When tickets for Ariana Grande’s upcoming tour went on sale, fans had to brace for chaos. Entire sections almost immediately disappeared from official ticketing platforms only to reappear on resale sites at jaw-dropping prices. Seats that were originally listed for under $200 suddenly increased to thousands.
This case is not unique to Ariana Grande. For many fans nowadays, the dream of seeing their favorite artists live has transformed into a high-stakes competition where only the luckiest — or the wealthiest — can walk away victorious. The experience of purchasing these tickets have almost become synonymous with frustration and disappointment.
Making matters worse, oftentimes fans are not even competing against real people but instead battle with automated bots who snatch up seats before genuine fans have the chance. Resale platforms then inflate the prices to staggering levels that exceed most people’s budgets. Legitimacy is also a problem, as there are several dishonest third-party ticket sellers who sell fake or non-existent tickets.
With all of these setbacks that come with buying concert tickets, the joy of seeing live music today feels increasingly out of reach. What used to be an accessible and communal event for previous generations has become another profit-maximizing product of entertainment.
Not too long ago, concerts were defined by togetherness. Teenagers could save up on their own and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers or friends, united by the shared enjoyment of singing along to their favorite songs. Tickets were affordable and the emphasis was on connecting artists with fans, not on draining bank accounts. Live music used to be one of the few celebrations that felt democratic — you did not need wealth to be part of it.
Today, ticketing giants employ dynamic pricing which spikes costs based on demand. This often pushes face-value tickets to unaffordable levels even before resale prices. When resale markets enter the equation, this officially turns what should be a cultural experience into an economic ordeal.
For Ariana Grande’s upcoming shows — as with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour before it — this cycle has become predictable and fans begin to dread it. Seats vanish within seconds after queuing for hours, bots profit and ordinary fans are left refreshing pages in despair.
The irony of the entire situation is that the demand for live music has never been greater. After years of pandemic lockdowns, fans are hungrier than ever before for collective experiences that cannot be replicated through a screen. Artists are also eager to tour as arenas are packed. Yet, the very industry itself has become the biggest barrier. The system makes profit for ticket scalpers and corporations while pushing out the everyday fans who sustain these artists’ careers in the first place.
Some artists have tried to address this problem. For example, Ed Sheeran has fought against scalpers in court and Taylor Swift’s team introduced Verified Fan systems to reduce bot purchases. Unfortunately, these attempts have done little to change the underlying structure.
Stronger reforms need to be introduced, whether through stricter regulation of resale markets or caps on dynamic pricing. Until this is enforced, concerts will remain to be rebranded as a luxury experience that is primarily accessible to those who can afford it.
For Ariana Grande’s fans, the war for tickets is just a bitter reminder that the joy of live music is locked behind a paywall and has been transformed into exclusive events that reflect broader inequities in society.
Deanza Andriansyah is an Opinion Staff Writer. She can be reached at dandrian@uci.edu.
Edited by Annabelle Aguirre