763 BUCKS!!!!???
How many concerts have you been to in your life? I only ask because I myself have been to many, but as for others, it feels like they have either never been to one, or at most they've only attended three. Now you'll always have bands and pop artists that will sell lots of tickets, but there are still lots of artists and bands that are having a hard time getting people to go to shows in smaller venues. The question is, Why don't people attend concerts anymore?
I have one of the big answers right here. They're way too expensive most of the time. According to The Wall Street Journal, "9 out of 10 of the highest-grossing concert tours this year ticket prices were over 100 dollars." And that's just for your average seat, If you want to go to the pit just don't, it's probably not worth the money. I soon discovered though that it can be much worse.
Photo Credit: Forbes
I started thinking about what venues and what types of artists charged more money than others and why they feel the need to do this. Well, why they do I discovered is because they don't make enough money on album sales anymore, most likely because of streaming sources like Spotify and iTunes. That does make me sad, but it's the truth. But, I also wanted to figure out and compare the differences between ticket prices for a venue in New England and somewhere else in the world such as the UK.
Photo Credit: Spotify
For this I decided to figure out some of the differences between two of my favorite bands, Panic at the Disco and Paramore who both sell pretty well on tour, most of the time. The two venues are going to be the TD Garden arena in Boston and the O2 arena in London. The average price for a Panic at the Disco concert is 96 dollars, while for Paramore it's 72. At Boston in 2013, Paramore had about 14,000 out 15,000 show up and at a 2018 concert, they had about 17,000 out of 20,000 according to The Guardian. Panic at the Disco had sold out both shows with 14,000 in Boston and over 30,000 in London. In all of those concerts they make over a million dollars, but remember that that is the average and not the exact amount they made. And yes they have to split the money, but that's still a good amount.
Photo Credit: Boston 25 News
Photo Credit: The Independent
Then you have to compare those to somebody like Taylor swift who sells out giant stadiums. Front seats can cost up to 6,000 dollars according to Vivid Seats. I have to say, there is no reason for that to be so expensive. No wonder why some people can only attend so many shows when they can be that much money. I don't know if it's the stadiums that charge that amount or the record label or just herself that makes those decisions, but I don't think tats right. Concerts are supposed to be a fun experience, but I'm not sure you need to spend that much for it to happen. It doesn't seem to matter where you are in the world. Tickets are expensive.
Photo Credit: YouTube
Mclntyre, Hugh. "These Are the Highest Grossing Tours of 2018." Forbes, 2018,
www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2018/12/06/
these-are-the-10-highest-grossing-tours-of-2018/?sh=2bdb06a8298f. Accessed
6 Jan. 2021.
Garden on July 25." Boston 25 News, 22 Mar. 2018, www.boston25news.com/
entertainment/panic-at-the-disco-announces-new-album-and-tour/720099876/.
Accessed 6 Jan. 2021.
Madden, Emma. "Bands Energy Never Falters." Independent, 15 Jan. 2018,
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/
paramore-review-uk-tour-o2-arena-london-hayley-williams-zac-taylor-dates-album-a8
159546.html. Accessed 6 Jan. 2021.
"Taylor Swift Live 2018." Directed by Gewel Yo. Taylor Swift Live 2018, directed
by Gewel Yo, 2018.
Steele, Anne. "Why Concert Tickets Are so Expensive." The Wall Street Journal,
26 Dec. 2019, www.wsj.com/articles/
why-concert-tickets-are-so-expensive-11577371024. Accessed 6 Jan. 2021.
"Taylor Swift Tickets." Vivid Seats, www.vividseats.com/concerts/
taylor-swift-tickets.html#:~:text=Taylor%20Swift%20Ticket%20Prices%20%26%20Tour,w
ith%20an%20average%20of%20%24763. Accessed 6 Jan. 2021.
Riley, you talked about the average price for the concert tickets for the two bands; was that averaging between the two venues? Did you see that ticket prices were more expensive in one place rather than the other? Does the price also depend on the theatricality of the show? So is one artists show/lights/dancers, etc more elaborate which bumps up prices?
ReplyDeleteYour blog was quite interesting. I hadn't thought about this before, whether concert tickets are more expensive in certain geographical locations. It does make sense that some of the cost has to do with the size of the venue and also how popular the band is, whether they know people would be willing to hand over their hard-earned dollars no matter what. I agree with you that some of the prices just do not seem necessary and are probably not within most people's budgets which is why I believe a majority of people have not attended too many concerts. I feel that perhaps music is more important to young people who do not yet have quite so many financial responsibilities in life. While my 20-year-old, who works and earns much of her own money, might consider $200+ for a ticket to the "My Chemical Romance" reunion concert a reasonable price to pay, I would never pay hundreds of dollars to see Taylor Swift play live in a stadium, no matter how much of a proud "Swiftie" I am. It would be nice, however, if this form of entertainment were more accessible and affordable to more people. Good job using your supporting details in this blog.
ReplyDeleteI can agree that streaming services are paying the artist enough but i wanna know if they will stay to remote concerts
ReplyDeleteRiley,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. I have attended concerts in big arenas and small venues and I find the smaller venue to be more enjoyable and afforadable (might be an old guy thing). When the pandemic ends and life returns to semi-normal I hope that the concert experience is available in large and small venues at reasonable prices. Nice work on your blog, I enjoyed reading it. Mr Roye