Tickets for Beyonce's Renaissance Tour are so expensive in the US that her fans are flying overseas for cheaper tickets.
via NBC News:
The number of American fans seeing concerts abroad was steadily increasing before the pandemic, but Ticketmaster’s recent controversies have highlighted the difficulties of the ticketing process domestically. With dynamic pricing jacking up the cost of concert tickets in the U.S. and young people increasingly spending money on experiences, seeing Beyoncé in Europe gives some fans more bang for their buck.
In the last month, TikTok users have been demystifying the process of buying international tickets and making more consumers aware of the potential savings.
Mercedes Arielle, a content creator, is no stranger to the strategy. In 2018, she saw Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the “On the Run II Tour” in Paris, securing floor seats for $92 apiece. In her hometown, Dallas, the going rate for the same tickets was $900 higher.
This year, having witnessed the botched Taylor Swift “Eras Tour” rollout, Arielle said she had no desire to rely on Ticketmaster and the U.S. system.
Arielle paid less for her international flight, her hotel stay and a Beyoncé ticket in Stockholm than her hometown friends paid to see the same show in Dallas. Her VIP tickets to the Stockholm show were $366. Even her hotel is “essentially free” because of points and miles.
“Beyoncé is gonna sweat on me,” she said. “That’s how close I am.”
Since she last traveled to Europe to see Beyoncé, Arielle has been sharing affordable luxury travel tips, like using points to purchase flights.
“It’s really important to me to make people aware that living within your means does not mean that your lifestyle cannot be fabulous or that it can’t have these glowing moments that will be forever memories,” she said. “To me, the savings are priceless.”
Others online agreed it can be more economical to splurge on a concert and a vacation than to pay a similar amount to watch the show in their hometowns.
When Kylyn Schnelle, 28, looked at floor tickets for Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” stop in Louisville, Kentucky, where she lives, she found some seats that were being resold for over $800. Given the steep price tag, she decided to take a look at floor tickets in London to see whether she could find a better deal.
“When I looked in London, it was 167 pounds [about $200], and the flight was, like, $660,” she said. “I was like this is genuinely the same cost.”
Schnelle’s best friend lives in London, so, she said, it took “very little to convince” her to go.
“If you’re going to spend $800, why would you not milk it as much as possible?” she said, adding that she has the privilege to travel abroad for concerts because she is young and single and has a job that gives her paid time off.
Frustration at Ticketmaster, which has been embroiled in controversy after the November sale for Swift’s “Eras Tour,” has reached a fever pitch in recent months. The company has been criticized for its outsize role in the ticketing industry in the U.S. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January, the company was questioned about the prevalence of bots, exorbitant fees and high prices.
Ticketmaster’s use of dynamic pricing, which adjusts prices based on demand, has been particularly contentious among U.S. concertgoers. While it is increasingly used in the U.K. and certain other European countries, it is still less common, making the tickets more reasonable in the eyes of U.S. consumers.
Schnelle posted a TikTok video sharing her European ticket-buying experience and praised the U.K. and Europe’s consumer protection laws. In the comments, some viewers shared similar experiences, while others expressed interest in exploring European options for future concerts.
“I don’t think that what Ticketmaster has done in the United States post-pandemic is sustainable for their business, because they’ve made a lot of people upset,” Schnelle said.
In addition, while ticket scalping remains a major problem in Europe, the U.K. and some other European countries limit resale prices, driving market prices down. Ticketmaster also faces more competitive pressure abroad, with Eventim and Dice serving as prominent primary ticket sellers in the region.
A spokesperson for Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
I've known about this for a while. I remember when I got my tickets for Madonna's Celebration Tour that a friend of mine who lives in Spain told me that floor seats overseas are the same price as a nosebleed seat in the US.
So you can book a flight, a hotel, see your favorite artist and not break the bank by doing so.
If Ticketmaster continues with these shenanigans they will see themselves going out of business.
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