Prices out of the Pitt: how can students enjoy the music scene?

It’s Glastonbury 1995. We don’t have a spreadsheet or a savings plan; we’ve got a beat-up

Renault Clio, a tent that smells of damp, and tickets that cost us… £65. For that, we’re

prepping for five days of Oasis, Pulp, and The Cure. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about £130

today.

Fast forward to 2026, and a Glastonbury ticket will set you back £373.50, plus fees. For the

average student, that’s not just a "treat", that’s two months of shopping or about 62 pop tarts

tickets! But in all seriousness, we’re watching the gentrification of live music. While pit tickets get scooped up in Ticketmaster auctions by the highest bidder, real fans watch from their sofas, belting out every word to a pixel on their telly.

We can’t let this be the future of the British music scene which birthed some of the greatest

working class bands and artists in the world. Queen, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Sam Fender,

Adele, The Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths, The Beatles, Amy Winehouse… the list really does

go on. Without people buying their tickets in their early days, they wouldn’t be winning every award under the sun, selling out arenas.

Recent headlines have been dominated by the outrage following Harry Styles’ latest

residency announcement. Starting at an initially accessible £44, the reality of dynamic

pricing and VIP packages saw some tickets soaring to an eye-watering £725. The average

student would have to work every evening shift for a week to begin to afford just one

standing ticket! Not very “Treat People With Kindness” of you Mr. Styles.

It’s looking up though. Olivia Dean has spoken out against Ticketmaster, calling their

platform “exploitative” and “rife with inequality”. While we wait for Ticketmaster to address the inaccessibility issues, we reckon you have a look elsewhere, by supporting smaller

artists and businesses. If we give the big corporations reason to believe grassroots music is

where to put their cash, it will be a win for us all.

The grassroots scene is where the soul of music actually lives, the passion, dedication and

grit needed to perform alongside juggling other jobs. It’s impressive and it’s student-budget

friendly.

Look into the Music Venue Trust (MVT). You can use their map to find local independent

venues. These spots are currently fighting for survival and need student support more than

ever. While apps like DICE & Resident Advisor focus heavily on smaller gigs and often have

"no-fee" structures or easy, fair-price resale options.

Support the support. If you are lucky enough to see your favourite artist live, keep an eye on

their support artist. Take Sam Fender, his support artists this summer CMAT and Olivia Dean have gone on to win countless awards, with Olivia scooping up BRIT award after BRIT

award this year.

Look no further than a tribute band. The reality is, for the average student, seeing your favourite Grammy winning artist is nigh on impossible. Wander down to your local student bar though, £4 pint and a performance from Stevie Nicks? It must be the 70s after all.

While Harry and Taylor are busy breaking records, and our bank accounts, there’s

thousands of kids up and down the country playing their heart out in a pub ten minutes away for the price of a pint. If we swap the soul-crushing Ticketmaster queues for the sticky floors of a local independent, we’ll send a roar of a message to the industry. We aren't just 'consumers' to be milked, we're fans. Go see the 'no-names' today so you can brag about it when they’re headlining tomorrow. Your wallet, your weekend, and the soul of British music will thank you.

Edited by Daisy Coombs