Going to a concert has become significantly more expensive, but fans are not the only ones feeling the pressure. Artists are also facing much higher costs to take their shows on tour.
The average concert ticket cost just under $133 in 2025, according to Pollstar data cited by Forbes. That’s up from about $96 in 2019. More broadly, admission prices for concerts, theaters and movies have increased by nearly one-third since 2019, slightly faster than overall inflation.
A major reason is the rising cost of touring. Expenses for workers, lighting, audio equipment, transportation and trucks have increased substantially since the pandemic. At the same time, streaming has replaced much of the money artists once earned from record sales, making live performances an increasingly important source of income.
The biggest stars can still generate enormous revenue. Artists including Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, BTS, Ed Sheeran and AC/DC grossed nine figures from touring between mid-November and mid-May. Smaller acts face a much tougher business, with some artists canceling or scaling back tours because the economics no longer work.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation are also under regulatory pressure. In April, a jury found that the companies operated as an illegal monopoly, while states involved in the case continue to seek a breakup of the businesses. Greater competition, critics argue, could eventually help reduce some of the pressure on ticket prices.
Concert tickets are becoming more expensive because the entire live-music business costs more to operate. While superstar tours can still generate huge profits, rising expenses are making touring increasingly difficult for smaller artists and more expensive for fans.
