Comment Writer Joseph Helsby explores the evolution of buying gig tickets, noting its increased difficulty today
As someone born in the age of the internet, Spotify, and social media, buying tickets to a gig means one thing: Ticketmaster. The online seller has made the process of buying tickets a nightmare. First, it involves waking up early in the morning and gathering all your friends and family to help (both physically and emotionally). Then comes waiting in the endless queue, often ten times that of the venue’s capacity. Finally, just when you think you have made it, you are kicked out of the queue, mistaken for a bot, or offered tickets that have mysteriously gone up in price since the sale began. This painful phenomenon has been dubbed ‘The Ticketmaster War.’
At the risk of romanticising a time before I was born, buying tickets for gigs in the 1990s and early 2000s was seemingly much simpler or at least easier. When researching for this article, I had to lean on my older family members and their friends to find out how the process worked before the monopoly of Ticketmaster and other vendors. I was told that local record shops, venues, or the NME (New Musical Express) were often the main sources of tickets. Furthermore, being able to buy tickets on the night, either on the door or from ticket touts, was common, sometimes at a fraction of face value. Admittedly, today it is still possible to buy tickets on the night, but now you must justify the massively inflated price of the reseller, with the added risk of the tickets not being real.
So why is seeing popular bands play live so much harder and more expensive today? On a basic level, extreme demand and greed. The accessibility of music is greater than ever before. Platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music have made listening to music a basic necessity for many of us, especially young people, and in turn, an artist’s fanbase can extend across borders and build quickly. Similarly, it seems that musicians and their concerts are more visible than ever before. The rise of video based social media platforms such as TikTok has only amplified the hype around certain bands and live experiences in general.
.So why is seeing popular bands play live so much harder and more expensive today? On a basic level, extreme demand and greed.
However, this extreme increase in demand has been exploited by big companies such as Live Nation, owners of Ticketmaster and various festivals. In September, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigated allegations that the company coordinated with brokers to buy up in demand tickets and then resell them at higher prices. Furthermore, the FTC accused Ticketmaster of allegedly advertising lower prices than what customers actually end up paying. This was clearly visible in September 2024, when ticket sales for the Oasis reunion went live. After hours of waiting, fans were shocked to see prices had increased to 2.5 times the original amount, with no obvious extra benefits.
The live music scene as it currently exists is a paradox: it is so visible yet very inaccessible for the average listener. You can listen to any song you wish at any time, but if you want to see a big name artist play in a major arena, you have to be willing to accept financial exploitation or be incredibly lucky. Furthermore, the process of buying tickets has made the culture of live music very individual and private. From what I have been told, it used to have a communal and democratic feel. Unfortunately, long gone are the days of casually popping into a record shop to buy a ticket with others or giddily queueing with friends at the venue. Instead, we sit in cold and frustrating online waiting rooms, only to face laughable dynamic pricing if we are given the chance to purchase.
The whole process of buying tickets has been transformed from a fun activity into a depressing battle. We need to demand more transparency from these corporations, push for a global ban on dynamic pricing, and support smaller venues. Without change, as demand continues to rise, we will see live music become ever more a luxury for the few, rather than an experience that unites people from all backgrounds.
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