Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour is facing a stark reality: tickets aren’t selling as expected.
The superstar who previously broke records with her Renaissance tour is now seeing resale prices plummet below $60 in some markets, with thousands of seats remaining empty across multiple stadiums. This surprising development comes despite her recent Grammy success and the significant cultural impact of her country music pivot.
Ticket Sales Slump Equals Recession?
Financial experts suggest this sales slump may indicate broader economic concerns beyond just musical preferences. With recession fears looming, luxury entertainment expenses are often the first casualties of consumer belt-tightening, creating a challenging environment even for established artists, according to MarketWatch.
The numerical contrast is striking: opening night tickets for the Cowboy Carter tour in Los Angeles were available for just $44 on resale platform Gametime, while Renaissance tour tickets started at $115 in Philadelphia just two years ago.
In fact, some tickets are said to be as cheap as McDonald’s Happy Meals.
Due to its low demand, @Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter Tour" tickets ($20) are now cheaper than a McDonald's Minecraft meal ($21.39). pic.twitter.com/CfvJW1Y1zt
— Robin from RENAISSANCE aka CASS (@Unhinged_Cass) April 23, 2025
“The timing is tough with a potential recession in the cards,” notes Samyr Laine, a former music-industry executive and co-founder of Freedom Trail Capital.
The slowdown appears particularly pronounced in major markets, with thousands of unsold seats remaining just weeks before performances.
According to the Independent, Los Angeles shows still had over 3,200 unsold tickets for opening night on April 28, while New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium reported more than 5,500 available seats, and Atlanta showed over 5,800 unsold tickets — including more than half of the premium floor seating.
For dedicated fans who rushed to secure tickets during presales, the subsequent price drops have created frustration.
Many Beyhive members have expressed their disappointment on social media about the prices dropping, some vowing to ignore future presale opportunities after feeling disadvantaged by their early purchases.
Next time Beyoncé sends me a presale code for a tour, I’m ignoring it. The way floor seats are way cheaper than stand seats I bought and ticket master won’t let me exchange pic.twitter.com/5YOAh1kSkX
— TheYoncéHub (@yoncecapital) April 14, 2025
One fan, Alison Hoesli, spent $650 apiece for prime seats, only later discover similar seats available for $350 on the resale market.
Despite these challenges, tour promoter Live Nation presents a different narrative.
The company points to data showing the tour was over 94 percent sold as of mid-March, with 10 additional dates added to the original 22-show schedule. Live Nation emphasized via a statement that there is a “tremendous demand” and characterized the tour as a “record-breaking run,” noting that two further Las Vegas dates were subsequently added, bringing the total to 32 performances, Digital Music News reports.
Nathan Green, chief executive of New Level Radio, observes that entertainment expenses are typically the first to be cut when economic uncertainty rises.
“When there is even a threat of a possible recession, the first thing people will cut is luxury expenses, and unfortunately, that includes entertainment such as concerts and sporting events. Even megastars such as Beyoncé are not immune to this,” Green explains to Market Watch.
For opportunistic fans, the current situation creates unexpected access to performances that might have otherwise been financially out of reach. London resident Sarah Belizaire, who initially wasn’t going to purchase tickets due to economic concerns affecting her business, is now reconsidering as prices continue to fall.
“I’ll probably keep an eye out,” she noted, highlighting how market corrections can occasionally benefit consumers willing to wait for better values.
Despite the apparent challenges, Beyoncé’s bottom line may remain relatively stable.
Billboard projects the tour will generate approximately $325 million, averaging about $10.15 million per show—only slightly below the Renaissance tour’s $10.33 million show average. While consumers may be more price-sensitive in the current economic climate, the superstar’s overall revenue generation remains robust, even as individual ticket prices decline in response to market forces.
But don’t be sad for Beyoncé, who currently has a net worth between $600 million and $760 million, largely due to her touring and music career. The concert industry often demonstrates resilience during economic downturns, according to financial analysts. Goldman Sachs researchers recently noted that live music “has shown a relatively strong degree of resilience” compared to other leisure sectors like theme parks and spectator sports.
The Cowboy Carter tour may ultimately represent less a crisis than a recalibration — a return to more traditional market dynamics after an unusual period of explosive post-pandemic growth.
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