Over half of Brits priced out of live music events, according to YouGov poll

Over half of Brits have been prevented from attending a live music event in the past five years due to high ticket prices, a new YouGov poll has found.

51% reported being priced out at least once, while nearly one in five (18%) said that being priced out of gigs was happening “regularly”; despite over a third (34%) saying that they hadn’t wanted to see a gig in recent years.

Over three quarters of those surveyed (77%), said that going to live music events is expensive, with 44% saying it is “very” expensive.

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The report, which surveyed a range of people from across the British population about the costs of attending live music events, also examined the opinions surrounding the recent controversial rise of “surge” pricing.

“Surge” pricing – or “dynamic” pricing – has been introduced by ticket selling companies such as Ticketmaster, which increases the prices of tickets based on the demand for concert tickets.

YouGov’s poll found that the majority of Bris (71%) are against the idea, with 52% “strongly” opposing the pricing strategy.

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It means that fans of some of the world’s biggest artists, such as Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, have had to reach deep into their wallets to secure spots for their tour dates, with ticket prices often reaching hundreds of pounds.

Ticketmaster has claimed that the practice will deter ticket touts from buying up large numbers of tickets, before selling them on at huge profits.

In a statement to the BBC, Ticketmaster said that dynamic pricing was “an important shift necessary to maintaining the vibrancy and creativity of the live music industry”.

Last year (July 2022), US fans of singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen were hit with a surprise when they found that tickets to his tour were being sold for between $4,000 and $5,000 (£3,000-£4,000) as a result of dynamic pricing.

Isaac Muk is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter