Watermelon Sugar Sky High Prices: Singers Ditch Tours, Making Concerts Even More $$
Attending a concert is getting even more expensive as more artists opt for long-term residencies in one location instead of touring multiple cities.
THE WHO’S WHO: More than 11 million people signed up for tickets when pop singer Harry Styles announced a 30-show residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden starting this August. It follows Bad Bunny, Spotify’s top global artist of 2025, playing 31 shows in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last summer.
Jennifer Lopez, Backstreet Boys, and No Doubt have also announced residencies in Las Vegas this year.
While the residencies help artists “mentally, physically, and financially” by eliminating constant travel and setup/breakdown, those savings for musicians are often being passed on to fans, as they already face rising ticket prices.
CUSTOMER DISSATISFACTION
Residencies are forcing concert-goers outside major cities to spend more on travel and lodging to see their favorite performers.
On top of a $500 ticket to see Styles, one concertgoer who lives outside Cincinnati told the Wall Street Journal that flights to New York and a hotel added another $1,500.
At the same time, residencies can boost local economies. Bad Bunny’s residency generated at least $200 million in tourism spending in Puerto Rico last year — during the typically slower travel season.
THE COST OF LIVE MUSIC
The shift toward residencies comes as concert ticket prices have nearly tripled over the past three decades — rising from about $25 in 1996 (not adjusted for inflation) to roughly $135 in 2024, according to Pollstar analysis.
In North America, concert prices have rebounded from their dip during the pandemic. The average ticket price increased by 48% from 2016 to 2024, according to a 2025 Global Stadium Report.
Music industry analysts attribute the spike in concert prices to ticket resellers, demand-driven pricing, and a post-pandemic boom in live music attendance.