Any avid concertgoer has been through the dreaded process of modern-day ticket buying. The hours-long queues, using multiple devices to enter a presale, and the urge to check your bank account to afford a show.
This is the struggle for live music fans across the U.S. who are just trying to see their favorite artist perform in concert. Amid a monopolized market with inflated prices and no recourse in sight, scoring concert tickets isn’t an easy process.
JustGamblers just released a new ranking, according to The Hill, that determines the likeliness of getting a concert ticket in any given state based on a variety of factors, including the number of venues visited on some of the country’s biggest tours, an average venue capacity, and the ticket demand. Additionally, the ranking looked into how many times an artist would visit the same state.
The Golden State took the No. 1 spot on the ranking, as California has been a major hub for high-profile tours this year including Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce.
“Overall, California boasts the highest likelihood of securing tickets, largely due to how often artists stop in the state and the high number of venues they visit,” JustGamblers said.
These states also ranked high in terms of scoring a concert ticket: Illinois, Minnesota, Florida, and Texas. Minnesota was ranked among the best for venues, while California and Illinois both tied for the most-visited state for concertgoers.
On the other end of the spectrum, Rhode Islanders are out of luck. The Ocean State ranked last among those trying to score concert tickets. The state, which is the smallest in the U.S., rarely makes the cut on tours. Rhode Island was not the only state in the Northeast with some troubles — Connecticut and Vermont were also ranked among the worst states to score tickets, followed by New Hampshire, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Hawaii.
“There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the difficulty of securing tickets for tours, especially given complications with platforms like Ticketmaster and the rising prevalence of scalpers,” a JustGamblers spokesperson told the Hartford Courant. “However, beyond this, it’s clear that some states are at a greater disadvantage than others based on variables like local competition, venue availability, and how frequently a state hosts a show – and, surprisingly, some states are ignored by artists altogether.”
