From sold-out venues to performers in the street, live music is a great way to bring people together. Unfortunately, the steady increase in ticket prices has made concerts and festivals less accessible to the general public.
The rise in ticket prices can mostly be credited to resellers. Companies, like Ticketmaster, who allow individuals to sell tickets well past their original listing capitalize off of devoted fans who are desperate to see their favorite artists perform.
It’s safe to say that fans are not on board with the new style of the ticket market.
“I think that reselling tickets from one fan to another is not unreasonable, but when one person swoops in to monopolize all the tickets so that they can resell them at extremely expensive rates, that is unfair,” LeMoyne College Junior Abigail Jaros said. “Their actions limit the availability and accessibility of concerts to people that are financially well-off enough to afford to spend so much on one evening of entertainment.”
Many fans agree that concerts have become less accessible over the years.
“I went to many of my concerts before COVID and right after venues opened back up,” Clinton resident Crystal Howe said when asked if ticket prices were reasonable. “The price of tickets has easily doubled… sometimes tripled in price since then. I find it difficult to spend the outrageous amount of money they are requesting for tickets.”
Top artists, like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, are known for their highly inflated ticket prices. Swift’s The Eras Tour had an average ticket price nearing $200 with its most profitable venue charging over $3000 per seat in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The tour had an estimated profit of $2,077,618,725 in just ticket sales.
Harry Styles’ upcoming “Together, Together” tour had an average face value price of $50 per ticket but, after falling in the hands of resellers, the average ticket price ended up at well over $1000.
“Some of the more popular artists have their tickets picked up quickly by resellers that know the demand is so high so they increase the prices to sometimes unobtainable rates,” Abigail Jaros said. “I know a friend of mine tried to get Harry Styles tickets but they were sold out in seconds, only available after that for an obscene amount of money she visibly balked at.”
This makes fans wonder: does the artist really have a say over their ticket prices?
The answer is yes.
Unlike Swift and Styles, indie artist Noah Kahan put his foot down when it came to ticket resellers. Kahan made a statement prior to the ticket launch for his upcoming tour featuring his new album, The Great Divide. His official website stated that “tickets will be non-transferable and can only be resold at the original price via Face Value Exchange on Ticketmaster.”
“It’s very secure, I know, but it’s all in the spirit of getting tickets to actual fans,” Noah Kahan said on social media.
Artists like Noah Kahan are crucial to the success of live music. Without reasonable prices, the majority of fans wouldn’t be able to see their top artists perform without giving up a few months of rent.
