StubHub reportedly tested different ticket prices to maximize profits — here's how concertgoers could pay more

Most fans have curbed their concert spending due to rising costs, and the addition of selective pricing has kept them from seeing their favorite artists. Lindsay Owens, author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price — and What That Means for Your Wallet, told NBC that price experiments are a way for companies to maximize profit by identifying customers’ spending limits.

“It’s not the resale ticket holder who’s getting that money,” Owens told NBC News. “It’s StubHub, who’s just charging some parents more, some ticket holders more, concertgoers more, just to see their favorite show.”

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino seems to think concert tickets are still underpriced, arguing they get more bang for their buck at a concert than a sporting event.

“In sports, I joke it’s like a badge of honor to spend [$70,000] for Knicks courtside,” Rapino said at the CNBC Sport and Boardroom’s Game Plan conference in September. “When you read about the ticket prices going up, it’s still an average concert price [of] $72. Try going to a Lakers game for that, and there are 80 of them [in a season].”

But when the same ticket can come with a different price tag, how much are fans willing to pay?

Ticket prices are going in one direction

In September, admission to movies, theaters and concerts was up 2.48% year over year, according to the Consumer Price Index.

Pollstar reported the average concert ticket price was $132.62 by the end of 2025. Remitly put the average cost of a football ticket at $297 as of March 2024. A basketball game averaged $165, and a hockey game equaled $146. Baseball was the outlier at $79.

A Coupon Cabin survey updated in April 2026 found that 90% of Americans believe concert tickets are overpriced. Even so, people still went to an average of seven concerts in 2024. Last year, 32% of respondents spent between $100 and $499 on tickets, at a time when the cost of living was up across the board.

It’s not just the tickets. Many are willing to spend even more to travel for live music. A 2024 study by Bread Financial found that 37% of Gen Zers and 39% of millennials spent between $500 and $5,000 or more on live events requiring travel.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts median weekly U.S. earnings at $1,196 during the second quarter of 2025. That amounts to $62,192 annually, or roughly $5,183 per month.

It’s a fine line

There’s nothing wrong with splurging on a concert here and there if it makes you happy, especially if your favorite band is in town. But it’s important not to take on debt for the experience. It’s also important to ensure you’re not being overcharged or part of an experiment.

More than half of Gen Zers say they’ve used buy now, pay later agreements to pay for tickets and related expenses like travel, according to Cash App data. And 75% said they’re willing to pay premium resale prices.

But 19% of Gen Zers admitted spending beyond their means to attend concerts. That can create real financial hardship. If you go into debt for a concert, interest charges could push the final cost of those tickets far beyond face value.