Who’s To Blame For Concert Ticket Prices?

The Answer May Shock You

“Why are concert tickets so f***ing expensive!?”

How many times have you heard that in recent years?

Is it the economy? Or is it Ticketmaster — or StubHub? Or is it the artists…or maybe the venue’s fault?

All of these play a role, but the #1 reason ticket prices have risen sharply since the 1990s is streaming music.

In other words…it’s YOU.

Here’s why….

I’ve saved a stack of my ticket stubs from the 80s and 90s, my peak concert-going years, when I saw everyone from Metallica to The Grateful Dead. Both bands were selling out arenas and stadiums at the time, and we took part in the joy of camping out overnight at Hecht’s to get in the ticket line.

When the Annapolis Mall doors opened, you would hurry up the escalator, hungover and elated, and scramble to the ticket booth (tucked away by the restrooms) to get your tickets hot off the presses.

Whatever it said on the ticket is what you paid, and the only secondary market was scalping. Scalpers were actual people, not…