By Emma Weidmann | Arts and Life Editor
For anyone who tried (and likely failed) to score tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, I offer my deepest condolences. But you’re not alone. Millions upon millions of fans waited hours in a Ticketmaster queue only to lose their tickets at checkout or have to bite the bullet and drop thousands of dollars for a single night’s fun. Worse yet, many fans never got out of the queue in the first place.
It isn’t just Swift’s concert that was “gate-kept” by sky-high prices and a company potentially being investigated by the Department of Justice for violation of antitrust laws. Often, the nosebleed seats for any artist of stature run more than $100, and that’s before resale vultures sweep in and hike up the prices to turn a profit.
You’ll sometimes hear baby boomers brag about that time in 1970 when they saw Led Zeppelin — or a whole list of iconic bands from the era — in concert, but they could only do that because the cost of tickets back then was equivalent to about $50 today. That was back when there was no Ticketmaster or dynamic pricing to change the cost of a ticket according to the demand … literally while the sale is ongoing.
In a pretty bleak contrast, I know plenty of people who have never attended a single concert. It used to be that you might discover an artist by impulsively buying a ticket simply for something to do. Now, the price of tickets can’t be justified unless you know an artist’s discography front-to-back. As we saw with the return of live music after COVID-19, people love going to concerts.
One quick search on SeatGeek for a ticket to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour on Aug. 24 in Glendale, Ariz., reveals resold floor seats going for more than $1,000, even $2,000 in some cases.
It gets worse. Another search on SeatGeek for the second North American leg of the Eras Tour next year offered no tickets under $700. Some prices went past $4,000 on the floor.
There’s no reason for a floor seat to be $4,000, or for nosebleed seats to be snapped up and resold for close to $500. Ticket pricing, predatory resales and fees are gatekeeping one of the most exciting parts of being music fan. Everyone should be able to have the experience of seeing their favorite artist live without having to take out a mortgage to do so.
Live music shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for the few who have the time, money and patience to fight through ticket sales. It should be something that everyone can enjoy — a time to come together and experience a few hours of catharsis as you scream your lungs out to songs you’ve loved for years, or discover a new favorite.
