How much would you pay to see your favorite musician in concert? Right now, the average concert ticket price of the top 100 tours in the first quarter of 2024 is $123.25 according to Digital Music News. This might not seem like a lot, but the average has increased by $62.48 since 2010, not to mention big stars such as Billie Eilish who’s back row tickets are going for at least $300 on Stubhub.
The concern over ticket prices seemed to spike during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour with tickets selling for thousands of dollars and yet she continued to sell out stadiums. The demand will only continue to rise as these artists keep getting bigger and bigger. Students seem to agree that the problem is getting out of hand. “My biggest issue is with the pit seats. How are you going to charge $600 for the pit? Concerts should be available to everybody, especially the pit,” Richard Montgomery senior Natalie Marmalstein said.
When asked how much students would pay for their dream concert, answers varied from $400 to $2,000 for a ticket. Although many agreed that tickets were getting too expensive, they still seemed to be willing to pay these high prices.
One might ask, if people are willing to pay for these tickets, what is the issue? Well, it’s one thing to pay such large amounts for a luxury brand or special food, but a concerta one night event celebrating the creativity of an artist,should be something that everyone can experience, not just the wealthy.
In addition to the price of the tickets, the cost of attending a concert can increase dramatically when taking into account taxes and fees. Third-party ticket ticket vendors such as StubHub and Ticketmaster raise the prices on their own platform to grow their own profits. Third party fees make tickets even more expensive and unattainable.
As ticket prices continue to rise, so does the size and quality of the shows. With better lights, sound, and graphics some could argue you’re getting “more bang for your buck.” That being said, the point of a concert is to enjoy the art of the musician. Increased ticket prices have made it harder and harder to get a ticket in the first place, impeding many from attending concerts in the first place
The rising prices have forced people to come up with creative solutions. Brenna Halper, a senior at Richard Montgomery, shared that her sister, a die hard Taylor Swift fan, flew to Sweden to see the Eras Tour. Buying a ticket to Sweden and the Swedish concert ticket combined was cheaper than buying a Eras Tour ticket 45 minutes away in Washington DC. In addition to travel, the opportunities to buy tickets are huge with secondary sites, scalpers, pre-sale, contests, raffles and more. Although seeing your dream concert might seem impossible with your budget, getting tickets early and strategically can make your dream possible. It is likely prices will continue to rise with the rising demand, but not all hope is lost for American music lovers.
Written by Maggic McLaughlin
Photo Courtesy of Lila Halper