€ 300 for a concert ticket? Some people don't even blink at it anymore; others nearly have a heart attack when they see these kinds of prices. If you feel like tickets have become increasingly expensive in recent years… you're right! In the past 7 years, prices for live events have risen by more than 60% (and sometimes even more). What is going on? We’ll explain it to you.
Explosive rise in costs after COVID
The main cause of this price increase lies with the organization behind the scenes. A lot has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the lockdowns, thousands of people left the hospitality and events industry to find work with more job security. This created a huge shortage of available personnel.
Since renting a stadium or event venue costs tens of thousands of euros per day, you don't spend a week working with 20 people; instead, you need a crew of as many as 200 people to set everything up at lightning speed.
Finally, safety requirements for concerts and festivals have been tightened significantly in recent years. And that means: more security guards, more first-aid staff, and more safety experts on the floor. These and all those other additional costs are partially passed on in the final ticket price.
From album sales to live performances
Due to the shift from physical album sales to streaming services, artists hardly make any money from releasing music anymore. Live performing has therefore become their primary source of income. Artists are now asking for significantly higher fees (guarantees) for their concerts than they used to.
Dynamic pricing and enormous market demand
More and more concert organizers are using dynamic pricing. This means that the price of the ticket is adjusted in real-time based on market demand. So, if the demand for a certain artist is massive, the official ticket price will immediately shoot up during the sale.
Cheap is often expensive
Although concerts and festivals have become a lot more expensive due to this accumulation of factors, it is smart not to shop around for cheap alternatives. The chance that you will fall victim to ticket fraud is high. By buying your tickets directly through Ticket Findr (or another reliable ticket reseller), you will very likely pay a higher price, but at least you are certain that you are buying reliable tickets.
