As a long-time fan of Harry Styles, it saddens me to see the kind of artist he’s turned into. Like many people, I got into his music because I was (and still am) a big fan of One Direction, and I wanted to support their solo careers. While Styles has achieved a different level of recognition than his former bandmates, it has been interesting to see how that has affected his fandom compared to the others over the years. And, as is the case with many large fandoms, I can definitely say that the Harries are the most toxic.
There is nothing wrong with artists changing their sound between projects and leaning into different styles (no pun intended), but it’s equally acceptable to prefer previous work. I have seen social media users joke about forcing themselves to like Styles’ latest single, “Aperture”, giving the impression that you have to like every release to be a “real fan”. Toxic fandom culture promotes the idea that you can’t disagree with anything your favorite artist does, which brings me to “Ticket Gate”.
Styles recently announced his fourth major tour, “Together, Together,” for his upcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. While touring his third album, Harry’s House, Styles performed a record-breaking 10-show residency at Madison Square Garden, but “Together, Together” boasts a 30-show stop at the arena. After three years out of the spotlight, fans were eager to get their hands on tickets, only to discover that some lower-bowl tickets were selling for as much as $1,000 at face value.
There were (allegedly) some $50 tickets that were quickly snatched up, but Styles and his team opted for Ticketmaster’s platinum pricing, a market-based ticketing model similar to dynamic pricing. What does this mean? The higher the anticipated demand, the higher the price of the tickets was at a fixed value. These overpriced tickets do not offer any special perks—such as VIP—besides being considered a prime spot. The worst part is that these tickets will be resold for even more, and the demand will still exist.
Ticketmaster has been under fire in recent years for its near-monopoly on the live music industry and for not doing enough to prevent ticket scalping. While it is difficult to verify that real fans are buying tickets to actually attend shows and not to make a profit, other artists have opted out of market-based pricing and capped their tickets at more affordable prices. Olivia Dean called out Ticketmaster for their exploitative practices and secured partial refunds for fans who overpaid for resold tickets. Billie Eilish used a Ticketmaster feature that ensured her tickets could not be resold for more than face value. All this shows that artists can control the cost of their tickets.
Many criticisms can be made about this situation. To me, it comes across as inauthentic to build your brand on treating people with kindness, name your tour after wanting to come together with your supporters, and then allow tickets to be sold for as much as someone’s rent. Sure, live music is not a necessity, but this decision positions Styles as an artist whose shows are only for a very select group of people.
Also, the only U.S. stops on the tour are at Madison Square Garden. Logistically, there are benefits to performing 30 shows in one arena rather than across the country. The artist’s residency at MSG reduces labor and equipment costs for transporting the talent, crew, and stage setup. It is reasonable to expect that the cost savings of the 30-show stop at MSG would be reflected in more sensible ticket prices. So, what then was the point of performing 30 shows at MSG?
You guessed it: profit and greed. Styles’ manager, Jeff Azoff, is a business partner of his father, Irving Azoff, whose company is a consultant to MSG, suggesting a conflict of interest. Did Styles go from one management team that exploited him for financial gain to the next? Over the years, his image has been carefully branded and capitalized on, and his tour has already proven to be a profitable business decision, before it’s even started. He could be contractually obligated to protect corporate interests. However, I find it hard to sympathize with him when this has been public knowledge, and he chose who to sign with.
I also think it’s a very interesting choice for an artist to be completely offline unless they want to make money (I saw someone online say Greed All The Time, Music Occasionally). Now, I personally do not follow every artist I listen to on social media or keep up with every single release and piece of content. However, my favorite artists change frequently, and I tend to lose interest faster when they don’t release music for years at a time. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I disagree—especially when it comes to an artist doing something that I can’t defend, and never addressing it (see: the infamous Grammy speech).
I can understand that it’s a PR tactic to do something wrong and never take accountability, counting on everyone forgetting it ever happened, but I also expected better from someone I supported for years. It’s very convenient that Styles gets away with so much ignorance because he “isn’t online”. Okay, but his team is paid to be. Then they say, “Not every artist is political. He doesn’t owe anyone a political statement.” Music is political. Everything is political when it operates in a political system. Choosing to price your tickets at $1,000 is a political statement.
It’s also important to note that Styles announced “Together, Together” in an Instagram post and on NBC News. The clip features Steve Kornacki, a political journalist and commentator for the outlet, in a mock news segment. In an interview, Kornacki revealed he was approached by Styles and his team, which is an interesting choice for an artist who is so publicly apolitical. It is very out of touch to make a joke out of the news while never acknowledging current events. Oh, but wait, I forgot to mention that Styles is donating a whopping £1 to charity for every ticket sold. Let that sink in.
I’m tired of celebrities being coddled as if they don’t exist in the same world as the rest of us. The difference is that, as the wealth gap increases, they’re the ones getting richer. We shouldn’t be making excuses for celebrities, the same way that we wouldn’t make excuses for big corporations and billionaires. I would much rather support an up-and-coming artist whose shows I can actually afford to attend than one that clearly cares more about money and notoriety than music and fans. It’s hard for me to listen to music from someone who I disagree with on moral issues, and I encourage anyone who has complained about this situation not to buy tickets. When this tour sells out, it tells Styles and his team that they can get away with more.