Prices for concert tickets have increased dramatically in recent years. According to the Wall Street Journal citing data from SeatGeek, “The average resale price for concert tickets on SeatGeek has more than doubled since 2019, from $125 to $252 so far in 2023.”
“For sold-out acts such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen, that number jumps to $1,311, $480 and $469, respectively,” says author Rachel Wolfe.
If one manages to score a ticket before the resellers snag them, they can still expect to pay a hefty sum. The average ticket price for a concert in 2022 was over $110, per Pollstar. Back in 2010, that number was just $60 (around $85 after accounting for inflation).
As Wolfe notes in her piece, the reasons for this increase are varied. Concerts are becoming more popular after many areas lifted COVID restrictions. Many areas instituted dynamic pricing schemes, where prices increase for in-demand artists. Additionally, sites like Ticketmaster can charge exorbitant fees for buying tickets, artificially driving up the cost.
On the ground, this has meant that people who want to see their favorite artists have to shell out incredible sums to get decent seats.
@kavila95 All personally victimized by @Ticketmaster. GA was $179 💀 #lanadelrey #lanadelreytour #austin #lanadelreyaustin #ticketmaster ♬ original sound – Karla Avila
TikTok user Karla (@kavila95) recently noted this in a video with over 343,000 views. According to Karla, general admission tickets for a Lana Del Rey concert in Austin, Texas were $179. However, that’s not what visitors ended up paying.
The video shows Karla asking several people how much they paid for their tickets. The prices range from $516 to $1,500.
“All personally victimized by @Ticketmaster,” Karla wrote in the caption.
According to Karla via an Instagram direct message conversation with the Daily Dot, she also saw someone who paid $1,600 for their ticket.
“I am guessing resellers knew this would be a high demand show,” she wrote. “I was in the queue early to get tickets and everything was sold out. The only way to get tickets at that point was [SeatGeek] or Vivid Seats.”
“I think Lana would be upset about these prices,” Karla noted. “Her fans deserve better, and she is not making a dime out of these resell prices.”
In the comments section of her video, some users questioned the decision to spend so much money on a concert ticket.
“Anything over $180 for GA is CRAZY,” said a user.
“Where do these kids get the money?? I paid $125 for a ticket and I was broke for week and I work 2 jobs fulltime,” shared another.
However, others countered that the problem is not with those buying the tickets to see their favorite artists, but with the system that asks them to spend that much money in the first place.
“I would love to support my favorite artist, but prices have gotten out of hand, and I need to support myself first,” stated a commenter.
“I couldn’t pay that, but I did just buy a $60 ticket for $200 after fees for a single night,” offered a second. “we really need to fix the system.”
Karla offered another perspective.
“It’s all personal choice, and if people chose to spend their money that way, then who are we to question them?” Karla wrote. “If music is your thing, then [it’s] no different than people that pay high prices for collectibles, or car parts, or whatever they may be into.”
For Karla, the money spent was worth it.
“The show was amazing. Lana is truly a great [performer] and humble human,” she recounted. “The wait for the show was terrible—we were lined out there in the Texas heat for hours and the pit entrance was a sh*t show, but it was [worth it]. I’ve been wanting to see her since I was in high school, so this was a dream come true.”
In closing, Karla sent a message to Lana herself—”Lana, if you’re reading this, you’re awesome and I hope I can meet you in person one day.”
