The cost of music: Are music fans being priced out of seeing their favourite acts in 2025?

• As Oasis and Billie Eilish continue their UK tours this week, the topic of ticket prices once again has been a talking point.
• Many still recall seeing the Gallagher Brothers for just over £20 compared to the over £200 some fans paid - at face value.
• So are average music fans being priced out of seeing shows - and what could be done to prevent it, if anything?

Is going to a concert set to be a thing of the past for many UK music lovers?

That’s been a continued question throughout 2025 after issues regarding the pricing of tickets to see Oasis, Lady Gaga, and many more set to make their way to our shores before the end of the year. Some will lay the blame on inflation compared to the '90s, when to see Oasis was the cost of a takeaway, while others think that artists perhaps are getting too greedy.

Then there is the issue of dynamic pricing; the increase in ticket value based on supply-and-demand, which became the cause célèbre when Oasis tickets went on sale in late 2024.

So, how much more expensive is it to see a band on average in 2025? Coupon Birds undertook to examine the cost in the United States, which we’ve cross-referenced with UK inflation via the ONS and CPI indexes and the National Living Wage to make it more relevant to fan bases over here.

While we’re at it, though – what acts have increased their ticket prices by vast amounts over the past number of years?

Methodology

The data for this report was originally sourced from a press release by Coupon Birds, which compiled publicly available ticket price information for major U.S. tours and Pollstar data. The original prices reflected base ticket values, excluding VIP or specialty packages.

For this report, we have adapted and updated that methodology to provide a UK-specific analysis through June 2025. All prices have been converted to British Pounds (£) and adjusted for inflation using the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data up to June 2025.

The dataset was compiled and averaged across various venues and artists to account for regional variations in the UK market.

How much more expensive is it to see a concert in 2025 compared to 1996?

From 1996 to 2025, the average concert ticket price has seen a dramatic increase, rising by 428.7%. In 1996, the average ticket cost was £16.99. Today, that price has surged to, on average, £105.60. This increase far outpaces the general rate of inflation over the same period, which was 101.16%.

If concert ticket prices had kept pace with inflation, a £16.99 ticket from 1996 would cost £38.49 in today's money. This means fans are currently paying nearly three times more than what would be expected based on inflation alone. The most significant jump in prices has occurred recently, with an 80.5% increase since 2021.

Who are the artists that are charging the most for fans to see them perform?

Concert ticket prices for some of the most popular touring artists have experienced significant surges, far outpacing the general rate of inflation. This dramatic increase reflects fundamental shifts within the music industry, particularly in the streaming era where artists earn substantially less from recorded music, making touring a crucial revenue stream.

These tours have become increasingly elaborate, featuring higher production costs and a greater reliance on VIP packages and meet-and-greet experiences to maximise revenue. The industry's adoption of dynamic pricing models, similar to airlines and hotels, further contributes to the fluctuating and often higher ticket costs, transforming concert tickets into premium commodities.

The artists with the most substantial increases in ticket prices

1. The Weeknd: +320.6%
2. Kenny Chesney: +317.8%
3. U2: +190.5%
4. Lady Gaga: +179.6%
5. Coldplay: +159.6%
6. Taylor Swift: +114.3%
7. George Strait: +90.1%
8. Drake: +88.1%

How long would it take an average fan to earn enough money to attend a high-profile concert?

Let’s take Oasis’s reunion shows and the higher end of face value ticket prices through Ticketmaster for this example.

To attend a high-demand concert like an Oasis reunion show, a fan earning the UK's National Living Wage would need to commit a significant portion of their working hours. With a ticket priced at £206.25 and the National Living Wage set at £12.21 per hour as of April 1, 2025, an individual would need to work approximately 16 hours and 54 minutes to cover the cost of just one ticket.

It once again highlights the growing financial barrier to experiencing live music for many average fans.

What could be done to eliminate the continued rise in concert ticket prices?

If I could answer that, I’d maybe be able to fix many problems in music. But more transparency might be the key to demonstrating to fans what they are getting for such high prices.

With international tours and the logistics involved, perhaps sneak peeks or previews into what fans could expect might elicit some psychic capital when it comes to paying ‘top dollar’ for a show, and perhaps more venues that aren’t owned by larger touring and promotion companies might also help with a perceived ‘monopoly’ over touring venues.

But the complaints about dynamic pricing are still ones I take with a pinch of salt. While yes, it is unfair to wait in line while the prices of tickets start to increase, it perhaps might not help the algorithm Ticketmaster uses (for example), when social media users admit they’ve had 30 different devices queuing up.

That could potentially trick the algorithm used to think that there is an increased demand in tickets owing to the volume of people (or devices in this instance) that are after them. So, as unpopular of an opinion as it may seem, maybe we need to keep calm, wait, and perhaps not feed the algorithm quite as much with an abundance of mobile phones waiting in line.

Maybe just opt for one device per person within a group and try that method instead?

What is the most you have paid for a concert ticket, and have you noticed a huge increase in the cost of going to see your favourite band compared to previous years? Let us know your thoughts regarding ticket prices and if they’re being less affordable by leaving a comment down below.