Ticket prices for big tours come from deals between artists, promoters, venues and ticketing companies. The BBC reports that a Geordie singer has said on Instagram that he is not happy with the prices reported for his upcoming tour.
Concert ticket pricing
Concert ticket pricing is how the cost of a seat or standing place at a live music event is set. To most fans, a ticket has a single price. In practice, the amount paid at checkout usually has several parts. The face value is the base price of the ticket. Service or booking fees go to the ticketing platform. Some tickets also carry a facility or venue charge, and some orders add a delivery or processing charge.
Several parties are involved. The artist and their management agree terms with a promoter, the company that pays the upfront costs of a tour and takes on the financial risk. The promoter books venues and usually appoints a primary ticketing company to sell tickets to the public. Each party has its own costs and its own idea of what fans will pay. The final price is negotiated, so it is rarely one person’s decision.
Artists sometimes speak publicly about the price of their own shows. The BBC says the singer posted on Instagram that he was unhappy with the reported prices for his forthcoming tour. The BBC material does not say what those prices were, who set them, or whether anything will change.
Origins of modern ticket pricing
For much of the history of popular music, concert tickets were sold at a fixed price from box offices and local agents. Prices were set in advance and stayed the same however quickly a show sold out. When tickets were cheaper than demand would support, the gap was often taken by touts, who bought tickets and resold them at higher prices.
Two changes reshaped this system. The first was online sales. Selling tickets online brought national and global ticketing platforms that charge fees on each transaction. These platforms also collect detailed data on demand. The second change came from the recorded music business. As income from recorded music fell, live performance became a more important source of income for many artists, and the economics of touring came under closer scrutiny.
From these changes came pricing methods borrowed from airlines and hotels. The best known is dynamic pricing, where the price of some tickets moves with demand while they are on sale. Premium or “platinum” tickets, sold at higher prices for seats in high demand, are a similar tool. Supporters say these methods let the original sellers capture money that would otherwise go to resellers. Critics say they put a growing share of seats beyond the reach of ordinary fans.
Pricing in practice today
On a large tour, the artist’s team and the promoter usually agree on several price tiers before tickets go on sale. These run from cheaper seats far from the stage to expensive hospitality or VIP packages. Some tours use flat prices for every tier. Others hold back a share of tickets for dynamic or premium pricing.
During the sale itself, fans often have to join online queues. If dynamic pricing is in use, the price shown can change between the start of the sale and the moment a fan reaches the front of the queue. Fees are added on top of face value. How clearly fees are shown at the start of the process depends on the platform and on consumer protection rules.
There is also a secondary market, where people resell tickets they have already bought. In the UK, resale is governed by consumer law, and some events cap resale prices at face value on approved platforms. Rules and enforcement vary between countries.
Because so many parties are involved, it can be hard to say who decided a particular price. Artists may set or approve broad price ranges and still not control every fee or every individual seat. Public statements from artists, like the one the BBC describes, are one of the few times fans hear an insider’s view of how a price came about.
Common misunderstandings
Artists do not always set every price. Fans often assume a performer personally chose the cost of each ticket. Artists can have strong influence over pricing, but the final figures are usually agreed with promoters and ticketing partners, and fees are often set separately.
The fee is not just the ticket company’s profit. Booking and facility fees can be split between platforms, venues and sometimes promoters. How this money is shared is generally not made public.
Dynamic pricing is not the same as touting. Dynamic pricing is set by the original seller. Touting is resale by third parties. Both can push prices up, but they work differently and come under different rules.
Reported prices are not always final. Prices that circulate before or early in a sale may be for particular tiers, may include or leave out fees, or may change. In the case the BBC reports, the exact prices and how they were set are not known from the source.
High prices do not prove that demand is high. A high price may reflect production costs, venue costs, the pricing method chosen, or a guess about what the market will bear.
Further avenues for readers
Readers who want to understand ticket prices for a specific tour can start with the official announcement from the artist or promoter. These often list price tiers and say whether dynamic or premium pricing will be used. Consumer organisations publish guidance on fees, refunds and resale rights. UK competition and consumer regulators have looked at how live event tickets are sold and priced, and their published material explains the legal framework. Music industry trade press covers the business of promoters and ticketing platforms, and parliamentary committee reports have examined the secondary ticketing market.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides how much a concert ticket costs?
Ticket prices are usually agreed between the artist’s management and the tour promoter, and the venue and the primary ticketing company also have a role. Artists can have significant influence over the price ranges. Booking fees, facility charges and the use of dynamic pricing may be handled by other parties, so a single person rarely controls the full price a fan pays at checkout.
What is dynamic pricing for concert tickets?
Dynamic pricing is a method where the price of some tickets changes while they are on sale, depending on demand. It is borrowed from industries such as air travel and hotels. Supporters say it stops resellers from taking the profit. Critics say it makes popular shows unaffordable and makes it hard for fans to know what they will pay before they reach the checkout.
Why are there booking fees on concert tickets?
Booking fees are charges added to a ticket’s face value by the company selling it. They are meant to cover the cost of running the sales platform, payment processing and customer service, and part of the money may also go to venues or promoters. How fees are shared between these parties is usually not made public, which is one reason fans often criticise them.
Can artists change their ticket prices after complaining?
Sometimes, but it depends on the contracts they have signed with promoters and ticketing companies. An artist can raise concerns, ask partners to review pricing, or commit to different terms for future dates. Whether prices actually change after a public complaint varies from case to case. In the case the BBC reports, the source does not say whether any change will follow.
Is it legal to resell concert tickets in the UK?
Reselling tickets is generally allowed in the UK, but it is regulated by consumer protection law. Resellers have to give buyers certain information, and some events and approved resale platforms cap prices at face value. Certain events, such as some football matches, have stricter rules. Buyers should check the event’s terms, because tickets bought from unofficial sellers may be cancelled.
Sources and further reading
- BBC News arts coverage, reporting a singer’s Instagram statement about prices for his upcoming tour
- UK competition and consumer regulators, published guidance and reviews on live event ticket sales
- Consumer rights organisations, guidance on ticket fees, refunds and secondary resale
- Music industry trade publications, coverage of promoters, ticketing platforms and touring economics
Surfaced from the rss:bbc_arts signal “tour ticket price row”. AI-assisted draft, editorially reviewed.
