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The Taylor Swift Ticket Drama Shows a Trend in Young People’s Concert Experiences

Young people are passionate about music—that much we all know—but do they feel strongly enough about their favorite artist to pay today’s ticket prices?

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team

Jan 25 2023
North America

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The vast majority of young people say concert tickets are too expensive—and the drama over Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a breaking point
A third of Gen Z and Millennials went to a concert last year, and those who did made the absolute most of it
Virtual concerts remain a popular option for young people even as in-person ones become the norm again

Gen Z and Millennials are experiencing an entirely different concert culture than the gens before them; seeing a popular artist has become an accessibility battle, whether because of high prices or simply the competition to secure a seat. It took the most sought-after Taylor Swift tour yet to land TicketMaster in a trial with the federal government for their accused monopoly over tickets in their partnership with Live Nation. (Which is, of course, getting meme-ified on TikTok.) The dramatic prices for the “Eras Tour,” paired with the astronomical volume (read: millions) of people trying to buy them at once, managed...