'Four Corners' Exposes Live Nation Dynamic Pricing, Hidden Fees

Australia’s live music scene is in turmoil, and at the heart of it is global powerhouse Live Nation. A bombshell Four Corners investigation aired on October 14th has lifted the lid on the controversial practices of the entertainment giant, revealing just how deeply embedded its dynamic pricing system has become in the Australian concert industry.

Dynamic pricing—a tactic where ticket prices rise as demand surges—has already caused public outcry overseas, most notably during Oasis’s surprise comeback tour in the UK, where ticket prices skyrocketed, leaving fans feeling fleeced.

Mark Davyd, founder of the UK’s Music Venue Trust, didn’t hold back on his thoughts in the damning Four Corners episode, calling Live Nation’s very first “test” after acquiring the coveted Oasis tour contract, was a clear failure.

“This is the first big one, and they failed, simple as that. No matter how many times they say they’re prepared to do it, the will simply isn’t there to get it done.”

Now, that same pricing model is in full swing on Australian shores, with recent events like Green Day, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott, leaving local fans grappling with inflated costs.

The Four Corners report, led by Avani Dias, unpacks how multinational corporations like Live Nation and its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster, are squeezing both concertgoers and artists with hidden fees and unpredictable ticket prices.

It’s a sentiment that has resonated with fans across the country, who are left wondering if they’re being manipulated by an industry that prioritises profit over fairness.

One frustrated concertgoer told The Music Network, “Dynamic pricing is going to make people hesitate to buy tickets at the overinflated rates and possibly hold off… We’ve seen ticket prices jump up and down for the Travis Scott concert, and people who bought tickets earlier feel completely ripped off now that cheaper tickets are available.”

Another shared their frustration, saying, “For the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, grandstand tickets that should have cost $550 were listed for $1,110 a seat. And at the Travis Scott concert, some people were charged over $500 for General Admission Standing, which in some cities can now be found for as little as $150.”

They added, “I know it’s not just about music, but it shows that the problem extends beyond the music industry and is affecting large-scale sporting events as well. It’s ruining the entertainment industry as a whole. From what I’ve heard, it’s ‘up to the promoters to opt in for dynamic pricing,’ which sounds bogus—it feels like they’d have to pay an extra fee to Live Nation not to have dynamic pricing.”

As revealed by Four Corners, dynamic pricing isn’t the only thing catching fans off guard.

Ticket fees for Live Nation-operated venues in Australia are riddled with hidden charges. For instance, tickets over $65 at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre come with additional service, booking, and infrastructure fees totalling as much as $40—a cost that fans often don’t see until the very last step of their purchase.

Paul Sloan, one of Australia’s top booking agents, reflected on this in the program, saying, “There’s about 10 different fees now, all with different names… I used to run a ticket business with one simple fee, and we still made money.”

Even Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett weighed in, noting that artists don’t control these fees. “The artist doesn’t set the booking fee or the hidden fees. So the amount reflected in the ticket price is not what artists are getting,” he told Four Corners.

In response to the growing controversy, Live Nation defended its practices to The Music Network earlier this week, stating: “Ticketmaster does not set prices, nor do we have or offer algorithmic surge pricing technologies… Ticket prices need to compensate touring artists and ensure that Australia continues to attract many of the world’s most popular artists.”

For fans, however, that explanation offers little solace. You can read their full response here.

The fallout hasn’t been limited to public outcry. A class action lawsuit is now on the horizon, as law firm Gordon Legal considers taking the entertainment giant and Ticketmaster to court over dynamic pricing and misleading ticketing practices, as reported by ABC.

According to partner James Naughton, “People feel like they don’t get … any idea about what the price of the tickets are until they go into a queue, which can take a significant amount of time to wait in. And then they’re given a very short period of time to decide whether to purchase the ticket or not.”

The firm’s investigation could take several months, but fans are already rallying behind it, hoping for a major shake-up in how tickets are priced and sold.

“What we’re mostly concerned about is circumstances where people feel under pressure to buy tickets,” he said.

Amid the mounting backlash, Live Nation’s influence continues to grow. The Four Corners report revealed the scale of Live Nation’s dominance in the Australian market, from owning venues and festivals to managing ticket sales and even merchandise. With so much control, many are left wondering if there’s room for fair competition at all.

As Peter Noble, director of Bluesfest, bluntly put it, “We’re in an extinction event right now… Do we want to see our industry decimated by this monopoly?”

As the spotlight on Live Nation intensifies, the question remains: how long can these practices go unchecked? With fans, artists, and now the legal world all calling for transparency and fairness, the battle for the soul of Australia’s live music industry has only just begun.

You can watch the Four Corners episode below.