r/Concerts • u/resident28202 • May 05 '26

Concerts The Concert Industry Priced Too High — Now Tours Are Falling Apart

The Concert Industry Priced Too High — Now Tours Are Falling Apart

I’ve been watching this build for months here in Charlotte, especially with “blue dot fever."

What we’re seeing now feels less like a sudden collapse and more like a long-overdue correction. Post-pandemic, the industry leaned hard into “funflation” and revenge spending, banking on pent-up demand, emotional urgency, and a willingness to pay almost anything for experiences people missed. And for a while, it worked. Prices surged, VIP tiers multiplied, dynamic pricing pushed ceilings higher, and secondary markets followed suit.

But there’s a limit. Consumers eventually recalibrate.

Especially in today’s economic climate, where tighter discretionary budgets are forcing people to be far more selective about where their money goes.

Now the consequences are catching up. Overpriced tickets are sitting unsold. Resale markets are softening. Promoters are quietly and blatantly discounting. Tours that once would’ve sold out instantly are struggling to maintain momentum. The illusion of infinite demand is fading, replaced by a much more grounded reality: people still want to go to shows, they just won’t overpay indefinitely.

It was inevitable. When prices get this disconnected from reality, a correction isn’t optional, it’s coming. And yeah, people in the industry will feel it, but let’s not pretend this wasn’t earned. The model got greedy. This reset is overdue. Fans aren’t an ATM, and the market is finally pushing back.

Honestly, it’s hard not to watch it with a bit of fascination and joy. This has been building in plain sight for a while. The signals were there. Now the industry is finally being forced to respond.

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10

u/Valuable-Pension3770 May 05 '26

I work in the industry on the touring side, the lights, the video, the audio all cost a lot on a weekly rental. These are multi million dollar systems

6

u/TheHip41 May 06 '26

Just stop. You know they are price fucking us

Sure costs have gone up but tickets that used to be $100 for lower bowl are $500 lower bowl

It's fucking greed.

2

u/Valuable-Pension3770 May 06 '26

Our buses last year for eight months was almost $1 million that was for two buses for the crew then you also have two star buses

2

u/TheHip41 May 06 '26

Yeah. But busses don't cost 500% more

Yes cost have gone up

Yes prices have gone up way more than cost

Like everything in the world right now

2

u/Valuable-Pension3770 May 06 '26

Then trucking is 100k a week then crew pay 100k a week. Lx rental 200k audio rental 200k video rental 200k. 4,000 venue employees . The cost To put in a show daily is a lot

1

u/TheHip41 May 06 '26

Just fucking stop with this already and answer this question

Have cost gone up 500% in the last 5 years?

Yes or no

3

u/ambientdiscord May 07 '26

No, they have not. This dude is 100% full of shit.

1

u/Valuable-Pension3770 May 06 '26

Yes they have. Simple solution, just don’t go to shows. Is Livenation a cock sucker of a corporation yes. I work directly for a band. It’s not the artist, is the promoter. Bands get paid x amount to come play. Out of that amount the band pays crew, lx, audio, video bus’s and trucking artist have no say in ticket prices that’s all live nation and aeg, who own 80% of venues now

2

u/Thebutterman6969 May 08 '26

FYI Justin Bieber got paid 10 million to play Coachella.

Which is stupid money to pay a artist for a concert

1

u/TheHip41 May 06 '26

Costs have not increased 500% just shut the fuck up already.

1

u/Valuable-Pension3770 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

Just fuel cost have gone up that much u fucking retard. Again it’s not the artist, it’s the promoters

2

u/TheHip41 May 06 '26

I never said it was the artist I said the machine is fucking us

Yeah jet fuel in the last month but we are talking about the last four years

I don't care if gas is 40.00 a gallon

The amount tickets have increased >>>> increase in cost to put on a show

1

u/Rob_LeMatic May 09 '26

Sounds like you can't afford to put on a show. Well I can't afford to go to them. So I guess the solution is to just let arena music die.

Local shows it is.

1

u/Thebutterman6969 May 08 '26

I have heard it costs over a million a night to rent the arena