https://rollingstone.com.br/musica/ngressos-para-shows-estao-mais-batos-do-que-de–degundo-ce-da-live-nation/

The live entertainment industry in 2025 is defined by its contradictions. Shows seem to be more popular than ever, but for each successful tour, there is a growing number of tours being canceled for financial reasons. Postcovid inflation has raised prices everywhere, including the cost of producing a major tour, leading to more expensive tickets.

Speaking last week at the conference Game Plan from the CNBC and Boardroomthe CEO of Live nation, Michael Rapinoadopted a more optimistic perspective, insisting that the demand for live entertainment has never been so high, and the tickets are “undervalued”.

“Music has been underestimated,” he said Rapineespecially compared to sports. “In sports, I joke that it is like a brand of honor spending $ 70,000 for a seat on the court Knicks. They crucify me if we charged $ 800 for Beyoncé“.

He added:

We still have a lot of room to grow. So when you read about ticket prices rising, the average price of a show is still $ 72. Try to go to a game of Lakers For this price, there are 80 of them. The show is undervalued and has been like this for a long time.

But many fans may not feel that the evaluation of Rapine From the situation corresponds to your experience as regulars of concerts and ticket buyers.

Considering all the different types of shows that happen, calculating the average price of ticket is difficult. THE Pollstar – Publication specializing in live entertainment – said in his 2024 year -end report that the average cost of a ticket to the 100 largest tours was $ 135.92, while the average cost of a Top 100 ticket in North America was $ 136.45.

In the same report, the Pollstar He said the average price of ticket to a stadium show was $ 128.64, for an arena $ 98.78, a $ 70.72 amphitheater, a $ 75.09 theater, and a $ 43.95 nightclub. Making the average of these figures, you reach a price of about $ 83, which is closer to the estimate of $ 72 Rapine.

Even though Rapine He argued that the shows are still undervalued, he acknowledged that prices are rising. Much of this is due to the type of production that many of the greatest artists in the world crave. He noted that Beyoncé had “62 transport trucks” in its recent tour: “It’s a Super Bowl That she is riding every night, ”he said.” Ten years ago, maybe 10 trucks. “

He added that “the cost has risen” along with the “investment in the experience.” He also argued that many artists – although they need to depend on tours for a significant part of their income – are “sacrificing margin for experience… You hear about these $ 100 million collections, this artist, depending on the show, can take home only 30% of it, spending 70 on the show”.

Artists who seek to set up a great show elaborated, while earning life and pay fair salaries to their teams, certainly contribute to the cost of tickets on the rise. But these factors also exist alongside others, such as very high rates, dynamic prices (where prices float based on demand), and continuous problems with money changer. The significant power that Live nation and Ticketmaster They have accumulated since their merger in 2010 ended up leaving artists and fans with few other options besides accepting the terms they establish for the live entertainment industry.

It is possible that the scenario will change soon. Last year, the Justice Department filed an antitrust process against the Live nationaccusing the company of operating as a monopoly. THE Live nation He denied the allegations, and the process remains in progress.

And last week – one day after Rapine conference Game Plan – The Federal Commission of Commerce has filed its own process, accusing the Ticketmaster to hide customer fees to checkout; Allow exchange chambers to “exceed” ticket purchase limits; and then let these same money changers resell these tickets with significant markings on the resale platform of Ticketmaster. THE Live Nation-Ticketmaster has not yet responded to the process.

But for now, there is something revealing about the status quo. When fans buy dynamic price marking tickets, or when exchange rates are sold on hundreds more than the nominal value, it shows exactly how much people are willing to spend on concert tickets. Or at least how much some People are willing to spend if they can afford to luxury. And in the US, there are still many people who can afford, at least for now, as income inequality grows and the economy seems increasingly unstable.

While Rapine Celebrated continuous demand for live events – “No matter what you bring to this table that day, you come together around this shared experience,” he said – the year 2024 report of 2024 Pollstar It contained some possible warning signs. The report noted that there were “more festivals and tours cancellations” in 2024 than at any time since the closure of COVID-19 and the great recession between 2007 and 2009.

It also signaled several falls in the American live music scene. The general collection for the 100 largest tour artists fell from US $ 6.63 billion by 2023 to US $ 6.18 billion in 2024, a drop of 6.79%. The average collection per show fell 8.78%from US $ 2.04 million by 2023 to US $ 1.86 million in 2024. And the average number of tickets sold for the 100 largest tour artists in 2024 was 13,634, a drop of 15,008 by 2023 – a 9.16%drop. But that did not prevent ticket prices from undergoing, even a little, from $ 135.88 to $ 136.45.

This article was originally published by Rolling Stone USA by Jon Blistein on September 22, 2025, and can be checked here.

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