Time pressure, artificial scarcity, and late information about ticket prices encourage impulse purchases. Some musicians are trying new approaches. This article was first published in the "Gastwirtschaft" column of the Frankfurter Rundschau.
When I went to the Columbia Hall in Berlin for a Florence and the Machine concert in 2019, my sleeping arrangements were given the day before to decide whether she wanted to come along. She decided against it; 60 euros was simply too expensive for her.
When I wanted to buy a ticket for the 2026 tour last week, a direct comparison made the tactics of Eventim and other ticket distributors obvious. Two days before the actual pre-sale, I was forced to scream at the screen in panic because the site was overloaded. We only received a code for the pre-sale by chance, after pre-ordering the new vinyl. A blessing and a curse. In the group chat, there was a real-time discussion about whether we were too old for standing room and whether we really wanted to spend 100 euros. Time pressure, artificial scarcity, and late information about ticket prices tempt us to make impulse purchases.
But is there another way? Some artists are trying new approaches.
James Blake has been an independent artist since last year. He criticizes large corporations that control access to information and is therefore switching to his own mailing list. In the future, he also plans to organize ticket sales himself.
Hayley Williams (Paramore, among others) is also happy about her newfound freedom from a major label. She also encourages new artists to try their hand at it without a major label and, together with her team, wants to find solutions for affordable concert tickets. At the Ivor Novello Awards ceremony, Orla Gartland appealed for better pay for songwriters if we don't only want music from people with rich parents. She has long been organizing everything herself – from music videos to tour planning.
Rapper Bad Bunny turned the concert experience on its head this year. He played only in Puerto Rico and initially sold tickets only at farmers' markets to people with proof of residency. Only later were people from outside the area able to purchase tickets, at increased prices and bundled with rooms in local hotels. Whether megastars or artists barely making a living from their jobs, resistance is growing against the global exploitation of musicians and fans.