Jack Antonoff Criticizes Live Nation CEO for Saying Concert Tickets Are ‘Underpriced’: A ‘Sick Way of Looking at It’

Jack Antonoff, the Grammy-winning producer and songwriter behind hits for Taylor Swift and Lorde, has publicly condemned Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino’s assertion that concert tickets are “underpriced.” Rapino made the controversial statement at the CNBC Sport and Boardroom’s Game Plan conference, arguing that live music is undervalued compared to sports. He suggested that while fans accept exorbitant prices for courtside NBA seats as a status symbol, an $800 ticket for an artist like Beyoncé generates public outrage. Rapino defended the industry by citing an average ticket price of $72 as a bargain.

In a sharp social media rebuttal, Antonoff described Rapino’s viewpoint as “a really sick way of looking at it.” The musician, who also fronts the rock band Bleachers, proposed a concrete solution: banning the resale of tickets above their original face value. He argued that such a measure would simplify the buying process and return control to artists, who often see their fanbase as a community rather than a revenue stream to be maximized. Antonoff added that encountering corporate justifications for high prices immediately prompts him to work with his team on creating fairer ticketing models. This clash highlights a growing ideological divide between artists focused on fan accessibility and executives prioritizing market-driven pricing.

Rapino’s comments emerged just as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster. The FTC alleges the companies engaged in "illegal" practices by secretly collaborating with ticket scalpers to buy blocks of tickets, artificially driving up prices and profits. This suit is separate from a major antitrust case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, which seeks to break up Live Nation’s alleged monopoly over the live events industry. Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland claimed the company’s dominance harms both fans and smaller competitors. Live Nation, which operates hundreds of venues and promotes thousands of events annually, has faced growing scrutiny over its market power.

This is not the first time Rapino has championed higher prices. Last year, he told a Goldman Sachs conference that concerts are "incredibly affordable," noting that 75% of tickets sell for under $100. In 2023, he similarly suggested to music industry commentator Bob Lefsetz that artists could "charge a bit more." However, these figures paint an incomplete picture. Data from Pollstar, the leading trade publication for the live music industry, shows the average ticket price for major tours hit a record $123 in 2024, with top acts like Bad Bunny averaging $290 per ticket—far exceeding the $72 average Rapino cited. This discrepancy underscores the gap between corporate rhetoric and the reality for fans seeking tickets to in-demand shows.

The situation is worsened by a thriving secondary market where resale prices frequently soar, a problem that has repeatedly stalled legislative action in Congress. As one industry analyst observed, "The core conflict is between short-term profit maximization and the long-term health of the artist-fan relationship, which is being severely tested." Live Nation, which reported $23 billion in revenue for 2024, has not commented on the recent lawsuits or Antonoff’s criticism. These ongoing legal and public battles reflect a fundamental struggle over value, equity, and control in the modern concert business, mirroring wider debates about corporate consolidation in the arts.