Yes, Concerts Are Too Expensive

Not breaking news: concert tickets are too expensive.

It’s a supply and demand issue, yes. It’s also a greed issue, by Ticketmaster/Live Nation and the artists themselves. Most importantly I think is that the high cost really does cut a lot of folks out of the equation and that means losing the shared connection that shows create.

Nobody needed to see Led Zeppelin or Van Halen in the 70s but a lot of lucky folks did and that’s a collective, benchmark memory for those in the Baby Boomer-Gen X generations. Yes, tickets were $10 bucks – but everything was cheaper and we didn’t have the kind of expenses or lifestyle expectations back then, either. So everything rises in price as the years move on – with entertainment costs just surging among the most expensive luxury items to purchase

So if you saw Def Leppard in the round on the Hysteria back in 1988, you probably remember everything about the show: the environment, the setlist, the friends you went with, the clothes you wore. You probably talked about the show with people you went to high school or college with because they also went to a date and you compared notes. You’ve likely posted about it in the comments section of this site 30+ years later! Why? Because it is a core memory of your life and you weren’t held back by money issues. Sure, $30 bucks wasn’t “nothing” in 1988… but it wasn’t $900 either.

There have certainly been tons of shows I’ve passed on because I couldn’t justify the ticket price, outright couldn’t afford it at that moment in time or just didn’t want to pay again to see an act I’ve already seen live. My world didn’t stop turning because of this, but I know I did miss out on some memories along the line there.

I’m seeing Bruno Mars next month. I paid the astronomical amount of $1,500 for my two seats (11th row). This is not normal and it’s not okay, but he’s a bucket list artist for me. The way to stop the high prices is to boycott buying tickets, but then what? Few will join you in the endeavor and the only thing that matters to big concert production companies is their bottom line.

The Las Vegas residencies are getting insane, with seemingly everyone choosing to go this route. Why? It’s easier for the artist and cheaper on them too. It shifts the travel burden to the fans and thus creates a wider gulf between those who can see a show versus who can afford to see a show and add on a vacation at the same time. It’s not like gas or airfare is cheap - or going to be cheaper anytime soon. The Wall Street Journal wrote about the pricey tickets and residencies earlier this week. Note that I added the scary quotes around the word free below.

Some acts that announce residencies have taken pre-emptive steps to emphasize that the additional travel will be beneficial.  

When Dead & Company did a series of shows at Sphere in Las Vegas, “we took the money that we’d save and put it into more activations so the extra travel costs were really worth it,” said Bernie Cahill, who co-manages the band and also worked on a residency with another one of his clients, the country singer Dwight Yoakam. 

Fans who made the trip to Las Vegas could see a re-creation of the Grateful Dead’s famous “Wall of Sound” speaker system, an exhibit that collected photographs of the group over three decades, immersive art from drummer Mickey Hart or they could watch one of the band’s concerts in a theater. All these experiences were “free” to the public.

And when Bad Bunny announced his residency in Puerto Rico, the star framed the additional fan expenses on flights and hotels as a boost to the island’s economy. On top of that, he reserved the first nine shows for locals who might have been unable to see him on previous world tours.  

These gestures engender goodwill because music lovers have “an expectation of fairness” when buying concert tickets, said Pascal Courty, an economics professor at the University of Victoria. They see their favorite artists as one of their own. 

Interestingly enough, all the comments on the post from the Facebook share argued for folks to attend more local shows so that is a good sign at least. People are still consuming live music and making memories. Just closer to home and for way less cash I guess.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.