The Best Websites for Buying Concert Tickets

Your favorite band is in town—it’s time to buy concert tickets! But where should you buy from? Here are a few factors to consider.

Do you remember your first concert?

The excitement, the thrill, the perspiration—all from seeing your favorite band up on the stage, live before your very eyes, belting out the tunes you know and love.

Most people remember their first concert so fondly that they want more and more of the same experience. Because, unlike sports, theater, or other live events, music is on a different plane altogether; it reaches emotional depths that no other form of entertainment can.

So, how often do you go to concerts?

Are you one of those people who take concert-going very seriously and make sure to see their favorite bands every time they’re in town? Or are you less religious about it, simply enjoying the infrequent concert every now and then?

No matter which kind of person you are, you’ll want to buy your concert tickets from a reliable source and get the best deal possible—this will contribute to the overall good vibes you get from the experience.

Fortunately today, there are more options than ever for buying concert tickets. When deciding which website to buy tickets from, here are some factors to consider:

• The reliability and trustworthiness of the site

• The site’s specialty—does it sell only concert tickets or tickets to all kinds of live events?

• The prices

• Can you sell tickets on the site too?

• The site’s general ease-of-use

When you consider which factors are most important to you, it can help narrow down your options and zero in on the best website to get you those sought-after concert tickets.

Reliability

You’ve probably heard stories from friends who bought concert tickets from someone on Facebook or a local Whatsapp group, and ended up being duped. Buying tickets from reputed, respected websites is a great way to avoid this.

TicketMaster is probably the most famous and well-respected ticket-seller (it’s existed for ages), but there are many others. Vivid Seats, StubHub, Viagogo, TicketsNow, and Ticket Network are just a few examples of sites that offer some sort of buyer guarantee, which means that you won’t end up paying a lot of money and then getting bupkis.

Concert Specialty

Diehard music fans may prefer getting their concert tickets from a site that focuses solely on concerts, as opposed to sites that sell concert tickets in addition to tickets for sporting events, theater, comedy, and other live performances. Live Nation is one site that focuses only on concerts, and could be a good option for serious music fans.

Buying Tickets That Don’t Break the Bank

As everyone knows, concert tickets aren’t cheap, and frequent attendance may leave you with a bank balance that you’re less than happy with. Which is why it’s especially important for frequent concert-goers to get the best prices on tickets.

While some concert tickets will be expensive no matter what, you’d be surprised at the prices you can find for headliners like Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, U2, and others.

Where can you get the best prices or great deals?

TicketMaster always has some sort of tickets on sale; though they might not be what you’re looking for. SeatGeek combs the internet for concert tickets and then shows you which ones are the best bargains. TicketIQ is yet another site that offers deals; in fact, the site guarantees that tickets listed as “Low Price Guarantee” are the cheapest on the market—if you find tickets for cheaper, the company will beat the difference by 200%.

Selling Tickets

Let’s say you buy concert tickets online, and right after you get your confirmation email, you remember that you have your great-aunt’s grandson’s engagement party that same night, and even Aerosmith can’t help you get out of it.

What can you do with the tickets you just bought?

Log right back onto the site you bought them from, post them for sale, and make your money back once someone buys them. In fact, selling tickets online is so popular that most online sites offer this option; specifically StubHub, which you might expect, as it is owned by eBay.

The only sites that don’t offer individual selling options are TicketMaster, TicketLine, and TicketIQ.

General Comfort and Ease-of-Use

While comfort is the last thing you look for in an actual concert, when it comes to buying concert tickets, comfort is an advantage.

You may like the look and feel of one site more than another. Or a specific site might be more intuitive to you, or might be easier to use on your smartphone. You may need a site that has an app, which will rule out sites like TicketsNow and Ticket Network.

With so many sites and apps offering similar options, your make-or-break factor might just be your general comfort and ease-of-use—what feels best to you.

Experiences Beat Material Objects

If you love going to concerts but find it hard to justify shelling out your hard-earned cash on an event that only lasts a few hours, here’s some food for thought:

The old way of thinking went, “The more material objects I buy, the happier I’ll be.” But current research actually shows the opposite—people who spend money on experiences end up feeling happier than those who spend their money on material objects.

There are many reasons for this, including the idea that experiences contain a social component, which humans thrive on; that experiences define our purpose and passions; that experiences create great memories, which we cherish, and more.

So if you’re feeling guilty about the money you spend on concert tickets, just remember that the experience you’re giving yourself won’t only last a few hours; it will last a lifetime. Moreover, it can contribute to your overall happiness—and that’s priceless, right?