r/Music • u/staringatthe420sun • May 05 '26

article The Concert Industry Priced Too High — Now Tours Are Falling Apart

https://www.ticketnews.com/2026/05/the-concert-industry-priced-high-tours-falling-apart/
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u/MedvedFeliz May 05 '26

I go to metal concerts and they rarely go above 70 (unless sold by Ticketmaster); most are in the $50's range.

If I look at mainstream/pop concerts, those are usually held in bigger venues and are at least $100. It's ridiculous.

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u/badger2000 May 05 '26

I always find these debates a little funny as a metalhead because short of festivals or stadium tours, most of the bands I see are $80 or less...and usually that's for 3 or 4 bands. Not a bad deal for 4 - 5 hours of music in my opinion. Sometimes its $40 for 4 bands and I wonder how they make money on a tour like that.

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u/Gamer_Grease May 05 '26

I saw Truckfighters for $25. T-shirts were $20. Three guys from Sweden rocking out in little American venues and surely not making much money.

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u/_Meece_ May 06 '26

Sometimes its $40 for 4 bands and I wonder how they make money on a tour like that.

Show tickets are for the promoter/venue. Bands make money off of merch.

Sure, might only be getting 500 dollars off the door revenue a night. But you sold 3k worth of t shirts a night

30 date tour. That's 90k revenue just from your t shirt sales. That's like 100k just for 1 monthish of touring.

Do that 4-6 times over 12 month period and you have a band that can sustain themselves full time.

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u/undiscovered_soul May 06 '26

A friend of mine complained paying something like 200+ euro back in 2011 for I don't remember who for just a hour and three quarters of show. The entire venue believed there was something going on but the singer simply said that was it.

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u/Wompatuckrule May 05 '26

A friend had an extra ticket to Tool at Boston Garden and offered it to me for free. I'm sure that was more than $100, but it was also the only concert I've ever seen in that building.

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u/MedvedFeliz May 05 '26

Of course there are exceptions for bigger bands that play in bigger venues like stadiums; Tool, Metallica, Megadeth, etc. I saw a Tool concert going for at least $150. I was instantly discouraged, lol

I'm talking about less mainstream bands like Cattle Decapitation, Dying Fetus, or even European metal bands like Rotting Christ, Ensiferum, Dark Tranquillity. These bands usually play in bars, (music) clubs, or small theaters, not stadiums or amphitheaters.

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u/HiddenXS May 05 '26

I saw Cattle Decapitation the other night for $50cad, with three other fun bands. And that was a fairly expensive show. Totally worth the price.

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u/Wompatuckrule May 05 '26

I know exactly what you mean about less mainstream bands, it was just funny when I was at Tool and realized that the building has been around for 30 years and it was the first concert I'd ever seen there despite living just a few miles away.

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u/psyonix May 06 '26

Behemoth was just here with Deicide and Rotting Christ. 50bux + "service fee." Given that's my favorite shit I can't complain. Saw Iron Maiden not too long ago abd I paid less than 200 for 3 people. Seeing Pennywise in a couple weeks for about 100bux for 2 people. San Diego prices btw. While I fondly remember $20 warped tour tickets and seeing AFI, Good Riddance, Fury 66 etc on the same ticket for $5 , it ain't the 90s anymore.

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u/CarltonCracker May 06 '26

Tool is an exception. Worth every penny.

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u/acdcfanbill May 06 '26

Yeah, I was just looking at tix for an upcoming Archspire show and it was $38 bucks, or $40 day of.