[bryans]

Performers don't actually want to be bleeding dry their fans' bank accounts. They are forced to participate in that system if they want to play at any venue over a particular capacity, all of whom have strict partnerships with TM. In that system, the performers have virtually zero input or control over the ticket price, and often have tight restrictions on where and how often they can perform at these venues.

So, it's not a matter of scarcity, but a matter of one company hyper-maximizing profits based on an illusion of scarcity that they create. And the only intention is to con middle and low-income families into spending exorbitant sums to see their favorite performers, while the labels and marketing agencies spend millions to convince them the shows shouldn't be missed. It's all by design.

Seeing a concert should not be a once in a decade event, and for many families, it currently is. And the only people preventing them from seeing those shows are a handful of executives at a couple of companies, for the sake of absolutely absurd profit margins.

[InitialLastName]

The other part is that the scale of large musicians has grown so big (the biggest 100+ artists in the US have selling-out-stadiums-anywhere-on-earth scale) that there is effectively unlimited demand for their shows at any price.

If you want to see Blink-182, Pearl Jam or Taylor Swift, yes it's difficult and expensive. On the other hand, tier 2 artists have nowhere near that difficulty. You could see the Violent Femmes tomorrow night in Red Bank, NJ for $50/ticket [0]. You could see Illuminati Hotties for $30 in Brooklyn [1]. You can find local bands and see them probably for the cost of a few drinks at a bar.

[0] https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1D005CCDD5B03A72

[1] https://www.axs.com/events/432872/illuminati-hotties-tickets