I’m certain most people are aware of the Ticketmaster reckoning that began with the utter chaos of trying to get tickets to Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.” Attempts back in 2022 to get tickets to Swift’s incredibly anticipated tour were hampered massively by three things: Site crashes from too many people on the site, a ticket monopoly that meant trying to get tickets anywhere other than Ticketmaster were impossible, and of course, Ticketmaster’s exuberant prices and fees. A single U.S “Eras Tour” ticket would set you back anywhere between $500 and $1,000, or potentially far beyond that for floor seats-assuming you weren’t kicked out of the queue and were able to get them at all.
To say this triggered a flurry of anger was an understatement. Swift blamed Ticketmaster for not being better prepared for what everyone knew would be overwhelming site traffic, and Ticketmaster blamed Swift and her fans for said overwhelming traffic. Several fans took matters into their own hands by suing the parent company, Live Nation, for fraud, price fixing, and said ticket monopoly, among others. In 2023, the same thing pretty much happened again when it came to Swift’s U.K Tour sales. Ticketmaster has pledged to show all fees up front following this mess, but the fallout continues to this day: This past April, the Department of Justice said they were preparing to take action against Live Nation as well.
To make a long story short, this entire fiasco has thrust into the spotlight just how hard it can be to see the musicians you like in this modern era of buying tickets online and paying an exuberant amount of money mostly for the convenience of it all. You pay for their name, however massive the venue is, how in demand the show is, and finally on top of that up to hundreds of dollars in fees simply for the convenience of not having to go to an in-person box office. The whole process can be incredibly draining and removes any ambition to go see your favorite artists live anymore, even when live shows are once-in-a-lifetime events between you and them that cannot be recreated by just seeing videos or movie recordings.
There is a way to fight back against all of this though, and that is to see smaller, often indie artists who not only deserve the money more, but often keep their ticket prices in the double digits because they know the experience of performing in front of a live audience has just as much value as the money itself.
When I paid for a ticket to the LA indie band Cheekface’s show in Philadelphia on May 11, I was shocked that it was not through Ticketmaster, and I was even more shocked to find that after all the fees, it only came to $28. Sure, there is also the option to buy merchandise before and after the show, and that is obviously more expensive, but $28 for a decently popular indie band is perhaps the cheapest ticket I have ever bought. The band is known for their energetic, sing-along live performances, as you can see here, so they have every right to charge more-and yet they do not.
I feel more artists should have this attitude. Although they don’t have the final say in what their ticket prices are, I imagine that they have some input on it, and what happens after the fees is out of their hands. I understand an artist’s main source of income anymore is from touring, and so overcharging is, perhaps to them, a necessary evil, but I believe it is just an evil. These indie artists are not on a mainstream label, so they need all the money they can to keep going most of the time, and yet they still keep prices low so they can reap the rewards of performing in front of a crowd and hanging out with fans at the merch table afterwards. More musicians should be like Cheekface and other indie acts.
Until mainstream musician ticket prices stop being so expensive for good, the best way to fight back is to see smaller, but still deserving acts in or near your hometown, who charge way less and still deliver an amazing experience.
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