By Ryan Vasquez | Reporter
Concerts have become for the elite; long gone are the days when you could show up at the door, pay $50 and hope to storm the barricade. With artists like Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars smashing record sales, it has become increasingly difficult to attend concerts.
The main problem is that even if tickets were not $150 for nosebleed seats, they would still be inaccessible. When Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” ticket sales first opened, Ticketmaster, even after claiming its platform could handle the number of people attempting to get tickets, crashed.
Ticketmaster’s monopoly on concert ticket sales has proven to be a major contributor to this issue. It is known for long queues, even when users wait hours in advance, and for faulty bot protections that leave little to no availability for actual people trying to score tickets.
As a Ticketmaster warrior myself who attempted to get tickets to her Glendale, Ariz., show on opening night, it did not matter whether I had the money or not.
As the music industry has moved from selling hard-copy CDs and records to offering music for free on streaming services, touring has become the primary source of income for artists — at least for big artists.
Concerts are not only expensive for the audience but for upcoming artists as well. A tour requires a large financial commitment to organize.
I think a key factor contributing to how expensive it is to attend a concert, even if you get tickets, is that you are not just paying for your seat.
Most venues are in large cities, and if you want to be safe after getting out at midnight, you likely have to pay at least $50 for parking. If you buy merchandise, it can easily total $100. I am sure you will be hungry and thirsty, so you will buy the $10 stadium water because you cannot bring in outside food or drinks.
In a society where everyone can see everything on their Instagram feed, it is important to remember what an experience these concerts are. Yes, they are fun, but they are a luxury, and that is OK. It is OK to save up for a whole year to see that one artist you really want to see, or maybe you did not get the tickets. And if you do miss your chance, just remember there is always another tour.
