If there is one thing everyone in the world can agree on it’s that concert tickets have become far too expensive and unaffordable. To the point where some fans have resorted to selling their blood to pay for them.
But artists like Coldplay, Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX are looking to lighten the cost for a number of lucky fans.
As the Wall Street Journal points out, these artists have quietly been releasing discounted tickets to their tours in order to “make their shows more accessible and more affordable.”
Jared Braverman, senior vice president of global touring at Live Nation, tells the WSJ, “It’s not a ton in most cases, but it’s enough to make the program meaningful.”
Braverman adds that the decision to lower to price of selected tickets is strictly one made by the artists, and could affect the tour’s overall revenue.
The idea actually originated from a program launched by The Rolling Stones, who introduced the “Lucky Dip” lottery more than a dozen years ago, with the goal of getting fans deeply discounted pairs of concert tickets.
On their most recent tour, Coldplay took inspiration from The Stones to sell what they called “Infinity Tickets,” which were priced at just $20 (USD) each and randomly distributed in pairs through the venue.
Rodrigo, who is also offering $20 tickets on her Unraveled Tour, is offering “Silver Star Tickets,” while the same deal goes for Charli XCX’s “Angel Tickets,” which will be made available this month ahead of her Music, Fashion, Film Tour.
Naturally, there is a slight catch: fans won’t know exactly what seats they’re getting until the day of the concert.
According to the policy for Charli’s tour, “Seats will be assigned together, with locations revealed on the day of show at venue box office pickup. Ticket locations may include limited view, lower and upper levels, as well as GA Floor. Taxes and fees will be on top of the $20 price and tickets are non-transferrable.”
So, you could be right up front, you could have decent seats, or you could be stuck behind a post with restricted sight lines. Still, a bargain is a bargain.
But every little bit helps in this industry. As pointed out by The Independent, inflation has seen ticket prices soar a whopping 80.5 per cent increase between 2021 and today.
To give you a sense of what that looks like, the average concert ticket in 1996 cost $32 CAD; today the average price is $200 CAD. Had ticket prices stayed in line with inflation, that ticket would cost $65 CAD.
£20 ($26)