Overview

• Michael Rapino said concerts are underpriced with room for increases, citing a $72 average and comparing $800 seats for Beyoncé to high-priced courtside tickets in sports.
• He argued rising production costs justify pricing, highlighting claims that Beyoncé’s current tour requires 62 trucks per show.
• Pollstar’s 2024 data for the top 100 tours shows an average ticket around $136, contradicting Rapino’s $72 figure.
• Fans criticized the comments on social platforms, and producer Jack Antonoff condemned the outlook and called for bans on resale above face value.
• Rapino’s remarks preceded an FTC lawsuit accusing Live Nation and Ticketmaster of deceptive fees and enabling broker abuses, with a separate DOJ antitrust case still ongoing.