Music news: The surge in concert ticket prices sparks debate
Going to live concerts has become a luxury many music fans can no longer afford, raising questions about whether live music is becoming out of reach.
In the past few years, the industry has seen rising ticket prices and additional service fees, leaving many fans frustrated and asking for more transparent pricing, writes Music News Blitz’s Tabitha Kongo.
Frustrated fans
Ticket prices, whether it’s for music festivals or stadium tours, have become more expensive compared to before, leaving music fans wondering if they are being priced out of the live music experience completely.
Whether you avoid buying the expensive VIP ticket, it does not make much of a difference because even basic tickets become unaffordable due to additional charges.
Fans have given a name to a surge in ticket prices as “blue dot fever”.
The term “blue dots” comes from Ticketmaster’s website for any given show, having unsold seats.
This mostly occurred in 2025, where most upcoming concerts did not have a lot of tickets sold, alerting fans to this issue.
According to data from Pollstar, ticket prices for the top 100 worldwide tours increased by 37 per cent between 2019 and 2025.
For example, Post Malone cancelled six stops of his tour and Meghan Trainor cancelled her entire summer 2026 “Get in Girl " tour to focus on her family.
Fans, on the other hand, believe that there were not a lot of tickets sold.
Dwell in debt for a full concert experience
Over half of Gen Z concertgoers used the buy now and pay later system, according to CashApp, leading them to go into debt because 30% was for accommodation, 24% for transportation, 21% for tickets and 18% for concert outfits.
Despite tickets being overpriced, many fans are still willing to go into debt to have a whole concert experience rather than be left behind.
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