After Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming tour tickets went on sale for more than £200, music fans claim they are being “forced out” of major concerts.
The Espresso singer’s OVO Hydro show in Glasgow was “astronomical” in price, according to shocked fans who spoke with BBC Scotland News.
Tickets for the show, according to the Hydro website, should cost £58, but several fans reported that as soon as they went on sale, tickets were only available for £220 and up.
It comes after other huge concerts in the country, like Taylor Swift’s series of hundreds of pounds-worth of shows at Murrayfield.
Neil Hutton, a music lover, had hoped to purchase tickets for his 11-year-old daughter’s first performance.
He stated: My better half was in the pre-deal lines on the Ticketmaster, Hydro and Sabrina Craftsman’s site and the least expensive tickets were £220 each.
“Ticket prices have skyrocketed in the past few years.”
One of many with ticket prices in the triple digits is the Carpenter tour, which takes place in March 2025.
Due to “dynamic pricing,” in which ticket prices are adjusted in response to supply and demand rather than having a fixed price, seats on the Hydro’s second floor for American country star Morgan Wallen in 2024 cost £233.
Standing tickets for Childish Gambino cost £159, while Billie Eilish fans can see her for anywhere from £140 to £400. The latter price is for a “Changemaker” ticket, which means that a “portion” of the ticket price goes to non-profit organizations.
According to Jill Ledgerwood, a mother of two, the increasing costs put pressure on parents who feel compelled to purchase tickets, as reported by the BBC.
She stated: I took my girl to see Taylor Quick when she played the Hydro last time she was in Scotland [in 2015] as her Christmas present that year.
“Although they weren’t cheap, the tickets were nothing in comparison to the most recent Eras tour. When we received our code, the only remaining tickets cost more than £600.
“Luckily she is mature enough now to absolutely comprehend not going, yet there should be such a lot of tension on guardians of more youthful children who see their companions going and can’t comprehend the reason why they can’t go.”
She went on to say that the dynamic pricing system was another issue because it “inflated prices.”
According to music journalist Lisa-Marie Ferla, families will have to buy multiple tickets because of the rising cost of shows.
She stated: You’re buying at least two tickets because many of these big pop acts’ fans are young girls.
“With the Sabrina Woodworker one, you have her and Gracie Abrams playing a night separated at the Hydro one year from now, and tickets for Gracie went discounted a week ago.
“If your child enjoys both of those performances, you will spend £1000 in a week. I can’t imagine how many normal families could afford that.
“These big shows are great experiences that shape you, but if every show costs £200, it will drive out young music fans.”
Ms Ferla added that she felt like arena shows, similar to the Taylor Quick gigs, are more reasonable for high estimating because of the creation values and the three-hour runtime of the show, however that excessive costs were becoming normal.
She stated that people spend “more money than you would because you end up worried about not getting them at all” due to the numerous “hoops to jump through,” such as registering for presales and having a limited amount of time to purchase tickets.
In recent years, a growing number of acts, including Caity Baser and the former Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton, have capped gig prices.
With Espresso and Please Please Please, Carpenter currently holds the top two spots on the charts in the United Kingdom.
The Sabrina Carpenter tour promoters, Live Nation, have been contacted for comment.
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