At a glance
- The cost of seeing live music concerts has risen sharply across the country in recent years, and San Diego fans are feeling the pinch. Venues and artists can weigh in on ticket prices, but booking agents often call the shots.
- Rising ticket prices largely reflect the increasing costs of putting on a show, from artist travel to venue staffing.
- With less competition among ticket platforms, added fees are skyrocketing.
Sticker shock
In 2012, I paid $20 plus $5 in Ticketmaster fees to see St. Vincent and Tune-Yards at House of Blues in San Diego.
Even more sobering are big name, once-in-a-lifetime arena or amphitheater shows. One of my colleagues revealed an old ticket stub proving front-row seats to Stevie Nicks in 1998 would have set you back about $40, including fees.
Those same seats in the same venue to see Rod Stewart this summer? $1,227.30 each — $1,006 for the "Official Platinum" market price ticket and $221.30 in service fees. Rod Stewart not your jam? Evanescence orchestra seating is a mere $428 a ticket.
Inflation plays a role, but a minimal one. $40 in 1998 has the same buying power as just over $80 in 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That $20 I spent for the House of Blues in 2012 would feel like $28 today.
Coupled with the cost of a rideshare and a $15 drink at the bar, it's not surprising that many San Diegans are rethinking their live music budgets.
Other online ticketing issues, like the rise of sophisticated third-party resellers and Ticketmaster's "dynamic" or surge pricing, further complicate concert costs.
The breakdown
What goes into the cost of a concert ticket?
Tim Mays, owner of the Casbah, an independent San Diego venue, for the past 37 years, said pricing a ticket is not an exact science, but there are general considerations:
- Band payment, generally a flat rate
- Opening act(s) allocations
- Hospitality and travel costs for the band's tour
- Production costs and crew, especially in larger venues
- Venue expenses such as staffing, rent, utilities, insurance
- Other expenses like promotion, taxes, ticketing platform
- Fees and potential surge pricing
The Casbah is also part-owner of Soda Bar and presents shows at other venues around town, including The Belly Up, The Observatory (a Live Nation venue) and Music Box. In Mays’ experience, there are many approaches to structuring a deal.
"Sometimes bands are very confident in how well they'll do and they'll play for a percentage of the door, not even a guarantee. And, you know, those shows — that's great. Yeah, we're we're we're willing to do that a lot. But every deal is different. There's no set thing," Mays said.
Colleen Kollar Smith, executive director of UC San Diego's Campus Performance and Events Office, which oversees Art Power, said staying accessible requires looking beyond ticket revenue to fund a performance.
"People may not realize how much it takes to put on a performance, starting with the artist fee — everything from hospitality for an artist, our technical needs, having labor in terms of tech, our front of house, the marketing — everything that makes it happen," Kollar Smith said. "It really does take a village. And thanks to our donors, our campus support, we're able to keep those prices low."
How ticket prices are set
"It's a constant struggle to keep the ticket pricing in check," Mays said.
He explained that booking agents and managers ultimately set the ticket prices for shows, but venues can negotiate.
"I push back when I can, just saying, 'It seems a little high. Has this band played in San Diego before? Do they have any history?' Because if not, if it's their first time, we should be cognizant of the pricing."
In a music market saturated with bands and performers, Mays and his staff check metrics before determining whether a band could sustain a certain ticket price in San Diego. These metrics include venues and price points in other cities and the band's Spotify numbers.
"How many people are listening," is something he said matters in ticket sales. "It'll drill down even deeper and tell you how many people are listening to the band in San Diego."
But it's hit or miss. For their own operations, certain events, like Emo Nite or other popular ticket sellers, can offset shows where the economics don’t work out.
Mays also factors platform fees into ticket pricing.
The reseller problem
"Oftentimes, when you're googling an artist, the first thing that pops up is those resale sites," Kollar Smith said.
Resellers buy blocks of tickets, then resell them with percentage-based fees on platforms such as StubHub, VividSeats, SeatGeek and more. Fewer tickets are available for fans buying from the venue-approved platform, and dynamic pricing surges can raise prices for everyone else.
"If you dig just a little bit, find out the venue or the presenter and just take that extra second to go directly to that site, oftentimes you're going to find a less expensive ticket. And certainly you know your ticket's going to be good for that show," Kollar Smith added.
By the numbers: 1980 to pre-pandemic to 2026
Think $40 for Stevie Nicks is a screaming deal?
"I got you beat on that," Mays joked.
Mays has a long history in San Diego music and remembers big Casbah shows like Smashing Pumpkins or Nirvana, with tickets costing somewhere around $9-$12, and earlier shows as low as $3.
"When I first started putting on shows, I became a partner in the Skeleton Club, a punk rock club in downtown San Diego on Market Street. Tickets were $3. That was 1980."
Pre-pandemic, smaller touring bands typically charged $12, or $15 at the door. Post-pandemic, even small shows have seen price creep.
"After the pandemic, that bumped up to $15, $18 — the starting point for a band that's relatively unknown. I see asks for $20 tickets, $25 at the door," Mays said.
Another reality is the near disappearance of the walk-up ticket buyers.
"It's pretty much almost nonexistent," Mays said. "There's not a lot of like, 'Oh hey, there's a show tonight. Let's go.' That doesn't happen very often at all anymore. We'll have nights where we've sold 180 tickets in advance and we'll have five walk-ups. It used to be there was a lot more."
What's next? Free tickets for students
Campus presenters like Art Power at UCSD bring in a range of touring artists, from popular music to dance.
Arts engagement increasingly goes beyond entertainment.
"Art is good for people. It enhances creative problem solving. It builds empathy. We know it builds confidence. So for us, when we're looking on campus at our students who are quite literally in laboratories and studios working on problems not just of today but well into the future and working to change the world, we think it's really important that they have art in their lives, so they're really whole humans," Kollar Smith said.
Art Power began offering free concert tickets to students. Previously, students paid $9 for tickets.
"When we took that ticket price off, we saw 65% increase right away. So, we know that removing that barrier really does impact the engagement," Kollar Smith said.
Free student tickets are primarily donor-supported, with normal ticket sales helping offset costs. Like the Casbah, Art Power has a range of price points and successes.
"We keep most of our tickets, the average is $45 when you look across our program," Kollar Smith said.
Art Power also hosts periodic free family concerts at the new outdoor amphitheater.
The (really) big picture: Antitrust, Ticketmaster and Live Nation
Last week, the Justice Department settled its antitrust suit against Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. The suit claimed Live Nation served as a monopoly, raising ticket prices for fans.
Activists hoped the suit would break up the monopoly, allow independent ticket platforms and improve the fan experience.
Experts warn, however, that Live Nation may still require exclusivity. The core monopoly remains, and fees remain largely unregulated.
"It’s Live Nation’s reach across so many different aspects of the live-music industry that gives it so much power, and its conduct leverages those various businesses against its trading partners," said John Newman, antitrust law professor at the University of Memphis. "The settlement doesn’t go to the heart of Live Nation’s power, and it doesn’t even stop all the conduct DOJ has said is illegal."
Newman said the outcome will impact ticket prices — but not in the ways industry insiders and fans alike had hoped.
"Concertgoers might see a modest decrease from the price-capping aspect of the deal, but even that is doubtful. Ticketmaster has shown in the past its ability to just shift fees around in the face of regulatory barriers. It can introduce new fees, change what it calls existing fees and more," Newman said.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have faced a recent flurry of legal actions, including cases involving surge pricing and resale practices.
Mays and the Casbah use independent ticketing platforms — EventIM for Casbah shows, Dice for Soda Bar — keeping fees low.
"I know that Ticketmaster has much higher fees than most of the independent companies and that, you know, sometimes getting up to 30%, 35% or even more," Mays said. And when venues and promoters also control ticket sales, "the ticketing fees go right back into the promoter's pocketbook," he added.
The reality for artists
Touring is increasingly expensive. Some bands cut costs by requesting house gear in order to traveling in smaller vehicles.
"Some bands at this level, the bands they can make decent money, but it's not enough to keep five people on the road for extended periods of time," Mays said. "Hotels, gasoline, food — everything is way more than it was. Obviously, way more than it was last year."
What can fans do?
- Seek out independent venues using independent ticket platforms rather than Ticketmaster, suggested Mays.
- Improve "reseller literacy," Kollar Smith advised. Dig for the venue site, then use the linked ticket platform.
- Watch for free or cheap performances like at ArtPower, California Center for the Arts Escondido's "Música en la Plaza" and neighborhood summer concert series.
- Support bands directly by buying merch, like vinyl or shirts. In recent years, artists have seen an increase in income from merchandise, said Mays. "We'll have bands here that will, some nights, just do almost as much selling merch as they get paid."
What San Diegans are saying about concert costs
We now go to less big events, and seek to support smaller venues at lower prices. Many events at universities and community colleges have replaced professional venues. We support NPR and PBS for programming that includes arts performances. We go to LA and Tijuana for quality entertainment, often at lower prices too.
— Audience Member
I attend live music events as frequently as possible, to the point of including concert tickets in my monthly budgeting. I ask that this article provide tangible ways that enjoyers of live music can rebel against the monopoly practices of Ticketmaster and support artists on a more grassroots level, especially within the local scene.
— Nicholas Tchiprout, audience member
Somehow I was able to afford major concert tickets when I was a teenager making minimum wage. Not now. I've been to several free or inexpensive concerts since the pandemic: Moonlight beach, UCSD, in neighbors' backyards, that were lovely. I'd rather go to these more relaxed events than a huge, wildly expensive event. However, if major concerts were more affordable I would be more likely to go.
—Audience member
High prices are making me attend fewer events, and to seek events in other locations. For the price of a couple tickets to Rady Shell, I can go to Las Vegas and see the same show.
— Audience member
Yes. Wanted to go see James Taylor but least expensive ticket was over $200. Also, it seems like a lot of artist are turning to huge venues and there will be 2 or 3 other bands playing, and while you get to see 3 or 4 bands for $200-$250, you might not really want to see those bands and the stadium concerts just don’t have that same “wow” factor unless you are down at stage level where seats are priced outrageously.
— Martha, audience member
I have stopped attending concerts in the past few years due to the exorbitant prices. Ticketmaster owned by Live Nation have a monopoly on the entertainment market. It is shameful that they get away with the high fees they stack on the ticket price. I’ll never pay an additional 20 percent in fees to attend a concert again!
— David Farris, audience member
I'm not affected because I would NEVER pay for these shows, but have you seen the prices for the County Fair? HOLY S***. Who is paying $100 for ONE ticket to GOOD CHARLOTTE?!? Highway robbery!!
Friday, June 12: Koe Wetzel
Ticket prices: $88.00–$228.80
Sunday, June 14: Los Tucanes de Tijuana
Ticket prices: $55.00–$165.00
Friday, June 19: Marshmello
Ticket prices: $71.50–$182.60
Saturday, June 20: Good Charlotte
Ticket prices: $95.70–$195.90
— Audience member
I used to go to concerts all the time but with the rise of ticket prices I can't seem to justify paying for the extra expense more than a few times a year now. Which is a shame because there are so many good artists that come through San Diego that I would love to see!
— Marcela Garcia, Audience member
I used to attend quite a few concerts. However, high ticket prices plus ridiculous parking fees make it difficult to attend. Streaming shows is more convenient.
— Lucho, audience member
My wife and I go to fewer "big name" concerts. It's hard to justify spending $300 to $400 for tickets. We seek out smaller venues and names.
— Audience member
My partner and I have definitely stopped going to concerts due to rising costs. We really wanted to see Chris Stapleton, but lawn tickets are $118 to $134 plus fees, when they used to only be $36-$78. What's the point when you have to watch the entertainer on a giant screen? At our age (mid-50s), if we really want to see someone, we'll pony up for good seats by using a payment plan, which is helpful, but we aren't happy about it. We've attended far fewer concerts in general.
— Cat Weatherup, audience member
I rarely participate anymore. Born and raised here. There was a time when a modest income could allow for an occasional night out; music, dining, etc. This is no longer the case…
— Anne Salazar, audience member
Yes equal access that s affordable for the arts is truly necessary for everyone. Our culture as a society is portrayed by our artists, and to be disconnected to it is not only a disservice to ourselves but also to the future generations. If something seems out of reach many will simply see it as a luxury that doesn't need the few extra dollars that they have available to them. Furthermore, if it remains in that position partaking in that activity doesn't get shown to our younger generations.
— Gary Chavez, audience member
I was going to buy Pierce The Veil, but their prices are too high. Most fan-friendly artists have reasonable ticket prices: U2, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen. Younger acts rely on selling tickets as their main revenue stream, whereas the older acts relied on selling albums, and tours were extra profit.
— Andy B., audience member
I'm a live music junkie, but tickets are expensive. Spreading out to low key local shows for free or small covers has been fun.
— Mark Mariski, audience member
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