Is Live Music Becoming a Luxury

Merchandise, concert tickets, and ticket-selling websites. Over the last decade, these elements have affected the accessibility of live music. And it doesn’t seem to be improving

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Like most things in life now, concert prices have become incomprehensibly high. There have been several occasions where I could not pay for it out of principle. Despite how much I wanted to experience some artists live, it was just too expensive for what it was. For example, nose-bleed seats are priced at £100+ when they should be half that. Venues and ticket-selling websites are guilty of preying on people’s love for an artist and know they can charge anything because people are willing to pay. And they do. There are times when I have as well. 

But this starts a precedent whereby only wealthy people can experience live music. In an industry where fans keep an artist's career afloat, why isolate them? Everyone deserves to be in the audience without spending hundreds on it. And the music industry is difficult to break into without financial means. It is leading to a point where only wealthy people can make music, and only wealthy people can listen to it. 

Reselling culture also contributes to this, as buying tickets has become a battle. You will join a queue at the earliest opportunity and still leave with nothing. There have been times when I have seen tickets disappear in a blink. Only for these to reappear later at triple the price. There have been active attempts to prevent this, with Hayley Williams using a strict pre-access method. While Ticketmaster were able to cancel and re-offer Ariana Grande tickets to fans. But overall, having the chance to buy tickets is preventing access to concerts as much as the prices are. 

The overcharging doesn’t stop there either. It is also present in the prices of merchandise. The plainest, most uninspiring pieces of clothing will sell for £40+. Most of them won’t even be made with natural fibres. Therefore, you’re paying for low-quality pieces made from plastic that won’t last. From bigger artists who have the resources not to do this, it becomes greed. You can argue that an artist’s brand is a business, so they don’t necessarily owe their fans anything regarding quality. Or pay any mind to environmental impacts. Which, to an extent, I suppose is true. 

However, it is unethical. 

British group Wolf Alice is an exception to this. Their merchandise is still in a similar price range but is made from organic cotton. It is also not offensive to look at. This shows that it is possible and that not doing so is an active choice. Of course, merchandise isn't essential. You can enjoy music without it, but it is part of the fan experience. I loved buying merch as a teenager and getting something from concerts I went to. I know many are similar. But now they are poorly designed and made, and expensive. 

Ultimately, concerts are becoming more difficult to attend. And I haven’t even touched on other accessibility factors, such as disabled seating and tour locations (i.e., a ‘world tour’ that takes place in America and four European countries). It is sad to witness because it was never this difficult. You shouldn’t have to be rich to enjoy music at its full capacity. I know that, for me, music was a clutch throughout my adolescence. It and fandom got me through difficult times in my life, and I was lucky to experience so many of my favourite artists live during this time. But I know now, with these prices, many people will have a lower chance of that.  

I think venues, ticket websites and artists alike need to make a change. Music should never be too much of a luxury. At this rate, arenas will be filled only by wealthy people and empty seats. I just hope it doesn’t come to that. 

Written by, Gia Dove