Tracking the past price history of concert tickets can help fans make better purchasing decisions, find deals, and avoid overpaying for popular events. Whether you’re planning to buy tickets directly from a primary seller like Ticketmaster or through resale platforms like StubHub, understanding price trends can be invaluable. This article explains how to access past price information for concert tickets, strategies to find price patterns, and tools that can help you track ticket prices over time.
Why Look at Past Concert Ticket Prices?
Studying the price history of concert tickets has several advantages:
1. Timing Your Purchase: Ticket prices often fluctuate based on demand and other factors. Observing past trends can help you decide whether to buy tickets early or wait for potential price drops.
2. Budgeting: Knowing the average ticket prices for a specific artist or venue can help you budget for upcoming events.
3. Avoiding Overpricing: Resale platforms sometimes mark up ticket prices, especially close to the event date. Checking historical prices can help you avoid paying more than necessary.
How to Access Past Price Data for Concert Tickets
Although there isn’t a central database for historical concert ticket prices, several strategies and tools can help you gather this information.
1. Use Resale Platforms with Price Tracking Features
Certain resale platforms, such as StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats, offer insights into ticket price history. Here’s how to leverage them:
– StubHub: StubHub provides some price history information on select events, especially closer to the event date. If you’re looking at tickets for a popular artist or show, StubHub may display graphs showing price changes over recent days or weeks.
– SeatGeek: SeatGeek has a feature called Deal Score, which compares current ticket prices to previous listings. While it doesn’t provide full price history, it highlights if a particular ticket is above or below average value, helping you assess whether prices are relatively high or low.
– Vivid Seats: Like StubHub and SeatGeek, Vivid Seats occasionally offers insights into pricing trends, particularly around popular events. This platform sometimes shows price ranges based on past sales, though detailed price history may not always be available.
2. Utilize Historical Price Tracking Tools
Third-party tools can help track and analyze ticket prices:
– TicketIQ: TicketIQ compiles data from major ticket sites and provides historical pricing information for events. It also offers data on whether prices are rising or falling over time, helping you determine the best time to buy.
– TiqIQ Blog and Market Reports: TiqIQ (formerly TicketIQ) occasionally publishes blog posts and market reports analyzing ticket prices for major events. While it may not cover all concerts, you can find trends and insights for high-profile events and popular artists.
3. Search for Event Data on Ticketing Websites
Some ticketing websites, like Ticketmaster and Eventbrite, occasionally display limited historical price data or pricing tiers that reflect typical price points. To get this information:
1. Check Multiple Dates: If the artist has a tour or series of concerts, examine ticket prices for past events. This can give you a rough idea of typical price points.
2. Look for Price Tiers: Websites may display different tiers of pricing, such as general admission, VIP, and reserved seating. This helps you gauge the range of prices for similar concerts.
4. Browse Reddit and Fan Forums
Fans often discuss ticket prices on forums like Reddit or on fan-specific websites, sharing insights on when and where they bought tickets and how much they paid.
– Reddit: Subreddits like r/Concerts, r/TicketExchange, and even artist-specific subreddits can be valuable resources. Fans frequently post about ticket prices they encountered for different events, allowing you to observe potential patterns.
– Fan Forums: Many artist or band websites host dedicated fan forums. Fans there might share data on past ticket prices, particularly if an artist frequently tours or has special concerts.
5. Use Google Trends to Analyze Demand
Although Google Trends won’t provide direct ticket prices, it can help you gauge the level of demand for an artist or tour. Increased search interest often correlates with higher ticket prices, especially close to ticket release dates. Using Google Trends:
1. Go to trends.google.com.
2. Search for the artist or event name.
3. Compare search interest over time to understand peak periods, which might signal price increases due to demand.
Tips for Monitoring Future Ticket Prices
If past price history is limited, tracking future prices can also be helpful:
1. Set Price Alerts: Platforms like StubHub, Ticketmaster, and SeatGeek allow you to set price alerts. These notifications can help you monitor when prices drop, giving you an opportunity to grab tickets at a lower rate.
2. Follow Social Media and Newsletter Updates: Many artists and ticketing platforms announce flash sales or discounts via social media. Following official channels can alert you to deals and price drops.
3. Use Chrome Extensions: Some Chrome extensions like Honey and CamelCamelCamel (though primarily for retail) are beginning to explore ticketing sites for price tracking. Extensions like these may offer historical data if they expand into the concert ticket market.
Accessing past price history for concert tickets requires a bit of research and resourcefulness, but it can pay off by helping you save money and make informed purchasing decisions. By exploring resale platforms, using third-party tools, and leveraging fan communities, you can gain valuable insights into how concert ticket prices fluctuate. With a bit of planning, you’ll be well-prepared to grab tickets at the best possible price for your next concert experience.