Registration costs €3,50, but you get that amount back in drink tokens.

This talk will be in English.

Why are concert tickets so expensive? The future of live music under pressure

A night out often costs twice as much today as it did a few years ago. Is this an inevitable consequence of rising costs, or is live music becoming a luxury product? Who actually sets the price of a concert ticket, and how do we ensure that live music remains accessible?

Since the pandemic, the demand for live music has skyrocketed. At the same time, costs for organizers have risen sharply—covering wages, energy, transport, security, production, and insurance. Additionally, dynamic pricing, secondary ticket markets, and international competition among artists and festivals are creating new challenges.

For concertgoers, this raises very specific questions:

• Why does a ticket for the same artist cost so much more today?
• Why do ticket prices fluctuate?
• Why do some concerts sell out within minutes?
• Why do tickets immediately appear at higher prices on resale sites?
• Can a concert venue like AB still offer affordable concerts?

This issue affects not only the music field but also broader societal themes such as inflation, consumer behavior, digitalization, and cultural policy.