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?

Yeah, production has got nothing to do with price. I paid $300 for a New Year’s rave/festival and it was just DJs on a stage (albeit fantastic DJs) and a few fireworks at midnight.

It’s the artist that people are paying for, not fancy lights and lasers - they’re definitely secondary.

Somewhat of a derail, but does no one else get a bit bored at gigs that are seated and the music isn’t easy to dance to? I predominantly go to raves which are all/mostly floor tickets and it’s non-stop dancing.

When I’ve tried regular live music, I was just sitting in my seat like a lemon surrounded by people singing out of tune? Example was seeing Morrissey a few years ago. Love his songs, but it wasn’t exactly a barnstorming night out! 😅

You clearly DON'T understand it though!

it's hardly "selling out" to make their music available via the most common/only technology around. If your average new band only released a CD who on earth would buy it? Most people don't even have cd players anymore!

Again, if you "used to pay £12 for an album" that was twenty plus years ago! Even if streaming had never been invented that would probably be £20-30 an album nowadays if prices had risen along with inflation. 2 or 3 albums a month = £750 a year plus a few £40 concerts which you would also have expected to increase with inflation, so actually more like £80 = just under £1000 per year. Or you can stream spotify for free and spend that money on 6-7 £150 gigs a year, and if you don't go to that many, you're actually quids in.

"exposure" doesn't pay the bills! Expecting performers to not make any sort of profit on their work is what's unfair.

Touring is hard work - away from home for months at a time, sleeping on the road, having to perform at 100% even if you're feeling sad, or ill or stressed. It's not like 99% of the ticket price goes to the artist - of that £££ they have to pay security, management, sound and lighting technicians, make up and costume staff, personal assistants, backing vocalists/dancers/musicians, transport and hotels for all of the above, people to check the tickets, cleaners, costumes, sets, lighting, outlay for merch, venue fees, advertising, % to the ticketing website, huge amounts of insurance...if they get 5% of your £100 ticket they're lucky, and if it's a band rather than an individual that's then split 5 ways.

Basically = tell me you don't have a clue about either music or finance without telling me....

A theory I have about ticket prices is that concerts are full of mums taking their kids. Especially big names like TS or HS. When I was young, absolutely no one would be going with parents. They wouldn’t be seen dead! But it seems to be quite a thing now-and maybe one of the reasons why prices are as they are is because it’s middle aged people buying them.

It was the same back in the 80s. I went to see Haircut 100 it was never a rip off.

It definitely is greed today.

Without your fans you'd be nowhere.
Harry Sykes In particular very lucky had a head start due to the X factor.

One of my best gigs was £25 in a small club in Plymouth, and he's brilliant and plays Tomorrowland now and cream fields. Trying to buy tickets for a DJ tomorrow, will pay up to £200 though as he's amazing and it's a all day event

I think older people with more disposable income are spending more on live music, for sure.

By older, I mean people in their 30s and 40s. I’m mid-30s and spend a fortune on festivals every year. In my teens and early 20s there is no way I could afford to go to Tomorrowland and the like. Indeed there are hardly any under-25s at some festivals, and an increasing number of over-45s.

I think a big part of it is millennials not wanting to grow up (see also: tumbling birth rate). 😁

Oooh which DJ? 👀 I’m off to Tomorrowland this year (and went last year).

I would and have paid £££ for gigs I really wanted tickets for
Personal choice for me

Me too! I paid a bit more than that. I remember my father asking if I was mad. 🤣

@latetothefisting

You can still buy current albums on CD for £12, but few people buy them. It’s vinyls that cost a fortune.

Don’t give me the ‘poor artist’ schtick, like they’d all be destitute if they didn’t charge £200 a ticket. On the first leg of the Eras tour, Taylor Swift made $190,000,000 post tax. In five months! She has a net worth of $2 billion. She could easily afford to knock a few quid of the cost of a ticket.

Paul Heaton famously keeps ticket prices low. And at the end of the tour he splits the money evenly with every person in his crew. He gets paid exactly the same as the musicians, the sound and lighting crew, the roadies, and the guys who sell the merch.

Swift deserves a net wealth of $2 billion, frankly.

I’m no fan of her music, but she’s a phenomenal economic force. There are towns and cities that benefitted to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars from her tour. That deserves reward - she’s not a charity.

I think a few more of them should take a leaf out of Yungbluds book.

Friend paid £1400 for two tickets 😱 I'm still in shock it's not even my money 🤣

I read an article about cost of gig tickets. It said that American companies run a lot of the ticketing sites, and American customers often have more money. Therefore the UK gigs are being priced inline with the American ones. I’m not sure I can blame Trump for that and all but I might try!

My daughter managed to get Harry Styles tickets standing for £150 I’ve had to say I can’t go as it involves a flight and at least one night in a London hotel and just can’t justify the cost. No Scottish dates, gutted

I saw him and Ne-Yo in AbuDhabi 2 years ago with my granddaughters and it wasn’t even that for the 3 of us in the best seats.

We got decent front row of the middle tier seats for £250 each.
I thought that was quite reasonable!

I can recall my grandparents going to see her in the early 70’s and they paid about 10 pounds each. My granny never felt the same about her afterwards because she only did one costume change the whole night. 😆

I won't pay more than £50 for a ticket, just dont have the funds. Id never go to an arena anyway,the show maybe amazing but it seems so detached from the actual artist.

I wouldn't mind them selling more fancy VIP packages if it subsidised more reasonable tickets.

Ultimately its a luxury and if you want to hear live music visit your local pubs and theatres/music venues and keep your money in the local community.

There are Paddington tickets for £51… shit seats but seats nonetheless. All of the theatre I see I get shit seats because of the cost but at least I can go.

Agreed

I have booked it for the autumn. That's the point for popular stuff - forward planning!

There are only a handful of bands/singers I would go and see now and I would probably pay loads to see them. Was surprised at Bruno Mars, gold circle I got at Wembley for £160 incl all fees, I get its still a lot but my kids paid £360 each for oasis due to dynamic pricing.

I would never buy tickets on viagogo even if I was desperate to see a band. Its disgusting that they manage to buy a load in the presale and sell them for outrageous amounts.

We couldn't get Bruno Mars tickets in presale so waited for general sale. Before they were on general sale they were on Viagogo for over £700 each.

Yes, booking ahead is now compulsory.

A festival I was interesting in going to in May 2026 sold out in… May 2025. 😐