It’s a new year, and everyone’s favorite artists are going on tour. Some years of hiatus. So, it’s only natural to be excited to attend their live shows after so long. 

Thus, marking the revival of the Ticketmaster wars. 

Concerts have been heavily gaining popularity in the last few years. In the 1970s and 80s, stadiums entered the mix, officially creating what we now know as a ‘concert.’ The Rolling Stones and The Beatles gathered people from all corners of the world to one area to listen to their live music. Elvis had ladies fainting during his performances, and Michael Jackson had the crowd in a dancing trance. Since the 90s, live music has become a crucial feature of the music industry, with new genres like pop, hip-hop, and even metal music artists screaming their lyrics alongside their fans. 

In the past decade or so, concerts have surpassed other entertainment forums, like sports games and movie theaters, in popularity. Ticket prices were seeing unexpected profits amid high demand. In 2025, over 130 million individuals had attended a live show. 

Since the 90s, ticket prices have steadily increased, with the last couple of years seeing a significant jump. In 1996, ticket prices were only 25 dollars. In 2024, the average price was above one hundred. That’s a 41 percent increase from 2019, when the average price for a concert was 97 dollars. Why are concert tickets so expensive now?

The Science Behind Ticket Pricing 

Concert tickets are one of the major ways music artists make money. While streaming royalties offer a significant portion of their income, they also see earnings from physical sales of their music. However, people aren’t buying physical music- CDs, cassette tapes, records, etc.- as much as they used to, and streaming revenue isn’t enough, impacting how much artists make. 

Concerts also make a lot of money for the record labels that the artists are signed under. While bigger artists might gross hundreds of millions of dollars, artists typically only see around 20 percent of that after expenses- crew, production, transport, venue fees, promoter fees, etc. Altogether, tours could amount to 35 percent of the artist’s net income. 

To break it down further, artists see their money from a percentage of ticket sales, merchandise sold, backstage meet-and-greets, should they choose to do so, and a percentage of the profits after costs. Some artists are also paid a specific amount prior to the shows themselves and receive additional payouts after the shows. 

Concert ticket prices aren’t directly decided by the artist or the record label. As those fees increase, so must the prices in order to generate profit for the label and the artist. 

Not only that, but the more concerts become mainstream, the more people want to attend; nobody wants to miss out on such crucial cultural moments. Our generation is holding experiences in higher consideration over material purchases. High demand, tracked by evolving algorithms, means that ticket vendors, like Ticketmaster, can price tickets high, knowing that fans will pay to see their favorites. It’s not fair, but it’s part of the reason why concert tickets are so expensive. 

Industry Influences

Aside from the interpersonal impacts on concert prices, there are more behind-the-scenes effects that come into play. 

The more technology progresses, the more artists want to curate a better experience for their audience. Advanced lighting, building sets, and scenery, even a rollercoaster, as Travis Scott included in his ‘Astroworld’ tour, significantly raise prices. Though these additions enhance the audience’s experience for the better, they contribute to the surge in concert prices many of us complain about today. 

The resale market also negatively impacts our pockets. Often, one individual might purchase tickets in bulk when they’re at their lowest, only to resell them at a higher price to make a profit: this system is called ‘scalping.’ Ticket vendors have minimal control over that, and even though some have a limit as to how many tickets can be bought at one time, it seldom stops them. 

Vendors like Ticketmaster, known for their abhorrent fees and taxes, will jack up concert ticket prices sometimes 60 percent over the true value. They have monopolized the market, so fans don’t have much of a choice but to purchase through them if they want to make sure their tickets are legit and not a scam. Additionally, because they are one of, if not the only, websites in the market of ticket sales, they frequently experience crashes when tickets go on sale. 

When Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour tickets were released, Ticketmaster saw an extremely high demand at once. The website simply could not handle the high demand and crashed, leaving fans upset and overwhelmed. 

Harry Styles recently announced his ‘Together, Together’ tour, and tickets went on sale last week. Immediately, fans noticed how expensive they were, with the standard concert ticket averaging around 1000 dollars, though some options are around 400. His previous tour, ‘Love on Tour,’ saw an average ticket price of 115 dollars. To say this is a leap is an understatement. 

While artists might not have the most power over how their tickets are priced, it seems that they’re wildly out of touch with the average person’s financial abilities. Big artists are able to price their shows high because they have a large fanbase. There are many facets as to why concert ticket prices are so expensive, and many of them are able to be controlled. 

Have you suffered from high ticket prices? Let us know in the comments below!