The little monsters will not be comfortable. Girl Gaga followers have swamped social media to complain about exorbitant ticket costs for the pop star’s Australian live shows, with many speculating that dynamic pricing is concerned – a declare the official ticketing company for the Melbourne and Brisbane reveals, Ticketmaster, has denied.
Off the again of her chart-topping album Mayhem, Girl Gaga is heading to Australia for the primary time in 11 years, with Stay Nation bringing the Mayhem Ball to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in December. Ticketmaster, which is owned by Stay Nation, is answerable for the ticket gross sales in Melbourne and Brisbane. Ticketek is individually dealing with the Sydney present, due to its affiliation with Sydney venue Accor Stadium.
Forward of the Melbourne pre-sales opening on Monday, Ticketmaster’s web site mentioned tickets “have been priced in advance by the tour from $113.06 to $1581.12”, excluding a ticket dealing with charge.
However followers swamped social media on Monday and Tuesday to complain that even seats within the nosebleeds had been costing lots of of {dollars}.
One fan posted a screenshot of the ticket costs for the Melbourne live performance at Marvel stadium, starting from $204.80 for standing-room tickets and $255.77 for tickets in stage 3 (the additional tier again) to $649.38 for tickets in stage 1 (the tier of seating closest to the stage).
“Dynamic pricing is on (ticket prices rise due to demand),” the fan wrote.
Dynamic or in-demand ticketing means ticket costs rise and fall in line with demand, very similar to Uber surge pricing or airline tickets. The apply has proved controversial with dwell music followers, who can discover themselves forking out lots of additional for a ticket, relying on once they purchase it.
One other posted a screenshot displaying a ticket within the again tier of seating at Marvel Stadium priced at nearly $500, writing: “No bloody way. I’m not paying that much for seats in the nosebleeds for Gaga. Bloody dynamic pricing.”
Some mentioned they had been seeing costs leap lots of of {dollars} whereas they had been queueing to purchase them.
Dynamic pricing can work the opposite method, too: Melbourne fan Jacinda Chenelle mentioned in a TikTok video that she had seen the value of the identical ticket scale back from $300 to $153 in lower than two hours.
On Wednesday through the Stay Nation presale, Guardian Australia was capable of finding a seat within the nosebleeds – stage 3 of Marvel stadium – promoting for $316.65. Stage 2 tickets had been out there for $609.28, stage 1 for $709.28, and a VIP ticket for the standing-room-only entrance part, with early entry, was promoting for $714.55.
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The varied costs for these tickets weren’t disclosed prematurely, and followers reported spending hours ready to succeed in the entrance of the queue earlier than discovering out the associated fee, whereas a countdown clock confirmed the diminishing window of time during which they needed to both buy or get kicked out of the sale.
Many followers have accused Ticketmaster and its guardian firm Stay Nation Leisure of turning on dynamic pricing for the presales.
Previously, each Ticketmaster and Ticketek have defended the apply, telling Guardian Australia costs had been set by artists and their groups. In addition they declare demand-driven pricing mitigates the issue of ticket scalping, when tickets are purchased and resold at inflated costs – although shopper rights group Selection has argued that the apply really makes it more durable to manage scalpers.
Ticketek, the official ticket agent for Girl Gaga’s Sydney present, advised Guardian Australia on Wednesday that pre-sale tickets for Sydney weren’t dynamically priced. However Ticketek’s web page for Girl Gaga’s live performance contains the warning that “the price of a ticket offered for sale for this event may increase or decrease anytime prior to the event, based on demand.”
A Ticketmaster spokesperson advised Guardian Australia: “Tickmaster does not have surge pricing or dynamic algorithms to adjust ticket prices. Tickets were priced in advance of the sale and set at the individual seat level.”
Demand for the 14-time Grammy award winner’s first Australian tour in 11 years was all the time going to be big, and coming off the again of her headline slot at Coachella on the weekend, on-line ticket queues for her Australian reveals reportedly reached upwards of 100,000.
On Tuesday, Stay Nation added a second Melbourne present, on 6 December, however some followers had been sad with this tactic. One fan posted beneath Stay Nation’s Fb publish asserting the second date: “Why can’t you release all show dates at once? There is always huge demand! Yet you release show dates one at a time.”
One other fan complained on X: “Two days ago we paid $726 for two tickets to Lady Gaga’s Melbourne show. Decent seats. Today, ONE ticket in the same bay for the second show is $649.”
Two days in the past we paid $726 for 2 tickets to Girl Gaga’s Melbourne present. Respectable seats. Right now, ONE ticket in the identical bay for the second present is $649.
Dynamic pricing can completely get fucked. pic.twitter.com/rPMEAXdI2n
— Natalie Webster. (@NatWebster) April 16, 2025
Tickets will go on basic sale on Thursday 17 April.
