How are fangirls supposed to thrive when concert ticket prices are out of control?
Last September, Ariana Grande fans, “Arianators,” around the world suffered from another great war, commonly referred to as the “Ticketmaster War”. Fans battled massive queues totaling over 900,000 people, and tickets reselling for thousands of dollars.
Arianators were not the only fans to suffer, as Harry Styles fans, affectionately known as “Harries,” did not fall short of the same disaster. In January, Harries were given a new single, “Aperture,” and an announcement for a residency tour, including 30 dates in New York City.Â
Despite the excitement, Harries were hit with the hard reality: these tickets will not be easy to buy. Once again, fans had to wait in long virtual queues with unreasonable ticket prices.
Some artists have fought against Ticketmaster for their outrageous pricing, including Olivia Dean, leading Ticketmaster to activate its “Face Value Exchange” feature, where tickets can only be resold at the same face value price. Billie Eilish also utilized this feature, as well as restricting transfers, meaning official, safe resale for tour tickets was only available through Ticketmaster management.Â
Due to the issues Ariana Grande had in September, some tickets were canceled that were identified as violating the ticket purchasing terms. Fans are now able to submit a request to make their resale tickets they purchased available.Â
Fans have also accused Ticketmaster of utilizing a “dynamic pricing” feature, in which they fluctuate ticket prices based on demand. Thus, the higher the demand for the tickets, the higher the price.
Altogether, this is extremely frustrating to fans. Live music is meant to be enjoyed, without having to sell an arm and a leg to witness it. In the 1990s, tickets averaged $10-20, with major headliners costing $35-50. Comparing these prices to concert ticket prices today, tickets now averagely range from $75-250, not including resale, which can range from $250 to $250-2,000.
Why is live music becoming more and more inaccessible to dedicated fans? Without fans consuming and purchasing an artist’s music, the artist would be irrelevant. Unless you are wealthy, you simply cannot afford tickets to concerts. This raises the question: why are concerts becoming less accessible to lower-income fans?
Ticketmaster and artists must work together to make concerts accessible and affordable to all fans. Live music should be enjoyed by everyone who is a dedicated fan, not just those who can afford it.Â
Ultimately, we must persevere and hope for better times, until the next Ticketmaster war unfolds…