tour and make some money, and what masses can afford is tipping. This means that unless you have a nice disposable income, are willing to save (very) hard, or go into debt, you might never see your favorite artist in concert. Should people need to pay off huge credit card bills to see them? A choice they made because they sure didn’t need to go. Some would argue that hearing the music live is as close to the artist's work and how they envisioned the music sounding, only by attending an event, can you experience this.
So, should live music be a luxury? No, if we are to preserve the live music scene and create a more equal playing field for fans, then live music shouldn’t be a luxury. However, the likelihood of seeing well-priced affordable music for the larger majority of fans doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon.
All is not lost though, there are some ways you can try to get more affordable live music tickets:
Weekday shows can be priced better - but this is not always true. Weekend dates tend to get a price bump as more people can attend them.
Sign up for newsletters on the artist’s websites.
Early bird tickets are usually a lot cheaper.
Using Spotify gig reminders and lists, they usually release a code for pre-sale.
Wait for resale closer to the date, some ticket prices drop so they are sold faster.
Official fan clubs often get cheaper tickets.
Smaller venues and lesser-known or up-and-coming artists are great for getting the live music experience without the mass crowds and steep prices.
Look for live streams and digital gig experiences.
A MASSIVE hello to Darci and Izzi, the brilliant writers behind Dizzy Magazine. One of the most upbeat indie music mags you’ll find. Their reviews pull you in quickly, and their coverage is beautifully done. Oh, and don’t just check out their website; their TikTok and Instagram accounts are 10/10. Here’s what they picked for our Taste Takeover:
What I Know Is All Quicksand- Giant Rooks - This song is super cinematic and really unique. It's like two songs in one and we've never heard anything like it before. Not to mention they're an incredible live band.
Loaded- Courting - The thing we love about Courting is their carefree attitude, they're making music for themselves and if people like it then they can tag along for the ride. It's like a sensory overload in the best way possible.
Punk's Dead- Soft Play - This song is so clever, great songwriting and using hate comments they received. It's the perfect rage song and not to mention it features Robbie Williams. Stokies unite, right?
Boyfriend- Best Coast - Summer in a song. Get us in those fields watching the sun set with a pint. And we loooove Bethany Cosentino's voice.
Gmaps- cowboy - This is the weirdest song we've ever heard, but every single time we use Google Maps we sing it. Absolutely love it.
And you know we love a playlist, and they delivered 💗.
We’ve written something dedicated to Women In Music for Women’s Week and Women’s Day. Hit the button for a web-only edition.
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