Seeing your favorite artist onstage has never been more expensive. In the 1960s, a ticket to see The Beatles could cost around $5. In 2024, the average concert ticket in the US was nearly $136. And on the resale market, prices can jump to almost double that, with some Taylor Swift fans paying thousands of dollars for a single seat.

Business Insider spoke with individuals across the live music ecosystem — including Live Nation and Ticketmaster, resale sites like StubHub, musicians, lawyers, government officials, music journalists, and fans — to unravel why concert tickets have become so expensive and why many people believe the system is rigged against ordinary fans.