Concert Tickets Were Even More Expensive During 2019

Concert tickets are more expensive than ever and The Wall Street Journal reports fans seem more than willing to pay the price.

The Rolling Stones had the highest-grossing tour across North America this year, raking in $177.8 million, according to trade magazine Pollstar. Though the British rock band played just 16 dates, a hefty price tag—tickets averaged $226.61 a pop—helped the group top the list.

Nine of the 10 highest-grossing concert tours this year had average ticket prices above $100, Pollstar reported. Over the past decade, the average ticket price for the top 100 North American tours has increased 55% to $94.83. The average gross per show more than doubled over the decade to $958,000.

The run-up comes as artists are relying more on touring for income, promoters have smartened up about pricing, and as ticketing companies are offering new technology to squeeze out scalpers and make more money the first time a ticket is sold. The high prices have caught the attention of the U.S. government, which has investigated concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment Inc. over its market power.

The boom in the live-events business fills a gap in many artists’ revenue streams. As piracy decimated recorded music sales starting in the early 2000s, artists began to rely on touring, ever more so in the past decade. Live shows account for some 75% of musicians’ income, compared with around 30% in the 1980s and 1990s,