Music has always been a big part of my life. I grew up listening to so many different artists and genres through family members and friends. Music even plays a role in figure skating, being the key part of each program. Not a day goes by that I am not listening to music in some way. And what is the best way to listen to music? Live.
This past weekend, I attended the Harry Styles Love on Tour concert at the United Center and had a great time. There is nothing better than being able to listen to your favorite songs in an atmosphere full of others who share the same love for the artist performing and their music. Getting to hear anecdotes about the songs or small changes that the artist makes while on stage to give their songs a different vibe or make them more interactive with the crowd is addictive. I wish that everyone gets the opportunity to see their favorite artist at least once in their life and experience that same feeling. The adrenaline rush, the pure happiness that overcomes you while singing and dancing in the stands, it’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced.
But the sad truth is that each year that passes it becomes harder and harder to get to see live artists. A big part of this is increasing ticket prices.
Tours used to be an opportunity for artists to promote their new music in the hope that you would then buy their album(s). Since then, streaming platforms have been created and artists get paid barely anything from streams. Because of this, tours are now a lot of artists’ main source of income. Naturally, ticket prices have increased to help support them and as a fan, it’s completely understandable. When you really want to see an artist, you’re willing to pay more.
What’s frustrating is that platforms such as Ticketmaster have taken advantage of this. Before, bots and other scammers used to be the main concern, buying out shows and then reselling for a much higher price. Now, Ticketmaster is doing it themselves.
This year Ticketmaster introduced their “Official Platinum Seats”. According to Ticketmaster, they are “premium tickets to concerts and other events made available by artists and Event Organizers through Ticketmaster. They give fans fair and safe access to some of the best seats in the house.” They are not resale, they are original tickets with original prices on behalf of Ticketmaster. And yes, this does allow fans a safe opportunity to purchase tickets. But only fans who are able to pay the absurd prices Ticketmaster is requesting.
In all honesty, I paid $200 a few months ago to get seats in the 100s level for Love on Tour. I had the opportunity to be a part of fan presale and therefore was able to get tickets before the general public. But fans that weren’t lucky enough to receive access to presale were offered platinum tickets by Ticketmaster. The same seats that I had gotten for $200 a day before were now being sold for $500 to $1,000. Even the nosebleed seats that had originally cost $40 were now hundreds of dollars.
How is this giving fans a fair and better offer for tickets? Across various social media platforms I saw how upset fans were that they would be unable to see their favorite artist because the tickets were completely unaffordable. It broke my heart that these fans that had done everything in their power to try and see an artist were unable to because Ticketmaster had decided to charge over twice the original price.
As I said previously, I am completely aware that ticket prices naturally are going to cost more as they can be a main source of revenue for artists. But a few months ago I attended a concert where every single ticket was $25. It didn’t matter when you bought them or where your seat was in the arena, it was only $25. This gave fans an equal chance money-wise to attend the concert. Those who were able to afford higher priced tickets did not have a leg up over fans who were not. I really appreciated the gesture and wished that more artists would sell their tickets in a similar fashion.
Hopefully, Ticketmaster removes this option and actually finds a way to allow all fans a better chance at receiving tickets. Everyone deserves to experience live music, no matter their economic status.
Hey Abbi,
I hope you’re doing well. Wanted to say first off how much I enjoyed reading your engaging blog. Although I was aware of this problem before reading your blog, you helped put it into context for me and allowed me to see an example of it in action. I liked the way you related your pre-sale access and ability to purchase a good ticket to the Harry Styles concert for significantly cheaper than what Ticketmaster charged soon after to the general public—definitely a tactic to earn additional revenue and it’s not fair to people who may be less wealthy than others. Now that I think about it after reading your blog, I’ve certainly noticed this trend taking place in various similar events; for example, NBA or any sporting event; or, even airplane flights. Early on, or even before the season starts, the cost of tickets are typically cheaper, and if you buy in bulk, they actually provide some spectacular rates. As you draw closer, however, they know people are desperate to make a purchase, and hence they raise the price significantly. Similarly, for airplanes, if you were to have an emergency and need to fly out immediately, it would cost a plethora to purchase that plane ticket, and many may not be able to afford doing so despite the need to fly somewhere. Overall, I enjoyed your engaging blog, great work!
Hi Abby. I completely understand what you are talking about. Ticket prices are absolutely outrageous and half-hearted attempts by Ticketmaster to combat resellers who price gouge are completely ineffective. I went to the Love on Tour last week as well and I was not able to purchase tickets when they originally went on sale. I ended up paying $250 for level 300 nosebleeds. I love live music, and this was a concert I really wanted to attend, so thankfully I was able to pay such a steep price for such, quite frankly, awful seats. It is ridiculous that I paid that much money for an hour-and-a-half-long concert. I went to Lollapalooza this summer and paid $415 for four-day tickets, with fees! It is such a shame that ticket prices for major artists have skyrocketed. When I go to shows during the weekend in Chicago, I pay $30 max for a great show in an intimate venue. Obviously, there is a greater demand for tickets at the concerts of larger artists, but the point remains that a majority of these large performers are ludicrously wealthy, rendering it unnecessary to charge every fan over $200 for a concert venue with a capacity of almost 25,000 people like the United Center had for Harry Styles’ concerts this past week. Large concerts are simply not accessible anymore. I agree with you completely that ticket vendors such as Ticketmaster need to do a much better job of ensuring that genuine fans get tickets, instead of resellers who raise ticket prices for the sole reason of making a profit.
SO TRUE Abbi! Such a problem. Great commentary in this post.