The Real Price Of Priceless

Why We Are Launching This Campaign

Live events such as concerts, theatre, sporting matches, are moments we treasure. They bring people together, create memories, and offer experiences that feel truly priceless. But today, the “real price” of these moments is increasingly out of reach. Why? Because of unfair dynamic pricing.

At Euroconsumers, we believe that the unique experience of live events is something for everyone to experience, not just those who can afford skyrocketing ticket prices. That’s why we are calling for a ban on dynamic pricing for live events.

What Is Dynamic Pricing?

Dynamic pricing is a sales strategy where ticket prices are not fixed but are algorithmically adjusted in real-time based on demand and other variables, including market trends, time of year, consumer demand, and competitors’ pricing.

Why It’s a Problem

Life events are often dominated by one single market player. There is no competition. There is no alternative option for consumers but to buy a ticket from that single event organizer. In a market that is not working fair, fair dynamic pricing becomes an illusion and consumers are prone to the arbitrary will of one single ticket seller.

As a consequence fans are forced to enter a bidding contest where the ticket price only goes up, sometimes dramatically, in real time. What starts as a €50 ticket can easily double or triple within hours, simply because the algorithm decides is high.

When one player pulls all the strings and there is no real choice, dynamic pricing stops working for fans and starts working against them. 

• Unfair to consumers: Fans are punished for enthusiasm. The more people want to go, the more expensive it gets.
• No added value: Unlike better seats or extra services, dynamic pricing doesn’t improve the experience. It just makes it costlier.
• Excludes people: Dynamic pricing limits access, shutting out everyone who cannot or will not pay inflated prices for the same experience.
• Destroys trust: Consumers lose faith in event organisers and ticket platforms when prices feel unpredictable and exploitative. Ultimately it undermines trust in a fair digital market.

Our Position

Dynamic pricing can have a legitimate role in competitive markets. If designed transparently and fairly, it may support consumer benefits by smoothing demand, promoting access, and optimising price efficiency. 

However, when applied in emotionally charged, high-demand markets with limited or no real competition, such as live concerts, major sporting events, and cultural performances, dynamic pricing often functions not as a market efficiency tool but as a means of extracting maximum revenue from consumers. 

Unlike other industries, concert tickets and match seats are not interchangeable goods. If a consumer wishes to attend a particular concert, see a specific theatre performance, or support their national team, they have no real alternative in terms of provider, date, or location.

Nor do these tickets change in quality or availability once they are released. The only thing that changes is the price, turning memorable cultural events into a bidding contest that exploits consumers’ loyalty and undermines trust in the market.

We believe in transparent, fair, and fixed ticket prices that reflect the real cost of putting up an event, not the maximum amount fans can be squeezed to pay.

Join us

With The Real Price of Priceless campaign, Euroconsumers is urging regulators, event organizers, and ticketing platforms to take a stand: ban dynamic pricing in live events and make culture and sports something for everyone to enjoy again.

Because the value of experiences isn’t in the money spent,  it’s in the memories made.