Why is Music So Expensive These Days?

 The Art They Are Working So Hard To Keep Us From

By Mikii B

Art is for the people. Art is a reflection of life. Art is vulnerability, connection, and community. Art can start a revolution. And that’s exactly why, my friends, they have worked so hard to keep music away from us. Arguably, music is the most universal, easily digestible and sub-culture forming spirited type of art out there (please note how I did say arguably). 

This connection between music and movements, uprisings, and dare I say it again, communities, is one that has been long documented. From the Call-and-Response and Oral Storytelling of resilience and unity in slave songs, to 1920s, country music that expressed frustrations with the ever-growing pressure from wartime debt and need for strong faith. Following all the way to how folk music skyrocketed in popularity in the 1960s, as a response to civic unrest and united protesting. I will also never fail to take a moment to shine a spotlight on Punk, which has developed a community that often follows a code of strong political beliefs. Music is expression and music has the power to change the world. Which is why a wall has been built, separating humanity from this form of art. This long, lengthy history lesson in a blog aims to explore why music is so expensive these days.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed, we’ve all felt our wallets become lighter and bank accounts get emptier anytime we want to buy another limited edition of the same Taylor Swift album that features a different picture of her in the front cover this time. Or a more universal experience that negatively affects your dopamine rush of going to see your favorite artist, the fight against the Scalper Babies in the Ticketmaster queue. It’s all madness, but the worst thing of all is when you get that email knowing that your monthly access to music is going to get even more expensive. So why is this happening? 

Unfortunately my friends, Superman will not be able to get us out of this situation this time. However, we can still study this phenomenon. In July 2026, Forbes confirmed that Apple Music will be raising its price once again. The last time this happened was in 2020, when the price went from the original launch price of $9.99 (2015) to $10.99 a month. This year Apple Music subscriptions have been increased by one to three dollars. With the streaming service now becoming $11.99 a month for single plans and $19.99 a month for a family plan. Spotify, on the other hand, has infamously been raising its prices steadily for the past 3 years. They have been adding a dollar more each year. In 2022, Spotify was only $9.99 for an individual plan and has slowly crept up to $12.99 a month in 2026. I’ve even felt it with my YouTube family plan going from $23 a month to well over $30 overnight. It’s depressing, and it makes you wonder, “WHY CAPITALISM, WHY?” Apple Music gave Forbes this answer in the same article, stating an increase on licensing fees.

Sure, we can argue that studios have to be more competitive and spend more on fancy production equipment since you can practically build a studio off of whatever you’re reading this on. However, that doesn’t seem to answer the frustration many have had towards companies like Ticketmaster and Live Nation. There’s no denying my friends that these companies have been pricing us out. According to a different Forbes article, ticket prices between 2019 and 2024, have gone up 50%. They also predict that by 2030, ticket prices would have gone up another 7.2%, so say goodbye to your seats at Cher’s 50th farewell tour. Europe has combated this by creating anti-scalper law that was passed back in 2019! Again, I ask, “WHY CAPITALISM, WHY?’ 

In the same article, Forbes does suggest that TikTok has caused many artists to explode in popularity, resulting in an insatiable demand that can lead to dynamic pricing. This is something I’ve lamentably experienced before. My whole life, Pierce the Veil tickets were always so affordable, even when they went on tour with Sleeping With Sirens. Which is crazy to think about, because you knew that going to that show, you would be getting the quintessential performance of King for a Day live. However, it still was affordable. But not in 2023, a ticket that has cost me in the past $50 had gone up to well over $300. Sure, it was a span of like 9 years, but that’s still a big jump. I had a streak where I saw them at least once every year from their return. This was from 2022 to 2024, and each year the price got higher.

My friends these days are looking pretty grim. I would say buy physical media, but the thrift store teens have cleaned up the Goodwill and now all the good stuff is now gone. I do think though, no matter how hard they try, they will never fully take music away from the people. If there is a will, there is a way. Public spaces will always be a great place to share music. Public libraries have an endless catalog of CD’s and in all different genres. Go into a Hot Topic or a record store and sit and listen. Perhaps, if you are so inclined to do so, ask a stranger to share an earbud. We will brace these waves of inflation and tariffs and a world without anti-scalper laws together my friends. We will not only survive, but some day soon, thrive.