Concertgoers disappointed after ticket prices plummet following initial sale

Some concert goers who were able to get tickets early, during presale, said they’ve been disappointed to see ticket prices freefall, before shows take place.

The summer concert season is well underway and major acts like Coldplay, Oasis, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, and Kesha are set to perform in Toronto.

Ticket prices for some shows have reached an all-time high, and getting seats to see your favourite artist is not always easy.

Some fans who were able to get their tickets early, especially during presale, said they’ve been disappointed to see ticket prices plummet, even before the concert takes place.

“She is like one of my all time favourite artists,” said Kesha fan Kyle Dawson of Toronto, Ont.

Dawson said he wanted to be sure he got tickets to her show taking place at Budweiser Stage on July 21, so the day they went on sale, he purchased one ticket for $594.

However, Dawson said not long after, he noticed prices starting to drop.

“Shortly after I bought the ticket, sales plummeted in price by almost half of what they originally cost,” he said.

Leading up to the concert, Dawson was shocked to see he could get a similar seat in his section for just $113.

“I really was someone who did everything right as a hardcore fan. I’m overpaying for what I could pay now. I could pay for the same seat for a quarter of the price.”

Brenda Appiah, of Toronto, also purchased concert tickets to see her favourite artists, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, at the Rogers Centre last month.

Appiah told CTV News the day the tickets went on sale, she bought three for $1,705.

However, as the concert day approached, she also noticed prices falling.

“I noticed the seats around me that I bought were significantly cheaper, so even better seats than mine were much less,” Appiah said.

Leading up to the show, Appiah was shocked when she saw similar seats were selling for almost $1,000 less.

“What exactly did I pay for with my money if you are going to price them that much cheaper later on?”

‘You might want to wait’ to buy concert tickets: expert

“We are starting to see a lot of artists going on the road with these ambitious standup tours unable to fill all the seats,” said Alan Cross, music industry expert and host of “The Ongoing History of New Music” podcast.

According to Cross, what Dawson and Appiah experienced is a classic case of supply and demand. He told CTV News while some fans may want to blame Ticketmaster, the pricing structure is set by the artists, their manager and the promoter.

While changing prices make it impossible to know exactly when the best time to buy a ticket is, Cross said your decision should depend on how badly you want to go.

“If it’s a big show and you know it’s going to sell out then you have to participate in the sale. If you are on the fence, or you’re having cash flow problems, you might want to wait,” Cross said.

Dawson told CTV News that moving forward, he won’t be so quick to buy concert tickets.

“It’s made me second guess jumping into buying tickets for other artists as well” he said. “I’ve held back as I don’t want this to happen again.”