So, you’re looking for something fun to do one weekend, and see that a musician you enjoy is coming to a venue near you! You decide to buy tickets with your friends, but as you start your search, you see there is not a single ticket for sale under $70. Unfortunately, this experience has become far too common. Scalpers and bots mass-purchasing tickets has led to concerts becoming increasingly unaffordable. Events like Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour and other sold out tours have gotten a lot of media attention, and for good reason. Ticket prices for concerts are increasing drastically, which has made paying upwards of $150 for so-so seats the new normal. 

Since just last year, ticket prices have shot up by 23%, and 19% since COVID. The average price of a ticket today is around $122. Comparatively, in 2019 you could spend $30 less, with the average price being $91.86. In 2000, you could expect to spend, on average, $40.74 on a ticket. In just over 20 years, the price of live music has nearly tripled (via Vox and Variety). 

Recently, I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite artists live. Seeing Gracie Abrams live was a concert experience unlike anything else. Hearing her vocals live literally gave me chills. I believe that everyone should be able to have the experience of seeing their favorite artists live, but with all of the increases in price, it has become much less accessible. In full transparency, I spent around $230 on these tickets, fees included (granted, they were VIP, which made them $50-$70 more expensive). I have never spent that much on live music before, and I am not entirely sure I would do that again. Personally, I believe that these tickets were worth it. I was able to get a great view, other goodies that were included in the VIP package and I had one of the best nights. However, I don’t think that the tickets should’ve cost $230. 

Ticket prices can vary from site to site. For example, if you get your tickets from the queue during a presale, they could be much cheaper than getting tickets later on resale websites, like SeatGeek or StubHub. Additionally, when you buy tickets from places like StubHub, you could also have nearly $50 worth of fees plus the price of the ticket, making a $25 dollar experience unaffordable for many people. Don’t get me wrong, I buy many of my concert tickets from StubHub, and many times I am able to overlook the outrageous fees.

For example, in April 2024, I went to see singer-songwriter Sadie Jean at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan. Jean is a relatively small artist, meaning that ticket prices are a lot cheaper, and they were going for around $20 on her website. I chose to buy my ticket off of StubHub, and spent $13. Even though this ticket was still very cheap, I still spent over half of the price on fees. 

You don’t need to spend your life savings on a concert to enjoy it. Some of the most fun I’ve had at concerts are times when I’ve gotten the tickets shortly before, for very cheap. My favorite example of this is seeing Maggie Rogers in June 2024 for around $60. The tickets my friends and I purchased were towards the back of Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, not the best seats in the house, but we were mostly just there for a fun night. Near the end of the opening act, a woman working for the venue asked us to follow her. As it turns out, the pit hadn’t completely sold out, and since she saw us dancing and singing to the opener, she moved us to the pit for free. We got to see all of Roger’s set from the barricade, even though the tickets we purchased were for seats two rows from the back of the amphitheater. 

Even though many people who enjoy live music can agree that the prices for tickets to see any musician are becoming outrageous, it certainly shouldn’t stop you from having a good time. There are many ways to buy cheaper tickets, like resellers, and there are also things you can do to help make live music more affordable. For example, if you realize you can no longer go to a concert, sell your ticket for around the same price you bought it for. When one person upsells their ticket, it normalizes it for everyone else. Above all else, getting the opportunity to hear a song or album live that was pivotal to your life is such a unique experience that you will likely remember for years to come. Regardless of if you think the increase in the price of live music is justified or not, if you can foresee yourself having a great time at a concert, I recommend going.

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Delilah Covatta

Maggie Rogers performing at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre. (June 9, 2024)