Concertgoers across all genres have struggled recently due to the massive increase in ticket prices. The biggest and most widely known culprit is Ticketmaster.

The distribution company has come under fire multiple times in recent years due to its dynamic pricing practices. Dynamic pricing, a method that has existed for decades, is the practice of adjusting ticket prices in real time based on market demand. This is most commonly found with airlines or hotels. It seems that the practice has now dominated the entertainment industry as well. While it may make distributors, such as Ticketmaster, more money, it actively harms customers looking to attend events. 

One of the most widely recognized incidents of Ticketmaster’s inadequacy occurred during Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour. When the pre-sale began, Ticketmaster’s site experienced unprecedented traffic and crashed as a result. It eventually caught the attention of the Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who launched an investigation into Ticketmaster, saying in a press conference that “a lack of competition [for Ticketmaster] has led to a poor experience and higher prices for consumers.”

This is not the only government attention Ticketmaster has garnered. In September of last year, the Federal Trade Commission, along with multiple states, filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster for “tacitly coordinating with brokers and allowing them to harvest millions of dollars worth of tickets in the primary market.” The FTC alleges that Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation “then sell the illegally harvested tickets at a substantial markup in the secondary market, causing consumers to pay significantly more than the face value of the ticket.”

Another issue Ticketmaster faces is scalpers. Although this is not a new issue for Ticketmaster, the increase in volume has affected consumers everywhere. In September of 2025, Ariana Grande fans were upset after tickets for her Eternal Sunshine Tour sold out within minutes thanks to scalpers who resold them at outrageous prices. Early last month, Ticketmaster posted on Instagram that they worked closely with Grande and her team to return tickets to fans. 

“Last October, we worked with the tour to cancel a portion of tickets that had been identified as violating our ticket purchase terms. Our focus is ensuring those tickets are reissued directly to fans, through a request process coming in February,” the company stated. 

Most recently, Harry Styles fans also faced frustrations when trying to buy tickets for his upcoming Together, Together Tour. Ticket prices ranged from $50 to over $1,000. This applied to each show of the tour, as well as the 30-day residency at Madison Square Garden.

Fans’ cries to artists for more affordable tickets did not go unanswered. Olivia Dean called out Ticketmaster last November for their resale pricing for her The Art of Loving Live Tour. As a result, fans were refunded.

“Every artist and their team should be granted the option to cap resale at face value ahead of on sale, to keep the live music space accessible for all,” Dean continued. “The secondary ticket market is an exploitative and unregulated space and we as an industry have a responsibility to protect people and our community. Thank you for your patience and I’m looking forward to seeing all you real humans at the show. Stop the bots.”

If fans are to have any hope of attending a concert affordably, more artists and bands must speak out against Ticketmaster’s practices.