Why are concert tickets so expensive?
It's the question on everybody's mind, and now the music-loving RadioTimes.com team is here to help.
Picture it: you’re in the middle of a bustling crowd, one of several thousand fans who have gathered there that day. The lights dim, the people around you begin to scream and suddenly you hear it: the opening chords of Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.
This was the experience of 90,000 Swifties last weekend, who managed to snag some coveted tickets to Taylor Swift’s first set of Eras tour dates in London’s Wembley Stadium. Although there was a huge number of fans in attendance at the concert, the number of fans who missed out on tickets was even higher.
Eras tour tickets were notoriously difficult to secure, with demand far outweighing the number of tickets in supply. In the USA, the demand for Eras tour ticket sales infamously led to Ticketmaster USA crashing during the first round of ticket sales.
However, another major factor that led to fans missing out on Taylor Swift tickets was, of course, the price of tickets, with tickets costing below £100 proving to be difficult to find.
It’s not just Taylor Swift tickets that have seen a sharp increase in price. It seems to be increasingly expensive to be a fan of any artist nowadays, as typical ticket prices have skyrocketed over the past few years.
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Add to the ticket cost the price of transport to and from the venue, food and drink inside and getting that picture-perfect outfit, and you’ve got a pretty expensive night out before you even consider hitting the merch stall.
The bottom line is this: music lovers are slowly being priced out of seeing the artists they love perform live. But what are the reasons behind this? And is there anything you can do to combat rising prices?
Luckily, the RadioTimes.com team are here to help by answering all the big questions around ticket prices as well as offering some helpful tips on how you can save on seeing the artists you love live. Aren’t you lucky?
Still planning to hit up some festivals this summer? There's still enough time to snag some Reading and Leeds tickets, as well as last-minute Taylor Swift tickets.
Jump to
- Why are concert tickets so expensive?
- Why are Taylor Swift tickets so expensive?
- How much are concert tickets?
- Are pre-sale tickets more expensive?
- How to get cheap concert tickets
Why are concert tickets so expensive?
The truth is that there are a lot more hidden costs that go into a concert than you’d initially think.
Firstly, let’s think about the artist. Not only do they have to be fairly paid for their labour, there are also travel costs to be covered.
Next up is the venue. We’re all familiar with the ongoing cost of living crisis, currently impacting the price of everything from fuel to eggs. Rising overhead costs of venues for things like electricity, heating and lighting understandably have an impact on ticket prices as well.
Every venue is manned by hardworking event staff, who need fair compensation. Rising inflation means that salaries must be increased in line with the cost of living, meaning that staff wages are rising too, which is once again reflected in ticket prices.
As time goes by, artists are really upping the game when it comes to their live performance game - just think of Pink whizzing through the air, or Taylor Swift’s countless costume changes on the Eras tour.
Large, high-end staging full of extra lights and special effects is much costlier, as is hiring a larger group of back-up dancers, setting up pyrotechnics, designing and making additional costumes, and anything else necessary to bring larger-scale shows to life.
And let’s not forget about the incredible demand for tickets. Increased usage of social media means that nowadays it’s much easier for an artist to gain an online following and increase demand for their tickets. Having more fans, and especially having more super fans, means that they’re willing to pay a higher price for their tickets.
Speaking of technology, the rise of music streaming services has also had a major impact on the price of concert tickets, albeit in a less immediately obvious way.
In the past, artists intentionally sold concert tickets for more affordable prices so people would come and hear their music and then buy an hard copy of their music, which is where they would make the majority of their earnings.
However, things have changed slightly. Live touring is the leading source of income for many artists nowadays, as more and more people listen to artists on streaming services, which pay less money per stream, rather than hard copy CDs or vinyl.
Therefore, now it's easier than ever to discover new artists and music through streaming services; however, fans must be willing to pay more to go and see live.
Another major issue when it comes to ticketing is the presence of ticket touts and scalpers, parties uninterested in the artist who buy up as many tickets as possible in order to resell them at a higher price point.
All of these factors are taken into consideration by promoters when setting ticket prices for concerts.
Feeling a bit stuck between all the different music streaming services? We've got some guides to help you out, from Amazon Music vs Spotify to Apple Music vs Amazon Music.
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Why are Taylor Swift tickets so expensive?
One of the more memorable recent examples of sky-high ticket prices is Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. While a certain RadioTimes.com writer managed to snag a ticket for £89 (albeit up in the rafters), those standing paid in the hundreds, not to mention the super fans with VIP packages who paid northwards of £600.
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift possesses one of the most dedicated fan bases out there, something which the recent Eras tour has proven to us once again.
The dedication of her fan base is one of the reasons that Taylor Swift ticket prices are so high, as those setting the ticket prices know that Swifties will be undeterred by rising prices. The bottom line of this issue is the same as many issues: higher demand leads to higher prices.
When it comes to big-ticket artists, managing demand is tricky. In order to combat this, Ticketmaster introduced a brand new system especially for the Eras tour, which most of us are now familiar with, called Verified Fan Registration.
This means that fans had to register in order to buy tickets, and could only register once per location. As well as managing demand, this also helps to shake off ticket touts and scalpers, therefore preventing the price from being driven up any further.
The system, despite a somewhat shaky start, has really taken off among popular artists, with acts like Olivia Rodrigo, Pink and Pearl Jam adopting the same system to manage demand and ensure that tickets go to fans, rather than bots and scalpers.
However, even with this system in place, many fans were priced out of seeing their favourite artists perform live. Many more couldn’t even get through to buy tickets in the first place, such is the power and popularity of Miss Swift.
We do have some good news though; there is a way to watch the Eras tour without breaking your bank balance, and you can even do it from the comfort of your own home.
We are, of course, talking about watching the Taylor Swift The Eras tour film online via Disney Plus. The film captures all the glitz, glam and excitement of the Eras tour for just a fraction of the price, and signing up to Disney Plus means you'll have access to a wealth of other TV shows and movies.
Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month
How much are concert tickets?
So, how much would the typical concert ticket set you back nowadays? The price of a ticket will vary depending on a number of factors; the popularity of the artist, demand for tickets, the venue, whether you want seated or standing tickets, etc.
The best way to give you an accurate picture of current concert ticket prices is to give some examples. Luckily, there are plenty of live music fans here at RadioTimes.com HQ who are ready to spill the beans on the prices they've been paying.
You can expect to pay more for larger artists, which is what Digital Writer Olivia Garrett found out when she snagged her McFly ticket for £55. However, £55 doesn't seem like much when considering Usher's Past Present Future tour, where standing tickets begin at £104.20.
Smaller artists tend to charge less for their tickets, something that Digital Writer Laura Wybrow experienced when she went to see Partiboi for just £21.50 with a £3 booking fee.
Meanwhile over at GoodFood.com, Senior Digital Review Writer Natalie Bass paid £36.20 to see Yard Act at the Eventim Apollo, a higher yet still affordable price for a band with a relatively large following.
When it comes to more recently announced gigs and tours, tickets to see Cyndi Lauper's farewell tour begin from £58 to £64 with VIP packages sitting between £180 and £476, while seated tickets at Lauryn Hill and Fugees' The Miseducation Anniversary Tour are £128.
Are pre-sale tickets more expensive?
The short answer is no. Pre-sale tickets and general sale tickets are sold for the same price.
While ticket prices may not be different, the one obvious advantage of pre-sales is that tickets are far less likely to sell out as quickly, leaving you with a higher chance of getting a spot at the date and venue of your choice.
This could also save you money in the long run. Just think, if you miss out on tickets to see your favourite artist, chances are that you’ll try to get a resale ticket, which are usually much costlier than face value.
There are usually different types of pre-sale available for different concerts. Common ones include artist pre-sale, where fans who have signed up to the artist’s mailing list or pre-ordered their record will get priority on their concert tickets.
Reward pre-sales often come next, with systems like O2 Priority and Three+ offering dibs for music lovers, as well as sites like Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
Some gigs also offer an Amex pre-sale, exclusive to American Express customers. To learn more about this, take a look at our guide to the American Express pre-sale on Ticketmaster.
Get O2 priority pre-sale tickets with O2
Get Three Plus pre-sale tickets with Three Plus
How to get cheap concert tickets?
In today’s cost of living crisis, snagging cheap concert tickets may seem like a pipe dream, but there are in fact a number of ways that you can get to see the musicians you love for less.
First of all, you can try to find a way to save on the booking fee. Booking fees aren’t always the same for each website, so if the tickets you want are available across multiple websites, it could be worth checking which one has the lowest booking fee to help you save a few pounds.
A great way to see a lot of artists in one place is by attending a festival - but did you know that there’s a way to attend a festival more or less for free?
Many festivals offer the opportunity to volunteer in exchange for access to the festival. Volunteering can take many forms, and some of the tasks may include things like manning the car park, scanning tickets and helping people find their way around the festival.
Some charities like Oxfam and Mind also offer the chance to volunteer at stalls. So not only will you be able to enjoy some of your favourite artists live, you’re also helping out those in need.
Finally, it’s worth bearing in mind that not all concert tickets will be the same price as someone like Taylor Swift. A great way to save on concert tickets is by making the effort to discover smaller artists and hear them live.
Not only will you be enjoying yourself by discovering new music, you'll also help to support emerging artists and grassroots music venues. Not to mention the satisfyingly smug feeling of being able to say that you first saw a new rising pop star in a sticky-floored independent venue.
Websites like Groupon and DICE are a great way to find cheaper tickets, whether you're after a smaller independent artists or a tribute group.
We've rounded up even more advice in our guide to how to get cheap concert tickets., not to mention all the tips and tricks in our guide to how to beat the Ticketmaster queue.
