Perry expensive
Punters in Glasgow pay most in UK for gig tickets
SCOTTISH gig-goers are being forced to pay more than anyone else in the UK to see their favourite music acts, it has been revealed.
A study by travel site Wanderu discovered the standard price for concerts in Glasgow is more expensive compared to the same show by artists such as Katy Perry and U2 in other parts of Britain.
The report looked at tours by major acts to see how ticket prices varied in the UK and Europe.
Wanderu’s Staffo Dobrev said: “We analysed the price points for 14 large-scale arena tours that took place in 2017 or are scheduled to occur in 2018.
“Those included tours by global music superstars such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Shakira, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith and Shania Twain, among others.
“It was quite a surprise that Glasgow came out as the most expensive city for concertgoers in the UK.
“We had assumed London would end up in that position as it is one of the most expensive cities in the world, as well as one of the preferred entertainment destination for millions of travellers across the world.
“However, prices for almost all tours we examined were higher in Glasgow.”
The price shock comes despite Glasgow’s reputation for music thanks to shows at venues such as the city’s Barrowland, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and SSE Hydro as well as the new music festival TRNSMT.
In 2008, the city was named UNESCO City of Music.
But taking London as the average with a baseline ticket price of £100, Wanderu calculated that Glasgow tickets are £104.61, with Manchester the cheapest major city in the UK to see a concert, priced at just £95.48.
Dobrev added: “The first thing that stands out when you look at the UK chart is London’s unexpected second place.
“Though it’s one of the most expensive cities in the world, and a preferred entertainment destination for millions of travellers, the British capital concedes the top spot to Glasgow, where a concert ticket will cost you roughly four per cent more.”
As well as tickets for shows in Glasgow being the most expensive in the UK, it also came fifth most expensive in Europe, behind affluent Vienna, Munich, Hamburg and Zurich.
Shows in Lisbon, Portugal, are almost 30 per cent cheaper than those in Glasgow.
The study is another blow for Scottish music fans who are often forced to pay over the odds to see music acts due to ticket touts and secondary ticketing websites.
The Rolling Stones recently became the first big name act to call on the Government to take action after the pre-sale of their UK tour, including a show at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on June 9, was hijacked by touts.
Earlier this week, the Advertising Standards Authority cracked down on ticket resale websites, banning misleading pricing information by StubHubUK, Viagogo, Seatwave and GetMeIN!
They ruled they were not clear about additional ticket fees and charges added at the end of the booking process.
Viagogo were also banned from using the term “official site” and claiming that consumers had a 100 per cent guarantee of entry.