UPDATE: Drake and 21 Savage add 14 new tour dates including a fifth Los Angeles show date for August 15 at the KIA Forum. Tickets for the new dates will be available beginning with the general onsale on Friday, March 17. Onsale start times vary by city, be sure to check your local listings to get the exact time for your zone.
Excited fans taking part in Drake’s Cash App presale were greeted with an upleasant surprise on Wednesday, March 15 when they saw the crazy expensive ticket prices and services fees to attend Drake’s and 21 Savage’s ‘It’s All A Blur’ Tour.
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With standard general admission tickets for nosebleed (those are the worst tix, btw) starting at $137 and going up to $495+ as you get closer to the stage, fans were outraged that Drake ticket prices were so expensive. They nearly double the price of a Beyonce nosebleed ticket.
How Much Are Drake Tickets?
Tickets to Drake’s 2023 tour cost $137 to $495+ for standard general admission tickets (give or take depending on you city / venue). That price jumps to $173 to $869+ when you add services fees and on top of those service fees, an additional “order processing fee of up to $6 may be added to each order.”
Consdiering Drake and his camp did not do away with dynamic pricing or official platinum tickets for his tour, unlike The Cure (who made sure there would be no dynamic pricing and ticket prices would be fair and assesible for fans), it really says a lot about the artist and their management when they list their starting ticket price at $137. Even Beyonce had more affordable nose-bleed ticket prices ($76).
It’s also worth noting that it’s the artist that sets the ticket face value price. Also, recent legislation called the FAIR Ticketing Act now grant artists the ability to ban scalper websites from reselling their tour tickets. Artists also have the option to not allow “dynamic pricing” or “official platinum” tickets sales.
Unlike The Cure, it appears Drake and his camp did not choose these options that make buying concert tickets a more fair experience, and more finanically accessbile to your average concert-goer.
With service fees, Drake’s starting ticket price for his upcoming tour cost $171 (give or take). And don’t forget that aforementioned “processing fee.”
How Much Are Drake Service Fees?
If you thought the face value of Drake’s ticket prices were crazy, those service fees make it sting real hard. Service fees per ticket for Drake and 21 Savage were $78.35 for a $400 ticket. Some fans incurred a $66.30 service fee for a Drake ticket that cost $399.50. And don’t foreget Ticketmaster’s processing fee!
Please note: ticekt prices and service fees vary by city and venue. Select a Drake tour date near you to see what you will be paying.
Where Do Those Service Fees Go?
While everyone loves to blame Ticketmaster for the pains of service fees (also known as a convenience charge), it aint’ all them. But they’re defintiely a part of the problem.
First, let’s kick off with the face value of a ticket. That is the base price set by the aritst and their management.
Next, let’s dissect those awful service fees. Truth be told, service fees are set by the artist, venue, promoter and ticket seller/broker (in this case the ticket seller is Ticketmaster.). The service fees vary by concert. The service fees collected are shared with Ticketmaster, venue, promoter — and guesss who else … yes, the artist!
Finally, there’s the facitly fee. This goes to the venue where the artist is performing. Ticketmaster does not share in facility charges, the simply collect them for venues.
What About Dynamic Pricing and Official Platinum Tickets?
Ugh. Dynanmic prcing and official platinum tickets are a shady practice. That’s when the ticket prices change in an instant based on demand. This, for the most part, is all on the ticket seller, aka Ticketmaster.
Just recenlty however, Ticketmaster has left it up to the artist if they want to take part in “dynamic pricing” or “official platinum” tickets sales. It seems like Drake and his camp were fine with that … unlike The Cure who made sure dynamic pricing would not be allowed.
Also, recent legislation called the FAIR Ticketing Act now grant artists the ability to ban scalper websites from reselling their tour tickets. Drake and his camp did not elect to put that fairness in place. You can see this measure set in place for the benefit of fans with The Cure’s current on sale.
P.S. We reached out to Drake’s media contact for comment. Stay tuned.
