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?

@ScarletLipstick It’s not just the third party sites that do this. If you buy tickets and then can’t attend, and put them on Ticketmaster for resale, you can only put them on at face value (quite rightly). But Ticketmaster themselves will hugely inflate the price they sell them on at. I put two Billy Joel tickets on Ticketmaster and they sold them for £100 more (each!) than what I was selling them for. The whole industry stinks.

Robbie at Barrowlands next week is £142 which is not reasonable for there
at all!

Twickets too? But at least they take money for their service not greed.

Please. It doesn’t cost them £200 to sell two tickets on their website. They’re just as greedy as the rest!

I have never paid anything like. And the extra cost doesn’t go to the seller so there’s no incentive to buy up loads of tickets in the presale and hike up the price to make a huge profit.

Very different thing.

Yes, I don't pay stupid prices. Up to £100 is ok for someone I really want to see. There is no-one I'd like to see so much that I'd pay £250 a ticket though.

And if you are going to pay £250+, for a few quid more you could go to festival and see several artists you like. It's not worth it for a single band or artist though, IMO.

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

Well, that's the dumb tourist price. It's not what I'd pay as I'd look for cheaper seats, special offers, going on a less popular day, or wait for the buzz to die down, or go before it becomes popular.

Paid forty euro for delta Goodrem two years ago. She didn’t even sell out and it was my best gif and I’ve seen oasis, Coldplay, rem, sting and loads of other top bands. Keep an eye out for your favourite artists!

It’s simple economics- whether it’s a mars bar, Bruno Mars Tickets or a trip to Mars!!

Every purchase you make is based on :
how much is it?
do I have the money?
do I really want it?
Is it worth it - do I want to pay that much?

Concert tickets are no different from anything else you buy and any form of entertainment is not an essential but a luxury.

life isn’t fair - that is just a fact. And that means for some people they are starving and struggling to feed their kids whilst others are out fine dining.

some people afford concerts without a thought and for others it is just too much money for their budget and so they don’t get to see the band.

funny old world really. 🤔

I agree with those saying go t a festival. We’ve just paid £400 for a three dayer but it includes vip, private bars, comfortable seats and proper loos. Plus being near main stage. Basic tickets were less than 200-established bands and singers plus some highly rated newer acts. And best of all, no camping so get to stay in nice hotel with proper showers! I suppose you pay what it’s worth t yo. However, the original point is valid-that ticket prices, like house prices have risen way, way above inflation and it's a shame fans with less money can’t go. Instead, it’s become like big sporting events-many of the people going don’t go for the music but because it’s a big name.

I don't know how anyone affords it, but clearly they do because these events sell out so quickly that it's almost impossible to buy tickets even if you can pay!

I saw Taylor at Eras for £89 which is fine and I probably would have paid more if I had to, but not for anyone else.

DD likes Take That but the cheapest tickets I could find were £150. £450 for 2-3 hours of entertainment for the 3 of us is just not value for money.

SD seems to go to a gig every other week, I have no idea where her Mum gets the money.

The merchandise is a rip off too.
Adele was selling a top with her name on for 100.
She sees them coming.
Hope she's happy.
I don't think some rich people are

Yes - even had the Lana Del Rey tickets secured and in the basket. Then thought, to hell with this, it’s daylight robbery.

buyers need to pushback against this bs

Nobody HAS to buy merch.

Why would we push back if we’re paying the prices, if you see what I mean? They can only charge what people are willing to pay and people are willing to pay these prices (and then some, it’s not at all uncommon to travel across the country or over to Europe to watch an artist, paying for travel, accommodation etc.).

I think what has happened is there’s now a real disposable income inequality. Some people can afford to spend a fortune and others can’t afford to spend at all. If organisers slashed prices from £250 to £150, the people willing to pay £150 overlap hugely with the group willing to pay £250, so companies would just be leaving profit on the table, so to speak.

Also, what incentive is there to lower prices? Some of these gigs and festivals sell out in minutes.

I’m not saying I agree with any of this btw, I would love for it to be more affordable, but I can’t see it changing any time soon.

I love festivals, but I don’t think they’re cheaper when you consider the overall cost, depending on where you live. Train tickets, hotels, overpriced food & drink for 3 days - all adds up!

Compare that to: £150 ticket, tube fare and a couple of drinks.

I like to do both, but I don’t think one is cheaper than the other - for bigger artists / festivals anyway.

Very few festivals are on one’s doorstep though. I live in a major city and apart from a couple of day festivals which are in my city, all the festivals I’m going to this year require me to travel, pay for accommodation, etc. (two are overseas). The all-in price per day of festivals that have big names performing is not far off paying to see an artist for one night.

3-day festival @ $300 + $150 travel + $300 hotel = ~$250/day

You get the idea.

True, but I was just comparing the cost of tickets as others were, not travel and sundries as well.

Nobody has to buy a ticket either.

Twickets don't hike up the prices, I buy and sell on there a lot.

Exactly. So why are you moaning?

Yes I do get the idea but it’s certainly more value for money. And for those people who don’t live near London, it involves travel and hotel stay for many artists who don’t do nationwide concerts.

I think you're right and it's also why bands who haven't really been big names in decades are still able to fill arenas.

My SD16 has seen Linkin Park, Busted, McFly, Pink and whole lot of other bands which I was listening to in the early noughties with her Mum. My Mum wouldn't have dreamed of taking me to a pop concert and I wouldn't have dreamed of going with her. Going to see a band who peaked in fame 20 years earlier with a parent would have been considered mortifyingly sad.

Just saw a post on Instagram that was “Festival lineups from 2016” and almost all of the headliners at the major festivals are still headlining and touring today. I think it’s just the same handful of artists/bands filling stadiums and headlining festivals year on year. There’s no new Calvin Harris or David Guetta because they’re both still super active and super popular.

Brand new DJs who are popular among Gen Z / Gen Alpha but not so popular among Millennials and up simply won’t sell enough tickets to have a major tour or headline a major festival.