To ask if you've refused to pay ridiculous prices for concerts?

[Netcurtainnelly]

Just a joke. The latest prices for Harry Styles after Oasis.
They are laughing all the way to the bank while most people are struggling with their everyday bills.
Always managed to go and see the latest acts back in the day without being fleeced.

How much money do these pop acts need to live on?

Do you think all the money goes directly to the artists?

Exactly. Do you know how much it costs to put on shows of this magnitude? Plus the artist doesn't set the ticketing price, first and foremost it's the promoter.

Yes. We got through to the end of the queue for Oasis but only the £300+ tickets were left. We could’ve afforded it as a treat but I’m not sure I can justify spending that kind of money - just got to hope they tour again and demand is a little less!

Bottom line though, people pay it. If they didn’t tickets would go unsold and prices would fall.

I’ve had no choice but to vote with my feet as even a £50 ticket is beyond my budget these days, and I used to be a prolific concert/gig/festival goer.

And certain artists could make a stand against ticket prices. Many already do- Biffy Clyro for example- because they refuse to price out their own fans who have been with them since they were second on the bill in the back room of a pub, all the way to where they are now. Yes it costs a lot to put on a tour or a massive concert and many people need to be paid, but there’s a shocking element of greed with some of the pricing.

Well there were enough people willing and able to pay to sell out the stadiums multiple times over. I went, it's an every few years treat, not monthly so was ok for me

I remember when you could see Top Ten bands (that ages me) touring for the price of a couple of pints in small venues where you could actually see them.

Even David Bowie at Manchester Maine Road in 1987 wasn't a huge amount of money. £16 according to google - £58 adjusted for inflation.

It excludes people. And the reselling of tickets at inflated prices is shocking.

Theatre tickets are going the same way - £250 to see Paddington...

I was just going to mention Paddington!

I want to see Take That, Bruno Mars and Harry Styles. I earn decent money. I can’t afford tickets.

It does feel like things have skyrocketed.

stars usually have leverage over structure: tour scale, number of dates, venues, VIP packages, even whether prices are fixed or dynamic. They can also cap prices or opt out of certain practices if they really want to.

Its getting ridiculous now. I wanted to take my sons to see def leppard but the price of the tickets plus transport and overnight accommodation....meh. I'll keep listening to my CDs instead.
On the other side of the coin....saw elbow twice last year, £45 for a ticket. Excellent value for money 🤑 ❣️

Yeah I don’t really go to gigs any more. It’s not just the expense of the tickets, it’s the way all the hotels within and 20 mile radius inflate their prices. And then if the venue isn’t central you’re hours getting back to your accommodation. Drinks in venues are extortionate. It all ends up costing as much as a weeks break! I’ve bought a few tickets for my teenager recently and they all go on Klarna or I wouldn’t be able to manage!

Remember you have a choice , just don’t go. Instead seek out grass roots music, we follow several local bands and all you pay is for your drinks . Saw a really good unsigned band last weekend 5 minutes walk from my house, total cost was just under £20 for both of us, (4 beers, and a gin and lemonade, it’s rather a reasonably priced independent bar!)

Yanbu - I mean I wasn’t buying tickets anyway but now I am doing so in an objecting way, rather than a broke January way

I recently bought Raye tickets for £250 each. In no way did I expect to pay this price but I got carried away having waited so long in the queue. Luckily, I recently received a small inheritance so justified it this way.

As long as these events sell out they will keep increasing the ticket prices. It's just capitalism.

You have a choice to go an see some other form of entertainment instead.

Go to small and medium sized venues. Loads of great new bands around. We go to see live music all the time for around £10-£15 each. Lots of 14+ gigs to take your teens to. My tip is to look what's coming up in the next few months at your local venue. There is usually links to the bands songs or videos. It's a great way to find new artists.

Agree. The Cure have been very vocal about it and set their ticket prices. They've also challenged tickemaster on the extra fees they pile on. Other bands coukd and should do the same.

Patronizing. I'm not going and never would.
I asked if anyone had refused

Yes. Their fans have already made the millions.

No one buys music anymore so this is how they make their money.

I decided against Harry Styles and System of a Down because of the crazy prices but at the end of the day they only charge what people are willing to pay.

Festivals are better value for money now and I will hand it to Beyoncé her prices were reasonable and she gives tickets away to locals

They used to tour to promote albums, which we bought and that paid the artist - the tour was promotion. Now the music is free and promotes the tour, which is the product. A lot less people go to a concert vs by an album so the costs are insane.

All the money is in touring these days whereas it used to be in selling the music.

We went to see Coldplay in September at Wembley. We had seated tickets right at the back of the stadium in the lower tier that we paid £280 each for. They were amazing, but on top of the travel from Gloucestershire, parking, food, drinks etc and an afternoon off work to travel there, it was a hell of a lot of money and effort for a few hours entertainment.

I'm a bit gutted at the Harry Styles prices, I was going to offer to take my DD's but I'm not paying over £1k for 2 hours of live music.

How come there are 2 of these threads?

That's nice, but I doubt the artists are getting anywhere near a minimum wage for their work!

I wish we could set a value on art somewhere between a billion million and zilch.

Yes

The Eagles. I could have afforded it but the prices were ridiculous. And we had seen them before Glenn Frey died anyway. We are going to see The Illegal Eagles (who are extremely good) next month

As others have said it does depend on who it is. I would have paid a lot to see Springsteen but - in the end - the tickets weren't that expensive although we were up in the Gods. Still brilliant though.