Music analysis: Why have concert ticket prices risen so much?

Is it artist greed? Ticketing websites? Or are fans just willing to pay? 

Spending a fair amount to see your favourite artist is not new, and even expected. But it definitely feels like concert prices have become ridiculous. 

Music Blitz Writer Bella Ford reports…

Ticket prices 

Ticket prices shot up by 23% in 2023, having already risen 19% since the pandemic, which fans have been criticising artists about. 

Harry Styles’ recent comeback tour, which is due to start this month, has been surprising fans in how much they have to pay to see the global superstar live. 

For the ‘rear standing’ section, fans are now having to pay just under £200 each for resale tickets. 

Even for ‘nosebleed’ tickets which are the furthest away from the stage in the stadium, these are still going for £85. 

This also raises the question of why fans are reselling their tickets. 

According to the BBC, 51% of fans say high prices have stopped them from going to gigs at least once in the last five years. 

However, some fans just can't miss out and are willing to pay for big events.

Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, despite charging lots for a ticket, put on a big spectacle, with Swift's Eras tour in 2023 being 3-hours long. 

It depends on how big of a fan you are, but to some this does seem to be worth the price. 

Growing demands

Matt Hanner (booking agent and operations director at Runway) says: "There's a growing number of people that are happy to spend a large chunk of their disposable income on going to a major music event”. 

The bigger artists get, the more fans they have, so they have to cater for these demands, which then means bigger venues. 

This also means higher costs, with staffing, the price on the venue, transport, insurance and the list goes on. 

Jon Collins, chief executive of LIVE said, “the cost of venue hire has increased significantly due to electricity and gas prices”. 

This is another reason why large venues have higher ticket prices. 

Smaller artists are able to book smaller venues and therefore can sell cheaper tickets, as they don't have to factor in all the costs that come with a big venue. 

The bigger the artist, the more expensive the ticket will be. (Depending on the size of the venue).

READ MORE: Harry Styles news: What to expect at Wembley, outfits, travel and more

Are artists getting greedy?

Concerts and tours are major revenue sources for artists, so with demand increasing for fans, this is generating thousands of pounds for the artist. 

Some are just trying to combat the impact of streaming, the majority of artists make just five per cent of their income through streaming. 

The Guardian did a survey and found that in 2017, 50-70% of earnings were left for promoters and artists.

The promoter takes 15% of what is left, and the act will get 85%. 

According to Forbes, Taylor Swift earned between £8m-£10m on every stop of her eras tour, and is reported to take 85% of all revenue from the tour. 

Nevertheless, Taylor Swift has been known to be generous too, with numerous charity donations and giving out £100,000 bonuses to the dozens of lorry drivers working on the Eras tour. 

Some artists have taken action about ticket prices. 

Yungblud who has launched his own festival ‘Bludfest’ said that the industry was too expensive, "I believe that gigs are too expensive, and festivals are too expensive”. He told Sky News. 

He put on a show in Milton Keynes with tickets averaging a very reasonable £50. 

Extra charges

Ticketmaster users have also noticed that they add extra charges for ‘delivery’ and ‘transaction fees’, and you can end up adding around 20% to the cost. 

This is unexpected, as you get an ‘E ticket’ (online ticket entry) already, so no delivery fee is needed. 

Ticketmaster responded and said “fees are typically set and shared with our clients, who all invest their skill, resource and capital into getting an event off the ground. Ticketmaster supports legislation that requires all-in pricing across the industry.”

Concerts are being sold at a higher rate, but it's because of venue pricing and internal costs. 

However, is it still worth the amount of money it is to see your favourite performer? 

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