"The Model Is Broken": Why Concert Tickets Are So Expensive

"I noticed it this past spring at a Lucy Dacus show. In January, Dacus's "Forever Is a Feeling" tour tickets went on sale and I fought in the Ticketmaster trenches to snag one solo Radio City Music Hall ticket for myself -I couldn't get a pair. The price: $82. When Dacus added a second Radio City date, my friend was able to get two tickets, closer to the stage, and I paid her back for one $98 seat, figuring I could resell my $82 one."

"But I couldn't - not in the weeks and months that followed, not even when I dropped the price to $20 below what I paid. I ended up going to both shows alone after my friend got sick, and both nights, I was able to move up a dozen or more rows to take empty seats next to different friends in the audience who texted me about open nearby. On the first night, the whole row behind me remained empty."

"My experience wasn't an anomaly, either for the price or for my inability to resell the seats. Concert ticket prices are now averaging over $100 in general and can reach thousands for megastars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Tour announcements find both fans and scalpers rushing to grab pricey tickets - but after the initial rush, the remaining tickets can lag unsold, as can resale tickets."

"It's simply a fact that concert tickets are more expensive now than they were just a few years ago. According to data from Pollstar, concert ticket prices for the top 100 worldwide tours hit a record-high average of $135.92 in 2024, marking a 41.3% increase from 2019. The average dipped slightly in 2025 to $132.62 - a 2.4% decrease from the prior year's peak, but still well above both 2022 and 2023 levels"

A concertgoer bought an $82 Lucy Dacus ticket after a Ticketmaster struggle while a friend secured a $98 seat; the initial ticket could not be resold even when deeply discounted. Both nights featured many empty seats despite the show being advertised as sold out. Overall concert prices have risen sharply, averaging over $100 and reaching thousands for major acts. Fans and scalpers rush to buy on announcements, yet many remaining primary and resale tickets remain unsold. Pollstar reports a record-high average of $135.92 in 2024, with a slight dip to $132.62 in 2025, still well above prior years.

Read at Consequence