Gig prices have skyrocketed beyond wages, more than tripling since 2005

New research has revealed that the price of concert tickets has increased far beyond the average UK wage. The new study by digital marketing company Dark Horse analysed concert tickets for a selection of top artists, comparing the price in 2005 to 2025, to see whether the cost of seeing them live had kept in line with inflation or outstripped it, and how the UK’s median hourly wage compares to the cost of tickets.

Oasis reunion tickets are more than triple the cost they should be if prices had risen in line with inflation. In 2005, a standing ticket to an Oasis gig cost just £32.50, whereas in 2025 it had risen to £148.50. That’s a 357% increase, a cost inflation alone would not have reached until 2054.

The analysis found that if the cost to see Oasis live had risen in line with inflation since 2005 then a ticket should cost around £57.20 today, which is £91.30 less than the actual £148.50. Fans now need to work nearly eight hours at the 2025 median hourly wage of £18.72 to afford a single general admission ticket. Back in 2005, just three hours of labour at the then-average rate of £10.77 would have been enough.

Beyoncé is another artist whose prices have soared, with a ticket rising from £27.50 in 2005 to £224.85 in 2025, a 718% increase, and the largest in the report. Destiny’s Child tickets once cost fans the equivalent of two and a half hours' work; today, Beyoncé's solo tour tickets demand more than six times that in labour.

Of the seven artists that were analysed, Billy Joel has the second most expensive tickets in 2025 behind Beyoncé. Fans of the Piano Man are now shelling out £213 per ticket compared to just £51 two decades ago, which is a 318% increase.

Coldplay tickets are in fourth for present day ticket costs. The price to see them live has more than tripled from £35.75 to £112.75, which is a rise of 215%. If the standard rate of inflation had applied to their prices, a standard ticket would cost £62.40.Greenday rank in fifth place, with a ticket to see them in 2025 costing £94, up from £28.50 two decades ago.

The average price of a concert ticket has more than tripled since 2005, increasing by 237%. It means that someone earning the current median wage of £18.72 per hour would need a full day’s work, 7h56m, to earn the average ticket price of the seven artists. That is more than double the amount needed in 2005, when the average ticket cost was £34.82, and the median hourly wage was £10.77, which meant that a fan could cover the cost of a ticket with just 3h14m of work.

While most headline acts have seen explosive increases in ticket pricing, a handful of performers have retained affordable prices. In 2005 Robbie Williams’ £45 tickets were the second most expensive of the seven acts, whereas today the £82.50 price tag makes them the second cheapest. His tickets have increased by only 83%, which is the lowest rise, and only just above the rate of inflation.

The rise in ticket prices “isn't just about fame or greed,” said AJ Sutherland, a production manager for acts including Tate McRae and Mura Masa. Instead, he links the trend to the decline of physical music sales, the rise of streaming, and the consolidation of tour venues into arena-centric schedules.

“Back in 2005, artists might have played 20 club shows across the UK. Now they do four arena gigs in major cities and make the same ticket sales in a fraction of the time,” he explained. “It’s not just more efficient, it’s far more profitable.”

However, Sutherland also highlights the devastating consequences of this shift: grassroots venues are closing, independent artists are losing touring opportunities, and fans are left paying premium prices with fewer options.

The Dark Horse Gig Report 2025 raises serious concerns about the sustainability and inclusivity of live music. As wage growth stagnates and ticket prices soar, attending concerts may become a privilege for the few.

Image: Simon Emmett