Taylor Swift vs. boygenius: Has it gotten too costly to be a music fan?
What does it cost to be a fan? How does that cost affect who an artist’s fans are and the very nature of fandom? Fintech firm Self Financial studied the cost of being a music fan by looking at the average cost of the most-streamed artists’ concert tickets, merchandise, and albums.
Overall, the research found that music fans pay an average of $319.76 per artist, which includes a concert ticket, clothing merch, and the purchase of their latest LP.
High Cost Of Fandom
- The average cost to support just one of the most-streamed artists is $319.76, which includes a concert ticket, clothing merch, and the purchase of their latest LP.
- Concert tickets for the top 95 artists cost $168.16 on average, while an official t-shirt and hoodie will cost a combined average of $120.
- Taylor Swift ($1,090) and Kanye West ($672) are the most expensive artists for music fans.
- boygenius and Ice Spice are the “best-value,” costing fans an average of $152 and $179 for tickets, merch, and vinyl, respectively.
Taylor Swift ticket prices were the highest by far, with some resales reaching a staggering $22,000. In August 2023, SeatGeek put the average cost of a Swift ticket at $1,619, fuelled by the resale market.
By contrast, indie supergroup boygenius kept things affordable for their fans with an average ticket price of $41 and merch costing $90.
Affect on Fans
The study does not directly address how high costs affect fandom, but it’s not hard to see that any demographic with less buying power could be priced out of being a fan of some artists.
As importantly, high costs can cause many fans to cut back on their overall concert going and support of other artists, even those they love.
If this trend continues – as many believe it is – there will be an even wider economic gap between a limited number of superstar artists and everyone else.
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Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.
