Although we’re only a few months into 2026, there’s already so much new music from new and old artists.
With all these new albums, concerts are inevitable. However, fans are surprised about how expensive concert tickets are.
There has been an 80% increase in ticket prices between 2021 and 2025, especially for high demand concerts, according to CNBC.
In 2023-2024, the Taylor Swift Eras tour tickets averaged $1,088, which is a lot of money for just average seats.
Most people use Ticketmaster for tickets, but there has been quite a bit of controversy with the company as it has faced intense scrutiny for allegedly abusing its monopoly power as the dominant concert ticket seller. Accusations have included inflated ticket prices, high fees, and poor service.
But music fans still continue to use Ticketmaster because it controls roughly 80% of major venue ticket sales. This leaves fans few alternatives when buying tickets for concerts, such as A$AP Rocky’s first tour since 2019.
After recently dropping his new album, “Don’t Be Dumb,” A$AP Rocky announced a world tour, with tickets already on sale.
Ticket prices for June 25 at Chase Center in San Francisco range from $132 to $566, which is considered quite affordable these days.
But once these tickets hit secondary markets, prices can jump even more. Tickets for A$AP Rocky’s San Francisco show are selling for more than $1,000 for some seats.
Freshman A’dore Stephenson was lucky to score four tickets through Ticketmaster, for the upcoming show.
“The tickets were actually cheaper than I expected,” Stephenson said.
Although Stephenson was lucky enough to buy tickets for an artist she enjoys, many people haven’t been able to score even one ticket since they sell out quickly and are expensive.
Sophomore Urijah Garcia was also lucky enough to score two tickets for him and his friend through Ticketmaster.
“They were a little bit more expensive,” Garcia said. “Usually the tickets would be $200 for the same seats but mine were $500.”
Garcia doesn’t like how prices for tickets have skyrocketed over the years and that prices vary depending on the artist.
“Prices differ from artist to artist,” Garcia said. “If it was Tame Impala the tickets would be $100, but once the artist gets very popular the tickets tend to get more expensive, which I find dumb.”
Ticket prices for popular artists are more expensive than lesser known ones because more people want to enjoy the popular music live, which can make tickets more expensive.
Sophomore Ava Wilson got two Pitbull tickets to an upcoming show. She said tickets were not as expensive as expected, ranging from $50-$400.
“I think it’s crazy, the artists are already rich, so I think [tickets] should be cheaper,” Wilson said. “I think it should be [cheaper] because you’re just enjoying the music, but some concerts are really worth it.”
Another upcoming world tour that many fans are looking forward to is Bruno Mars’ The Romantic Tour.
The prices for nose bleed tickets are more expensive than the best A$AP Rocky tickets, ranging from $480 to $2,000 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Senior Ava Ryan recently purchased tickets for several upcoming concerts, including Bruno Mars and Ariana Grande.
“I’ve always known concert tickets were expensive, but the price of the Bruno Mars tickets specifically caught me off guard,” Ryan said. “A single ticket was over $500 even for being far from the stage, on a whole other level.”
Her family managed to buy eight tickets for Mars’ show in Las Vegas after waiting in Ticketmaster’s online queue before tickets sold out.
“In 2022 I attended a Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) concert and the tickets were $300,” Ryan said. “At the time, for being so far from the stage, I thought that those prices were absurd.”
But after her family scored tickets for this show, Ryan reflected on past live experiences.
“I absolutely enjoyed hearing the live singing, but I’d be lying if I said I could see the actual performance very well,” Ryan said. “Three years later, seeing the same artist from the same distance, but the price has risen over $200 more is not the best.”
