I don’t know if you’ve been as aware of the strange reception of the newest Harry Styles album, Kiss All the Time. Disco. Occasionally (which is actually really fun to say by the way), but one of the most shocking parts of the whole thing has been seeing the fanbase turning against Harry. Harry Styles is one of the big players in the music industry, who has a host of fangirls ready to support him no matter what, from his One Direction days to his nail polish endeavors (remember that). However, it doesn’t seem like the support was without question and the straw that finally broke the camel’s back was the presale of his upcoming tour. Online, multiple fans complained about being unable to buy tickets, others were upset that he wouldn’t be making a stop in their city, and others were outraged that the only tickets available for them to buy were $1,000 for lower bowl seats. And while I feel equally as outraged, I’m also not all that surprised.
After COVID-19, people were chomping at the bit to be around people again. And it’s no surprise that as soon as people were allowed out of the house, the first thing on their agenda was to look for concerts and live shows to attend. But what such high demand meant was the rise of ticket prices both from the source and from resellers. To explain this phenomenon, we can look at two examples from the past few years, The Eras Tour and The Renaissance World Tour, put on by both Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Access to these experiences had extremely high price tags, which isn’t exactly unexpected. Both of these examples are of the biggest musical events of the decade and were put on by two of the most popular artists of our generation. However, this doesn’t make the financial burden any less frustrating.
Of course, the responsibility isn’t exactly the fault of the artist entirely. Taylor Swift herself isn’t pocketing what you paid for her ticket; rather, there are dozens of other people who are doing the work of setting those prices and coordinating with venues, who also need to get paid. Sometimes it is hard to remember that your fave isn’t really the relatable image they project themselves to be and is actually made up of a team of people all counting on them for a paycheck.
I think this is where we start to see the problem; the illusion has been shattered. Given the current state of the economy and the job market, the likelihood that someone has the funds to actually go to a concert is incredibly low. Dropping hundreds of dollars on tickets and transportation, and an extra $100 for a hoodie, just isn’t feasible for the average person. And concerts aren’t the only perpetrator of this behavior. I’ve heard even more stories from both current and former Swifites complaining about the merch drop and album release that followed The Life of a Showgirl. The big problem seemed to be with the countless different variants, which I found really interesting because that’s not something isolated to Swift nor to just this album. I think the problem is that people are tired of feeling like the relationship between artists and fans is solely a financial one, which leads to any action taken by an artist feeling more malicious than it did in the past.
Moving forward, I hope to see a return to the art of live music and a step away from the business of it. Interestingly enough, California lawmakers have recently introduced a new bill to put a cap on resale ticket prices, with no more than a 10% markup being allowed. I think it is a great first step in preserving accessibility within the music industry, and if you want to learn more about it, feel free to look here. It’s actually really poetic that California, the heart of the music industry, is paving the way to a better future for music. While legislation is probably one of the most effective tools, it’s just as important for artists themselves to take the responsibility of making space for their real fans to support them without fear of not being able to pay their bills.