Coldplay Has the Cheapest Big Tour in the World
With the prices of oil, eggs and hotels skyrocketing, Coldplay has gone in the opposite direction. The band is charging an average of $77.80 per ticket on their latest tour, which is at least 25% less than every other act in the top 10. None of the others come in under $100.
Coldplay’s average ticket price is less than half of what it costs to see Bad Bunny, who is the top grossing performer on tour so far this year. It’s even cheaper than what Coldplay charged five or six years ago.
“Coldplay, specifically, has always been a band that is very cognizant of ticket prices, routinely charging less than they could demand,” said Ray Waddell, president of Media at the Oak View Group, which owns the concert industry publication Pollstar.
The relative affordability has been good for business. In the months of March and April, Coldplay sold more tickets than any other act, selling out stadiums across 11 stops in Costa Rica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Along the way, the band grossed about $40 million, more than anyone but Bad Bunny.
The concert sales pushed Coldplay into the top 10 of Bloomberg’s Pop Star Power Rankings for the months of March and April, situated between Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo.
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In recent years, the popularity of Coldplay’s recorded music has dipped. The band sold at least 10 million copies of its first four albums and more than 3 million of the next few. But it hasn’t come close to those numbers with “Everyday Life,” released in 2019, or “Music of the Spheres,” which came out last year.
Even so, the demand to see the band’s live performances has ballooned. Coldplay’s last tour grossed almost $500 million across 2016 and 2017. It was the third best-selling tour in both years, outdoing the likes of Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks.
Coldplay’s music still appeals to the diehards who loved their earliest work, many of whom are now in their 40s and 50s, while also reeling in some younger fans.
“They have a huge catalog that appeals to a wide range of people,” said Larry Webman, their agent at Wasserman Music. The band can play an entire show of hit songs and still have a few of their classics left unsung.
In the years since Coldplay was last on the road, the price of top concerts has climbed about 9%, according to Pollstar. The rising cost of gasoline and touring staff has pushed some acts to flirt with an average ticket price of $200.
But while planning its current tour, Coldplay decided to keep the prices about the same as when it last hit the road, in part, due to the uncertainty of Covid, Webman said. The band didn’t know who would feel comfortable coming to a show with 50,000 strangers. To ensure they had no trouble selling tickets, the band went after a strong opening act. H.E.R., the award-winning singer-songwriter, is opening for Coldplay for most of this tour.
Offering tickets at lower prices also allows Coldplay to sell out stadiums. It is one of the only acts on tour right now playing at football stadiums that can seat upwards of 70,000 people. The larger the audience, the more merchandise that gets sold.
“This is one of the biggest bands in the world,” Waddell said. “They have their formula down and have figured out how to price for their audience, and they still want to attract new fans too.”