Why Are Gigs So Expensive?

Ticketmaster have had a lawsuit filed against them by the American Department of Justice, due to their near-monopoly on Ticket sales. In the video above we hear the views of Richard Osman and Marina Hyde from the new entertainment show they put out weekly. They go into detail about the start of Ticketmaster - an ELO gig in 1982 where they charged 25c per ticket on a $6.25... going into how their business model has developed and grown over subsequent years. 

In 2010 Ticketmaster acquired LiveNation, which meant they subsequently controlled a significant chunk of event management chain - and even apply dynamic pricing to their tickets, like Uber. Big artists like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift and their affect on ticket prices are also covered - with many US citizens flying to gigs in Europe which work out to be more affordable. 

Skip to 02:38 to jump straight into the story. Read the Ticketmasters book, which came out a few years ago, covering this exact subject. 

How do you feel about Ticketmaster?

More from The Rest Is Entertainment

About the author [midierror]: midierror makes nifty Max For Live devices, innovative music hardware, award winning sample packs and hosts a podcast speaking to people in the music world.

• Oxygene 50th Anniversary 07-Oct-26
• The Great Debate: Firmware Hacking 07-Oct-26
• Scanner:Library VST Instrument 06-Oct-26
• Jacob Collier's Wiggly World of Music 06-Oct-26
• Ambient Soundscapes for BBC Proms 05-Oct-26