If you are like us at Ghost Cult, you go to a lot of concerts every year. We actually pay for many shows we cover, and the fees on top of the tickets, especially for major festivals, event-type shows and tours are astronomically over-priced. And the company that owns the most venues and puts on the most tours in the entire world thinks we are getting away cheap! According to a new report by Marketwatch, Ticketmaster and their parent Live Nation feel they have been charging fans too little and there is a “great opportunity” to earn more money by charging more for tickets in 2020 and beyond. According to the report, the average ticket price for the largest worldwide tours has increased by more than 20% in the past five years and is approaching $100 per ticket. This timeline coincides with the biggest bands and tours in the world, including major tours the last few years Guns N Roses’ “Not In This Lifetime Tour”, Metallica’s “Worldwired World Tour”, Slipknot’s “Slipknot Roadshow”, The Eagles, The Who, Elton John’s farewell tour, KISS’ “End of the Road” tour, Slayer’s “The Final Campaign Tour” on their way to retirement, Tool’s new tour, and next year’s big-ticket tours from My Chemical Romance, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and  Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. This is not counting the secondary and resale market, which includes Ticket master’s murky relationship with resellers and bots (see Metallica’s S&M2 ticket debacle last summer), StubHub and other companies that gouge fans for profits. Continue reading →