Has concerts gotten more expensive now these days?

[DodgerGirl]

My uncle just got very lucky getting to see The Rolling Stones in concert with a few of his buddies and according to my aunt my uncle got a good discount on the tickets to the concert which I have a question that I cannot figure out the answer to now? I cannot figure out when concerts became so expensive now then they were in the 70's and 80's to the 90's? Is it because they want to attract a bigger audience of concert goers or is it because concerts have come with packages such as discounts on band merchandise and VIP seating? Take for example I would not spend $300 on concert tickets to see Billy Joel in concert or high prices for a Clint Black or Garth Brooks concert but I don't know how people do this? When my mom used to go to concerts with her friends concerts were little money to attend and you could win concert tickets from radio stations which is what my mother used to do back in the 80's. But if you look at the concerts of singers like Taylor Swift or Beyonce the tickets for those concerts are pricey and sell like hotcakes and I cannot see how concert venues are making tons of money to survive from these concerts. But if you want to see a singer like Madonna or Reba McEntire or even Barry Manilow in concert I cannot believe that people are spending money on expensive seats and even if you want to see Cher in concert it's the same thing. I think if concerts lowered the prices of tickets more fans would go often and concerts should think about lowering the ticket prices very seriously

 

[jazzsmith]

They're really expensive, but the level of performance has grown, too. Modern concerts are more complicated and expensive technically, first of all. For those who find ticket prices a barrier, it can be useful to reach out to ticketmaster customer support to inquire about any available discounts or promotions. It's also a good idea to plan ahead and buy tickets early to avoid higher prices closer to the event date.

 

[LoveDaisy]

I think it depends who you see. I regularly see phish, the play 2 sets with close to 4 hours of music with no opening band and tickets are usually under $100. The band sells tickets directly to their fans so you don’t play all the Ticketmaster/live nation fees.

These musicians don’t have to lower their prices they are selling out. Have you been to these concerts? You are implying they are not sold out and that’s not my experience. Esp with things like the recent Madonna tour, those tickets sold out in seconds at whatever price she was asking.

With said I find concert tickets similar in price to other entertainment like sporting events. Everything is expensive, you make it sound like concerts unique in charging these prices, they are not.

 

[sam_gordon]

Once again... tickets are the price they are because people are willing to pay that price. And the stars that you mention (Billy Joel, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Beyonce) ARE selling out. Yes, even the "high priced" seats. If they're selling at high prices, why should prices be lowered? I'm sorry, but that makes no sense.

It's like airline seats. People say "prices should be lower", but flights are FULL. So lets say you have 100 "widgets". And that's all you have. And people like the widgets. They want the widgets. They're willing to spend $100 for a widget. Are you telling me you're going to sell the widget for $10? It's better to make $1,000 than $10,000?

Yes, the technology to put on a concert has greatly expanded. But that's not the cause for the increase in ticket cost. If people aren't willing to pay a price for an item, that price drops.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Considering I spent $800 for 2 floor tickets to see Taylor, yes...

 

[kdonnel]

I heard one explanation that made sense to me.

In the past people bought albums, singles, CDs, etc every month and the artist and studio got a lot of money.

Now people pay for a streaming service and the artists and studio get much less money.

To make up the difference the artists have raised their concert prices.

Someone who goes to one concert a year is still paying less per year for their music than they were years ago.

 

[NYCgrrl]

In my lifetime, you could see The Rolling Stones for less than ten bucks all the way up to the current prices. You could also get on the subway for a dime; currently priced at $2.00, buy chicken for .29/lb now 3:00/lb Oh and I can recall my mother “witching” about the rent going up to $75.00. whereas currently, $2,000.00 for the same sq footage would be closer to a regional average.

It’s just the way of the world.

 

[OKW8297]

Everything is more expensive. People complain about Disney but there is no way I will see most concerts or professional sporting events.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yup, me skipping out on all concerts and sporting events helps in being able to afford vacations. I'm not really a live music person anyway but the prices of seats are ridiculous.

 

[DDuckSouthBend]

That is why the only concerts I go to are "Eat to the Beat" and "Garden Rocks".

 

[sam_gordon]

I heard one explanation that made sense to me.

In the past people bought albums, singles, CDs, etc every month and the artist and studio got a lot of money.

Now people pay for a streaming service and the artists and studio get much less money.

To make up the difference the artists have raised their concert prices.

Someone who goes to one concert a year is still paying less per year for their music than they were years ago.

Doesn't matter what they raise or lower the prices to. Whether people do/don't buy them has more to do with ticket pricing. I mean really, isn't this Eco 101?

You have a product people want, AND it's limited. Raise the price.

 

[Disneylover99]

Everything is more expensive. People complain about Disney but there is no way I will see most concerts or professional sporting events.

Yep. When you start seeing prices of $200+ per ticket for a few hours crammed into a tight seat beside screaming strangers while trying to see the band through binoculars, those one day Magic Kingdom tickets seem like a steal. Lol.

 

[tvguy]

In my lifetime, you could see The Rolling Stones for less than ten bucks all the way up to the current prices. You could also get on the subway for a dime; currently priced at $2.00, buy chicken for .29/lb now 3:00/lb Oh and I can recall my mother “witching” about the rent going up to $75.00. whereas currently, $2,000.00 for the same sq footage would be closer to a regional average.

It’s just the way of the world.

At least here chicken is usually on sale for under $2 at least once a month, sometimes leg quarters for .99 cents a pound. I'm not a big chicken fan, but we buy the bigger package when it is on sale and divide it into smaller packages at home.

 

[NYCgrrl]

At least here chicken is usually on sale for under $2 at least once a month, sometimes leg quarters for .99 cents a pound. I'm not a big chicken fan, but we buy the bigger package when it is on sale and divide it into smaller packages at home

Very decent prices!
I prefer to buy whole chickens and break them down as needed but your prices would tempt me towards “pieces as parts”

 

[tvguy]

Very decent prices!
I prefer to buy whole chickens and break them down as needed but your prices would tempt me towards “pieces as parts”

We buy a lot of boneless skinless thighs. My wife made Chicken Alfredo last night in fact. I was a teen during the 1973 Beef Boycott and my mom went way way way overboard with chicken to save money, and I got burned out on chicken then, and still haven't recovered.

 

[kdonnel]

Doesn't matter what they raise or lower the prices to. Whether people do/don't buy them has more to do with ticket pricing. I mean really, isn't this Eco 101?

You have a product people want, AND it's limited. Raise the price.

Rarely is it a single reason something happens.

I think it makes sense that the artists and studios in an attempt to close the revenue gap created by the shift to streaming targeted concerts, something the artists and studios continue to control.

The willingness of people to pay may set the upper limit of pricing, especially for the top tier packages that have materialized like the meet and greets that command bigger dollars, but I still believe that the loss of revenue due to streaming was the trigger that started the price increases.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I was a teen during the 1973 Beef Boycott

I don’t remember that boycott? Maybe I was doing a vegetarian macrobiotic thing then, . What was the basis for the boycott?

 

[sam_gordon]

Rarely is it a single reason something happens.

I think it makes sense that the artists and studios in an attempt to close the revenue gap created by the shift to streaming targeted concerts, something the artists and studios continue to control.

The willingness of people to pay may set the upper limit of pricing, especially for the top tier packages that have materialized like the meet and greets that command bigger dollars, but I still believe that the loss of revenue due to streaming was the trigger that started the price increases.

So, if they didn't have the loss of income because of streaming, concert prices wouldn't be as high? Sorry, that doesn't pass the smell test. If people didn't buy the tickets, prices wouldn't be as high. A seller can ask whatever he wants. Doesn't mean someone's going to buy.

Ok, let's say, because of the loss of record sales, an artist needs to "make up" $1,00,000 in a year.
"Hey, lets increase the cost of our concert tickets! Instead of $50, we'll make them $100! We need to sell 20,000 seats, and that extra $50 will get us to $1M!".

However, no one (or very few) buys at $100. The venues are only 25% full. "Discount them to $75!, we need to sell 40,000 seats, but we can still get there." So they sell a little more. Now the venues are only half full. So they have to discount again. Rinse & repeat.

The demand needs to be there to in order to sell out at high prices.

 

[kdonnel]

So, if they didn't have the loss of income because of streaming, concert prices wouldn't be as high?

In my opinion yes.

The prices would have risen but not at the same rate they have since people stopped buying physical music media.

 

[easyas123]

I was talking to someone just yesterday who told me they splurged on two $300/seat tickets - just ok seats as they put it - I think they said it was Bruce Springsteen. To them it was a worthwhile price because they had always wanted to see him in concert.
In contrast, I just bought tickets to see the Glen Miller Orchestra - for sure not a massive technological production, at $35 per ticket. Figured we'd make a night of it, go out for dinner and maybe stay at the Inn across the street from the theater - but that would have been $1000 so we decided it wasn't worth it (for us at this time).
I guess it's all about what your budget is and what you want to spend your budgeted $$$ on in terms of discretionary spending.