Ticketmaster has been in the headlines lately. The controversy comes from issues Taylor Swift fans had with the site when trying to purchase tickets for her upcoming "Eras" tour. Politicians and activists have joined the discussion, calling on Ticketmaster and Live Nation to disband.
When an artist is extremely popular, fans want to see them and be close to them. Going to see your favorite artist live in concert is the most accessible option for a lot of fans. This is one of the reasons there is so much demand and heightened emotions around the process of buying concert tickets.
Controversy over concert tickets is nothing new. Ticket pricing is usually the biggest issue fans have when trying to purchase tickets to see their favorite artist live. Here are eight artists who have been at the center of controversy over their high ticket prices.
8 Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is a rock star beloved by many. However, he might be too beloved to implement dynamic pricing on his concert tickets. The practice involves changing the price in real time to meet supply and demand. This process caused an uproar over The Boss' fans, with tickets exceeding $5,000. Springsteen brushed the controversy off, saying that "most of our tickets are totally affordable." He also didn't rule out implementing dynamic pricing again in the future.
Related: Bruce Springsteen Forgave Howard Stern Before Their Bombshell Interview, Here's Why
7 Blink-182
The year 2022 saw a comeback for the pop punk lovers of the world. As 90s nostalgia is extremely prominent, 2000s nostalgia is on the rise as well. Hence, the resurgence in popularity for bands like Blink-182. The pop punk icons have announced a new tour, but fans are not too thrilled over the pricing. While some seats were reportedly way over $200, Billboard reported that a lot of seats reached $600.
6 Harry Styles
Since his audition on The X-Factor, Harry Styles has grown into one of the biggest pop stars of his time. He has evolved past his tween boy band days with One Direction and settled into an adult solo career. He has also toured the world with his music, playing sold-out shows to millions of fans across the globe. However, this doesn't mean that going to see Styles in concert is cheap. Like Springsteen, Styles' fans were victims of the dynamic pricing technique. Some reported ticket prices to be as high as $600 and $700.
5 Adele
Adele has been on a roll lately with her latest album. The single "Easy On Me" has been a huge success. However, with the postponement of her Las Vegas residency, Adele's fans faced a minor setback. She released an emotionally charged video explaining that she simply wasn't ready to start the shows. However, she has recently announced the rescheduled dates and fans were very upset over the prices. Prices on the resale site StubHub were reported to be between $600 and over $40,000 each.
4 Madonna
Madonna is one of the biggest artists in music history. Her extraordinary concerts have set the standard for how every other singer puts on a show. Her level of theatrics, video projections, costumes, and staging cost a lot of money to put together. That naturally means her ticket prices will be high as well. When her 2012 "MDNA" tour went on sale, fans were outraged at tickets that cost well over $300. Madonna defended the ticket prices, saying that she is "worth it."
Related: What Madonna Fans Hope To See On Her Upcoming Greatest Hits Tour
3 P1Harmony
The K-Pop group P1Harmony had their fans concerned for their well-being when they announced a tour for 2023. The fans were worried about the group's health because it had been only nine months since their last tour ended. There were also mixed reactions to the venues the band chose to play. Some felt the venues didn't allow audience members to get much of a view of the group. There were also issues over ticket prices, with some tickets costing as much as $350.
2 Ariana Grande
From the time she released her first album in 2013, Ariana Grande's career grew and evolved. From her sound to her image, Grande has accomplished so much since her debut. When the "Thank U, Next" songstress announced she would be headlining Manchester Pride in 2019, fans were extremely excited. However, when promoters began spiking ticket prices due to high demand, fans were upset. Grande released a statement Insisting she had nothing to do with the prices and assured fans she wasn't exploiting the LGBTQ community.
Related: Conan Gray Gave A Surprising Answer When Asked If He Heard Taylor Swift's New Album, Midnights
1 Taylor Swift
The most infamous and recent controversy over concert tickets has come courtesy of Taylor Swift. The singer's upcoming "Eras" tour caused collective meltdowns among Swifties due to site freezes and slow queues. It got so bad, the Department of Justice allegedly opened an investigation. Many are also calling for Ticketmaster and Live Nation to be separated, believing their union is part of the problem. But the ticket prices were also part of this controversy. The cheapest price for her Boston show is reportedly $870 while the most expensive is said to be $18,000.
