Do you remember the days when you could see an awesome concert for just a few bucks? It used to be that concerts were cheap and artists made most of their money from album sales. But times have changed. As record sales drop – due at least in part to illegal downloading –concert prices have increased so that artists can continue to earn their money. Now, you have to pay more than ever before to see the live music you want to enjoy.
Consider these facts and figures from USA Today:
- Ticket prices have increased by about 400% on average over the last 30 years.
- The average price of tickets has increased faster over the years than college tuition and healthcare.
- Service fees and other surcharges can add up to 40% to the base ticket price.
- The 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster helped generate $3.9 billion in concert revenue and $1.4 billion in ticket revenue in 2012.
- The top 1% of artists take home more than 50% of the total concert revenue.
How you can still get cheap concert tickets
As a fan, the current state of the music industry can be pretty depressing. Seeing your favorite bands perform live means spending more money than ever before. But there is some good news. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to get tickets to your favorite shows at reasonable prices.
Here are a few tips to help you score cheap concert tickets:
- Take advantage of pre-sale deals for fans—Pre-sales allow fans to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Not only does this help ensure you get tickets before they sell out, but often times, bands will offer special discounted prices for their pre-sales. This could allow you to score cheap concert tickets more easily. You may need to be a member of the band’s fan club or subscribed to their email list in order to take advantage of special pre-sale offers.
- Buy a special combo package—Promotional packages have started to rise in popularity with concert ticket sales. You’ll see all sorts of special deals, such as packages that give you concert tickets, a shirt, and the band’s latest album at a discounted price. These special ticket packages can help you get a better overall value, and sometimes, they offer some really rare and limited run items, making them an even more attractive deal.
- Enter a contest—What’s better than free tickets? A lot of times, you can find special contests giving away tickets to the concerts you want to go to. Maybe it’s a radio contest where you have to be the 10th caller. Or maybe the band is holding an online contest giving away tickets to the fan who submits the most creative video. Be on the lookout for any contests that give you the chance to score the ultimate deal—free tickets!
- Search online for special coupon codes—Sometimes, ticket retailers will allow you to input coupon codes at checkout. For example, one local promoter in Houston allows the first 25 fans who buy tickets to their shows to get 50% off their purchase if they input a specific coupon code at the time of purchase. So, before you buy your tickets, search the web to see if you can find any active coupon codes for the site you’re buying your tickets from.
- Buy cheap resale tickets—Ticket resellers have earned a bit of a bad rap over the years, but it’s not always fair. The websites that go about things the right way actually provide a major benefit to fans, allowing them to score tickets to popular events at the lowest possible prices. As long as you buy your tickets from a trusted reseller, you’ll be able to get the best deals. Do your research, compare prices, and save money on the concert tickets you want most. Here is a good place to start your search.
Sure, concert tickets are the most expensive they’ve ever been, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend an arm and a leg to go see you favorite band perform live. By following the simple tips mentioned above, you can save money on all the best concerts.
Christopher Daniel is a music blogger from Austin, Texas. He covers the vibrant Austin music scene on numerous blogs across the web. He also has an amazing collection of concert photographs from his years at shows.