From skyrocketing ticket prices to chaotic crowds, live music is facing serious challenges. Join us as we explore the decline of concert culture, examining Coachella's transformation into the "influencer Olympics" and the return of Fyre Festival. Is the authentic concert experience becoming a thing of the past?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to
00:01Welcome to Ms. Mojo and
00:06Welcome
00:10See, this is why we need to have a conversation about concert etiquette.
00:17Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're talking about the slow death of live music.
00:23Between raucous crowds, exorbitant ticket prices, and shows constantly getting cancelled,
00:28there are sadly more reasons than ever to pass up your favorite artist's tour.
00:33Did I want to go? Yes, but I'm not spending $2,000 to go see anybody.
00:40So how did we get here? Plus, what are the biggest takeaways from this year's Coachella,
00:45given the recent criticisms of the star-studded event? And wait a minute,
00:49they aren't actually putting on a Fyre Fest 2, are they? Oh my god, they are.
00:54Fyre 2 is real. My dream is finally becoming a reality.
00:59Coachella and the festival spectacle. Just one weekend in, Coachella 2025 has already
01:05experienced a number of ups and downs. On the bright side, Lady Gaga's set drew immense praise,
01:11Prodigy burst back onto the scene to get everyone moving, and Missy Elliott proved why she's the
01:17queen of hip-hop, and that she could be cast in the next Transformers movie.
01:26On the other hand, soaring temperatures could account for why so much of the crowd seemed unwilling
01:30to actually dance. An insane traffic jam turned the gridlocked highways into a post-apocalyptic
01:37wasteland. And the hotly anticipated Misfits set featured a number of technical difficulties.
01:43Basically, the low points can be summarized with this clip.
01:46Ticket sales are a good indicator of the event's fall from grace in recent years. Whereas 2014
01:55sold out in 40 minutes, 2024 took a full month for the first weekend to sell. While 2025's turnout
02:02seems to be a bit of an improvement, many are pointing to influencer fatigue as a major issue
02:07with the mega festival. Can't believe they didn't send a shuttle to pick us up. Like,
02:11I have an artist pass for a reason. According to a survey, 75% of respondents feel that influencers
02:17overshadow the primary purpose of Coachella, and 68% don't like the increasing presence of brands.
02:24But I thought Coachella was a music festival. I didn't realize that it was just a spot in the
02:30desert where a bunch of B-list nobody influencers go and sit around and soak up each other's vanity.
02:35It was recently dubbed the Influencer Olympics, with internet personalities being flown out to
02:41take photos in their Coachella fits, and then getting the hell out of the desert. So actually
02:46being at Coachella has seemingly become less important than pretending you're at Coachella.
02:51And it doesn't take much scrounging to identify why people would rather pack it up than actually
02:56wait around in the dunes. There's a bigger issue with live music today that's plaguing events both
03:01large and small. But before we can get to that conversation, we need to discuss Fyre Fest 2,
03:08because even we aren't convinced that this is really happening.
03:11This festival is never happening again. I hope they know that.
03:14It's being helmed by ex-convict Billy McFarland, the organizer of the first event,
03:19and we all know how that went.
03:21Shit got crazy.
03:22It became this looting mentality.
03:24The con man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud,
03:29but he was released early, just in time to throw together another heinous attempt at a world-class
03:33festival. Titled Fyre 2, with fire misspelled to indicate how edgy it is, the event is set for May
03:4030th in Isla Mujeres. Or actually no, they just changed it to Playa del Carmen because officials in
03:46Isla Mujeres claimed they were never contacted and no permits were ever issued. Hold on,
03:52it looks like Playa del Carmen is a bust too, because that local government also denies it's
03:56hosting the event. Adding fuel to the fire, no artists have even been confirmed yet. But tickets
04:02are on sale, with the cheapest available for $1,400 and the highest set at $1.1 million.
04:11Before we could even finish recapping this dumpster fire, it just got postponed with the promise of
04:17new dates coming soon. If purchasing a pricey ticket from a convicted fraudster for an event
04:23that has no set location, date, or bookings doesn't sound like a good deal, that's totally fair.
04:30I want to be one of the first festivals that can sell out with no artists.
04:33But you do have them booked.
04:35We're announcing the artists over the next few months, so I'm not in charge of booking the talent.
04:39Really, Fyre Fest encapsulates the major qualms concert goers have today.
04:44This overemphasis on luxurious live experiences that can't actually be delivered upon has cast
04:50some serious doubt on whether any concert is worth going to. So if Fyre Fest 2 does actually happen,
04:57then anyone who buys a ticket cannot complain about the literal shitshow waiting for them.
05:02Rather, something actually worth complaining about is...
05:06Insane prices and cancelled tours.
05:08So let's say your favorite artist is hitting your city, and you're willing to pay the price of
05:12admission. Well, you're facing an uphill battle. With Ticketmaster monopolizing the music scene,
05:18the company has faced a ton of scrutiny for its supposed surge pricing model,
05:22glitchy interface, and lengthy virtual queue times.
05:25This one that logged in since 8.30 and I refreshed got $28,000.
05:30This one that was logged in since 8.34 and I did not refresh got $24,000.
05:35My iPad down here, which I did not refresh and had been in the queue since 8.40, got $11,000.
05:41There's the pre-sale, the VIP pre-pre-sale, the Spotify fans' first pre-pre-pre-sale,
05:48and the official merch store quadruple pre-sale. As a side note, it's sort of backwards to ask your
05:54fans to pre-order a vinyl for an album that hasn't even come out yet if they want to increase their
05:59chances of securing a concert ticket via an early access code. The best case of the Ticketmaster
06:04squid games is undoubtedly the era's tour scandal. Swifties were rightfully pissed off to find that
06:10after waiting in line for what felt like an entire era, the website had crashed and Ticketmaster
06:16canceled the sale. Ticketmaster's website did crash. This is why I'm not recommending refreshing
06:21if you make it to the queue. Multiple class action lawsuits were filed against parent company
06:26Live Nation Entertainment, and even Tay-Tay herself called out the brand for the fiasco.
06:31I'm not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them multiple times if they could handle
06:37this kind of demand, and we were assured they could. Despite this, we've apparently learned
06:42nothing. Earlier this year, Gaga's Mayhem Ball tickets went on sale, dynamic pricing and all.
06:48Nosebleeds sold for $600, and Pitt tickets went for upwards of $2,000. It's not just Gaga,
06:55though. In 2024, the average ticket price was $135. The cost to see your favorite artist live was
07:03never this offensively high in the past. Even adjusted for inflation, tickets used to be far
07:08cheaper. In today's world, the low-revenue takeaway for streaming has motivated artists to charge more
07:14for show admission to make up for lost profits. In a phenomenon termed funflation, Gen Z in particular
07:21are actually willing to stretch their budget for a chance to get in on the action.
07:24Prices are a function of demand, and demand is really strong. People want experiences.
07:30So artists continue to get away with it. The saddest part about all this is that while the music
07:34platforms make big bucks off streams, and artists make big bucks off tickets, the ones who truly get
07:40exploited are the fans. More and more, concerts just feel inaccessible thanks to these skyrocketing
07:47prices.
07:47And I think concerts should never be costing this much. Look what this are. That is the stage.
07:53That's the ticket there. Row 15. Like...
07:57Even if you do secure a ticket, it doesn't mean you're actually going to get to see the show,
08:01though. In a worrying trend, more and more cancellations have become the norm.
08:06FKA Twigs was dragged up and down the internet by fans for cancelling dates in her Eusexua tour
08:12as late as the day before. Disgruntled concertgoers pointed out that they'd already flown into the city
08:18where the event was being held, and her radio silence was insulting.
08:21And didn't I do it for you? Why don't I do it for you?
08:29She'd later cancelled the remainder of her North America tour and Coachella performance,
08:34citing missing set pieces, and finally released a statement that visa issues had interrupted
08:39her ability to appear. Just last year, the Black Keys had to abandon their entire stadium tour as well,
08:58recently speaking out to expose their management team for mishandling the entire affair.
09:03Jennifer Lopez pulled a similar stunt too, forcing fans to scramble for refunds. While Taylor and
09:09Beyonce sold out mega tours, this trend points to a decline in fans' willingness to shell out
09:14stadium-seeding cash for acts that aren't massively popular. This tumultuous climate has left the
09:20industry in a bit of a tailspin, and there's still one more major crisis that needs to be spotlighted.
09:26Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
09:31our latest videos. You'll have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
09:36If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:42The Concert Going Experience
09:44So you waited in a virtual queue, you paid top dollar, the event didn't get cancelled,
09:50and you just made it through the door to see the indie girl you stan take the stage.
09:54Congrats! But are you sure you're actually going to be able to enjoy yourself?
09:58That overly intoxicated guy behind you in the pit might hurl on your feet.
10:02The gaggle of squealing teens who snuck in with fakes might all shove themselves in front of you
10:07despite there already being no elbow room. That overdressed streamer might whack you with her
10:12angel wings the entire night. Your view could be blocked by a sea of arms holding up cell phones.
10:17Or maybe the performer will have to stop the show because deranged fans keep throwing random
10:22objects on stage.
10:23Don't you notice how people are like forgetting
10:26show etiquette at the moment? Like people are throwing shit on stage. Have you seen that?
10:29A f***ing ding. Ding for something I mean I'm not f***ing you.
10:34It sounds overly pessimistic. And all of this is not to say that concert going experiences can't be fun.
10:40But this sort of entitled, toxic behavior has become an increasingly rampant issue at live events in recent years.
10:46And it's being called out online by both ticked off fans and the artists themselves.
10:52Don't throw shit at concerts, huh? And if you guys do know who threw it, we can get them out of here.
10:57Whoever found out who did it.
10:59Singer Mitski has been incredibly outspoken about feeling like she's being taken from
11:03and consumed as content when trying to connect with the crowd.
11:07A clip of Lorde shushing her audience made its rounds after they began to sing over her.
11:12I am my mother's child. I love you till my breathing stops.
11:18Both Kid Cudi and Harry Styles recently stormed off stage after being hit with flying items.
11:28Yo, I'm gonna walk off this stage. If y'all throw one more f***ing thing up here, I don't leave.
11:34Bebe Rexha even required stitches after a cell phone split her eyebrow open.
11:39The list goes on.
11:40Really, the post-COVID landscape is to blame for the shift toward utter chaos.
11:45With live events on pause in 2020, then slowly returning toward the end of 2021,
11:51many young people felt they were missing out on the formative concert-going experience.
11:55So when the floodgates were reopened, demand to attend live events skyrocketed.
11:59And in the process, all sense of decorum went out the window.
12:04This fall was chocolate and I'm f***ing in my first time.
12:08The viral clips of scantily clad influencers at mega concerts and festivals created a sense of FOMO.
12:15The need to prove you made it to the show became paramount.
12:18By posting a series of shaky, blown-out videos on your Instagram story that your friends will surely tap through.
12:24And so, the pit has become a total free-for-all.
12:32Spilled drinks, thrown fists, and all.
12:35It's chaotic nights like these that make many opt for a quiet piano bar or movie concert instead.
12:42So, is the live music industry really facing an existential threat?
12:45There is some hope.
12:47Concerts have always been about creating a communal space for superfans to share in the joy of their favorite albums.
12:53To see the artists who've helped them through rough days perform the songs they belt out in the shower.
12:59Concert etiquette can improve.
13:01In fact, it needs to.
13:03Artists rely on butts in seats or feet in pits to make their income.
13:08At the same time, COVID has made us all more comfortable with finding entertainment at home.
13:12And a looming recession has incentivized many to opt out of overpriced concert tickets.
13:18$820-something dollars?
13:19Like, what is up with that?
13:21And I'm not sitting in the back.
13:22Like, I might as well just watch it on TV then.
13:25This post-pandemic funflation surge could come to a crashing halt at any moment.
13:30So, if you're not Beyonce, you need to actually motivate your fans to show up.
13:34In order for nature to heal, things have to shift back to a space where it's both feasible and worth going to a show again.
13:40By offering more tour dates and more affordable entry options, artists could usher in a less manic crowd.
13:47By addressing the absurd online ticketing scandals, there could be better transparency about an event's true cost.
13:54And by responding to the cries for tamer crowds, fans could put in a greater effort to respect the artist and everyone around them.
14:01This slow death of live music doesn't have to actually end in a death.
14:06Instead, all this angst should lead to a moment of reflection, so that we can all get back to celebrating music without feeling the need to declare,
14:13I finna be in the pit.
14:15What do you think about the state of live music?
14:18What price are you willing to pay to see your favorite artist tour?
14:22Vent to us in the comments below.
14:24Like, I bought these pit tickets, I need these pit tickets.
14:27She's like, well, we can't give them to you.
14:29Like, the seller, we can't get in touch with him, blah, blah, blah.
14:31And I was just like, what are you talking about?
14:34So, I go on the internet.