Concert ticket prices increased 80.5% in 3 years, 4X inflation
Concert tickets prices increased 80.5% since 2021 according to a new study. Since 1996, concert prices ballooned 428.7% from just $25.81 to $136.46.
Aligned with inflation, a concert ticket from 1996 which averaged $25.81 would cost just $49.74 in current dollars. That’s about one-third of what fans pay now and 4.6X inflation, according the the CouponBirds analysis.
Concert ticket prices increased during three distinct eras:
- between 1996 and 2000, prices increased by 57.8%
- the 2000s saw continued growth, with prices rising by about 139.2% by 2010.
- the most dramatic increases came since 2021, up 80.5%
Concert ticket prices increased most for major artists
The most dramatic concert price increases came from major artists. The Weeknd and Kenny Chesney lead with increases of over 300%.
- The Weeknd: +320.6%
- Kenny Chesney: +317.8%
- U2: +190.5%
- Lady Gaga: +179.6%
- Coldplay: +159.6%
- Taylor Swift: +114.3%
- George Strait: +90.1%
- Drake: +88.1%
Even artists with relatively small increases, like Drake and George Strait, nearly doubled their prices in recent years.
Methodology
The data was sourced from publicly available ticket price information for major U.S. tours and Pollstar. Prices reflect the base ticket value and exclude VIP or specialty packages. Inflation adjustments use CPI data through 2024. The dataset was compiled and averaged across various venues and artists to account for regional variations. Inflation data was sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency
