The National Union of Musical and Variety Shows Prodiss unveiled on Wednesday June 21 a study on the evolution of concert ticket prices, carried out by PMP Strategy and taken over by BFMTV. This clearly highlights the rise in prices, but an increase that remains mostly lower than inflation. Additionally, France remains a country where concert tickets are relatively affordable compared to some of its neighbours.
In France, the average price of a concert ticket in 2023 is 43 euros. But there are big disparities, with the best seats in some concerts being able to sell for more than 400 euros. Thus, during Beyoncé’s event concert at the Stade de France on May 26, tickets sold at prices ranging from 79 to 450 euros.
The study, based on the prices of 18 French cinemas of varying gauges in 2019, 2022 and 2023, reveals two things: first, “theatrical ticket prices have generally changed less than cumulative inflation over the period” . In contrast, the top seats at major venues “saw an increase above the level of inflation between 2019 and 2023.” The increase, very precisely, is around 22.7% in the stadiums.
“This study reveals that, yes, there is an increase”, summarizes Malika Seguineau, general manager of Prodiss. “But considering all the prices in Europe and beyond, in the United States, we remain one of the countries where tickets are the cheapest and still very accessible. Thus, if the best seat of Beyoncé’s concert sold for 450 euros in France, “in the United States, it is almost a thousand dollars”. On the other hand, on the same tour, the best place was at 425 euros in Spain, 436 euros in Belgium.
“Inflation, the economic crisis that impacts all economic sectors also impacts live performance”, explains Malika Seguineau. “When you start a tour, you go in trucks, you put in gas… Then you rent a venue, where there’s the impact of the rising energy cost, you have to set up stages, where there is the impact of the rising cost of hardware. »