High ticket prices mean BLINKS miss out
BLACKPINK are undoubtedly the most popular girl group in the world, but does that mean their concert tickets should come at a luxury for fans?
BLACKPINK [BORN PINK] WORLD TOUR Europe 2022 tickets on sale now. Image: YG Entertainment Official. BLACKPINK.
Pre-sale tickets for the highly anticipated BLACKPINK [BORN PINK] WORLD TOUR Europe 2022 are finally on sale, with general tickets set to be available on the morning of Friday 16 September.
Unusually, pre-sale tickets are available to anybody regardless of BLINK Membership, as presale codes were never sent to members, meaning anyone searching for tickets for the tour has early-access prior to general sale.
BLACKPINK will be performing at the O2 Arena in London during their European leg of the tour, and are predicted to sell out the 20,000 capacity venue.
However, ticket prices have left some BLINKS feeling dejected.
“Three years ago I probably would’ve sat on my phone waiting excitedly for tickets, but now I don’t think I can justify it. They haven’t even really got a full album.
I don’t regret not getting tickets. If they’d been £65 flat out then I probably would’ve done, but after all the fees… It’s ridiculous...
I paid less than that for Harry Styles in Wembley Stadium.”
General prices for the tour at the O2 Arena range between £77.35 and £181.85 for seated and standing respectively, whilst VIP tickets reach over £1,000.
What is included in the Ultimate Born Pink VIP Experience?
Money might not buy you happiness but it can buy you BLACKPINK VIP tickets which is kind of the same thing, right?
BLINKS willing to pay the somewhat hefty VIP prices will gain access to:
Standing floor or premium reserved seats
An exclusive check-in queue
The VIP lounge with complimentary food and beverage
One parking space per transaction
Priority access to sound check after the show
Commemorative tour gifts
A VIP laminate with a custom designed lanyard
Crowd free merchandise shopping opportunity, and if that wasn’t enough,
A photo opportunity on stage.
Why are the tickets so expensive?
The O2 is classed as the world’s number one arena and the speculative average rental costs for an artist performing for two nights at the venue sits at around £2.6 million.
The O2 is the world’s best arena and has a capacity of 20,000. Image: The O2.
Factoring in the costs of marketing materials, staff wages, food and beverages, stage equipment, merchandise production, travel between venues, and venue rental it doesn’t come as a surprise that such a big-name group as BLACKPINK would charge the amount they are for tickets.
However, concerts have never been more important to the well-being of fans in this post-pandemic society, which has seen people spend several months on end stuck indoors with little to no leisurely outlet.
And as the cost of living continues to increase, unfortunately, it seems many people still won’t be granted the form of release that a concert can provide.
BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA 2019. Image: Vince Li (Cherry Chu Magazine).
Since the tickets for the BLACKPINK [BORN PINK] WORLD TOUR are already set above the UK average (£50.97 in London), any ticket touts who inevitably managed to sweep up a bunch of seats will be re-selling for even more extortionate prices.
Will the concert be a sell-out?
In 2021, BLACKPINK and H&M launched a line of collaborative merch, clearly marketed towards trendy young fans with disposable income to spend in high-street stores.
BLACKPINK X H&M.
A 2019 survey also showed that traffic towards the BLACKPINK ticket pages mostly came from audiences between 14-18 years old, comprising 41% of the page’s overall traffic. So it’s clear that the majority of fans hoping to get tickets for BLACKPINK’s latest tour will be young female fans.
The National Minimum Wage for those under 18 years of age is £4.81, as of April 2022, and £6.83 for 18-20 year olds. Children under 16 are not entitled to National Minimum Wage.
This means that an 18-year-old BLINK looking to buy their own ticket would have to work at least 11 hours to afford the lowest tier of ticket available.
Most young fans will look towards a parent or guardian, with a steady source of income, in the hopes of garnering a ticket.
Unfortunately, as working class people are being “priced-out” of enjoying live music, it seems that BLACKPINK’s [BORN PINK] WORLD TOUR will come at a luxury for many UK BLINKS.
Edited by Gabii Rayner
