Will Concert & Festival Ticket Prices Ever Go Down?

Up to 55 per cent of global concerts and festivals pushed their ticket prices up last year. Indications are they’ll have to do so as operational costs keep climbing.

The demand for live music continues to grow. Audiences are showing that Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) and thirst for experience are so far seemingly overriding rising ticket prices and cost of living sacrifices.

But what’s the tipping point? Nobody knows. Which is why Australian promoters are, more than ever, sweating harder when budgeting to set ticket prices, and using their instincts and knowledge of the market to the max.

“You have to be cautious,” warns Stephen Wade, CEO and Senior Agent at Sydney-based agency Select Music. “Get the price wrong, and you end up chasing your tail, and low sales are bad for the artist’s brand. 

“If your instincts tell you an artist’s price point is sitting at $60 (a head), you don’t charge $85 just because your costs are up. On the other hand, dropping the price to $55, say, could mean losses on a tour.”

Music festivals have also been working on their budgets to keep prices down, and it’s working.

“People will pay money for experience,” stresses Bluesfest director Peter Noble. “Secondarily, if you want to see talent at the level you’re accustomed to at festivals, then you have to pay because artists fees have jumped up, as we all know.”

Bluesfest, which kicks off this week, has sold 106,000 tickets already. That would make it the third or fourth-largest gathering in its history — a rebound from when, in recent years, it dipped to 70,000 (well below the break-even mark) and dark clouds hovered over its future.

“Everyone was saying that it was over for festivals. Unfortunately, they forgot to tell Bluesfest’s audience! Festivals are not over; they never were. It’s an evolving situation.”

The Saturday and Sunday of the four-day event are a “whisker away from selling out,” says Noble. The Thursday, never a full house as crowds are still arriving, has hit its biggest turn-out in its history after reaching two-thirds capacity. Camping tix disappeared last spring.

In 2024, the Bluesfest Platinum was introduced, where 100 people got VIP treatment and prime viewing spots. The first year, it didn’t take. This year, two nights sold out.

This is an extra $500 each day, on top of the $620 four-day access for those aged over 18, $555 for 15—17-year-olds, and $105 for the 10—14 demographic.

Other festivals are also currently tracking well. Tasmania’s Dark Mofo (June 5-15), back from a year’s hiatus, stunned organisers by shifting 40,000 tickets on its first day of sale, with some shows immediately hitting capacity.

Vivid Sydney, which drew 2.42 million pilgrims last year, is said to have already sold out 70 per cent weeks before its May 23 opening.

Over Summer

Over the summer, two million Aussies bought over six million tickets for sports, music, comedy, performance arts and family events.

This was according to Ticketek’s just-released FanDX report, which went on to add that music events dominated with 49.5 per cent of sales. Sports’ share was 30 per cent.

Now promoters and the rest of the live music and entertainment industry have to work out if 2025 is going to be as strong as it was in 2024 and 2023, and if the odd hiccup as a cancelled event like Good Life Presents and Souled Out is going to dent consumer confidence in buying tickets, or if Fear Of Missing Out will prevail.

Three interesting stats emerged from the study. 

Firstly, this summer also marked a milestone for first-time eventgoers. More than 370,000 fans attended their very first live event, including Laneway Festival, which had its best-ever attendance with 200,000 in six cities.

Secondly, Australians were embracing a greater diversity of entertainment.

Thirdly, said the report, “Gen Z is leading the pack, splurging an average of $256 per ticket – more than any other group. Millennials are next at $238, with Gen X trailing closely at $244. 

“While Baby Boomers are still ruling the sports scene, they’re also making waves in performing arts, with 32% attending musical theatre this summer.”

TEG’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Global Ticketing, Cameron Hoy sums up the FanDX analysis: “(It) powerfully reaffirms that live experiences are an irreplaceable and deeply valued part of our lives—now more than ever for a growing number of Australians.

“Audiences are turning out in greater numbers, embracing a wider variety of events, more often, driven by a level of emotional connection few other experiences can match. With ticket sales rising and fan engagement reaching new heights, the future of live events in Australia has never looked more vibrant or promising.”

Operational Costs

Despite these positive trends, concerts and festivals are still hammered by the fact that operational costs are keeping ticket prices up. 

Time will tell if Australian promoters follow the lead of their overseas counterparts by raising prices and expanding dynamic pricing. It has its pros and cons, but UK Oasis fans trying to buy tickets erupted after many fans were asked to pay as much as £350 (AU$727) per ticket, around £200 ($416) more than had been advertised, due to demand.

Audience Republic’s 2025 Live Event Industry Report found that globally, 54 per cent of those who participated in the study admitted they were open to the idea of using it. 

40 per cent had already implemented or trialled it during their events in 2024.

Also leaning on the report’s trends, 55 per cent raised their ticket prices in 2024. It didn’t seem to have affected demand. 

The report said, “The appetite for live events remains strong, with a further 55 per cent also reporting an increase in ticket sales.”

A high 59 per cent expect their ticket sales to continue growing in 2025. 13 per cent expect ticket sales to decrease.

Audience Republic warned, “The cost of living still appears to be impacting the sector with 64 per cent of events and venues reporting their spend-per-head across 2024 was equal to or less than 2023.”

Australian promoters warn how operational costs are increasing, with greater pressure on pushing ticket prices up.

The post-Donald Trump tariff fluctuations of the American dollar (this week, $1 is worth Australian $1.60) has made things harder for local promoters as all international tours have to be paid in the US greenback.

Even before the trade war, the growth of global ticket sales had slowed down in the first quarter of 2025. They only grew 3 per cent, compared to the 55 per cent rise in Q1 2023.

Everything’s Up

Everything’s up in Australia: flights, freight, fuel, hotel rooms, advertising, insurance, venue hire and services, and marketing. Promoter Michael Chugg previously told TheMusic.com.au, “Once, when you budgeted a tour, you added $400,000 for trucking. Now it’s $1 million.”

Workers are charging more because of the skills shortage dating back to the first COVID lockdowns. 

Almost 80,000 jobs in Australia’s live performance sector were lost in the first 10 months. Many left the entertainment industry for more regulated industries and refused to return.

This is particularly the case with road crews. Ben Sweeney of Adelaide Backline & Production Hire told TheMusic.com.au last year that when he lost some staff, he had to work solo for 18 months – difficult when crew jobs often take at least two.

“They expected to return when they once left,” Sweeney said. “But having moved to other industries like construction where they didn’t need to work weekends or do crazy hours, they weren’t interested in coming back.”

Hiring young workers to take over had its issues as well. Sweeney chuckled, “Most of our trucks were manual shifts, which many of the younger ones hadn’t been exposed to.

“You spoke to truck manufacturers about getting automatic versions… and because of the disruption of the supply chain, you sometimes had to wait 12 to 18 months for them. When you did get them, their prices had doubled.”

Similarly, for companies such as his, getting something like drum casing, for instance, took 15 months to land from the US. “Then they’d sit on the docks for another three or four months.”

The hardest hit are Australian acts who can sell 2,000 tickets per show, putting them in the Hordern Pavilion or Enmore Theatre league. “Their costs have increased exponentially,” confirms Select Music’s Stephen Wade.

Wade additionally makes the point:  “Ticket prices for Australian artists have usually been undervalued, even before COVID. Emerging artists will charge $15 or $20 and with three artists on the bill.

“You can’t see a movie for less than $20, why not three acts? Going into a pub to buy a vodka and lime will cost you $15.”

As ever, it goes back to the flashpoint of ticket prices and getting it right.

That’s just one of the findings of the Ticketing State Of Play report, published last September by Tixel and Bolster.

It cautioned: “More than half of respondents (55 per cent) say a ticket price that’s $5—$10 cheaper can often determine whether or not they make the purchase, a figure that’s ‘especially pronounced’ with Gen Z, with almost two-thirds saying this is a ‘deal breaker’.”