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Skyrocketing Concert Ticket Prices
演唱会票价飞涨
“The price of the average concert ticket increased by nearly 400 percent from 1981 to 2012, much faster than the 150 percent rise in overall consumer price inflation,” Alan B. Krueger said in an address at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, when he was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
“1981年至2012年间，演唱会门票价格平均上涨了近400%，远高于整体消费者价格通胀的150%涨幅。”艾伦·B. 克鲁格在2013年的一次摇滚名人堂演讲中说，当时他正担任经济顾问委员会主席。
After people were cooped up inside during the Covid-19 pandemic, attendance at concerts and other large gatherings resurged as audiences craved more in-person experiences.
在疫情期间人们被困在室内，疫情后，随着观众渴望更多面对面的体验，演唱会和其它大型集会的参与人数重新回升。
In 2023, the top 100 tours around the world brought in a record-breaking $9.2 billion, up 65 percent from 2019, according to data from Pollstar.
根据调查星的数据，2023年，全球前100场巡演带来了破纪录的92亿美元收入，比2019年增长了65%。
This increased demand, mixed with limited seats, high service fees and loose regulations (and an ongoing antitrust lawsuit) over how tickets are bought and sold, has resulted in a global surge in concert ticket prices.
这种需求的增长，再加上有限的座位、高昂的服务费、对于门票买卖的宽松监管（还有一起正在进行的反垄断诉讼），导致了全球范围内演唱会票价的飙升。（注：这里的反垄断诉讼指反对票务大师对门票的垄断。）
Demand-driven dynamic pricing systems put into place by ticket sellers have also resulted in higher prices.
门票销售商采用的由需求驱动的动态定价系统也导致了价格上涨。
But this did not come into play when Mr. Vasquez tried to buy tickets for Beyoncé’s tour.
但是瓦斯克斯购买碧昂丝巡演的门票时，这一系统没有起作用。
The day after Mr. Vasquez’s failed purchase attempt, he was able to buy tickets for $200 each through a Ticketmaster presale that was available only to Citi credit and debit card holders.
瓦斯克斯未能购票的第二天，他通过票务大师的预售活动，以每张200美元的价格买到了票，这次预售仅面向花旗银行信用卡和借记卡持有者。
“Within just one day, the prices dropped drastically, and I know people who bought them on the first day, so it’s crazy,” Mr. Vasquez said.
“仅仅一天之内，价格就大幅下跌，而我认识的一些人就是在第一天买的票，真是太疯狂了。”瓦斯克斯说。
Blown Budgets
预算破产
Abbas Tayebali lives in Westmont, Ill., and makes about $28,000 a year working two part-time jobs, one as a clerical worker in an academic office and the other as an events coordinator for a photo booth rental company.
阿巴斯·塔耶巴利住在伊利诺伊州的韦斯特蒙特市，她每年通过两份兼职工作赚取大约2.8万美元，一份兼职是在学院办公室担任文员，另一份是为一家照相亭租赁公司担任活动协调员。
In 2024, Mr. Tayebali saw two concerts at the Chicago Theater, Laufey and Samara Joy.
2024年，塔耶巴利在芝加哥剧院观看了两场演唱会，分别是劳菲和萨马拉·乔伊的演出。
For Laufey, he paid $300 for one ticket through an online reseller charging more than face value.
劳菲演唱会的门票是他通过一个在线转售商购买的，支付了300美元，高于票面价值。
“Looking back, I probably would have been OK not spending that much for the ticket, especially for where I was seated,” said Mr. Tayebali, 26.
“现在回想起来，要是当时不花那么多钱买票可能也没关系，尤其是考虑到我坐的位置。”26岁的塔耶巴利说，
“If I had to go back and shake myself and be like ‘Don’t purchase these tickets,’ I would probably do that.”
“如果我能回到过去，摇醒自己，然后说‘别买这些票’，我大概会这么做。”
Mr. Tayebali said he had gone into credit card debt from buying concert tickets but would never pay more than $500 for one ticket.
塔耶巴利说，他因为购买演唱会门票而陷入了信用卡债务，但他绝不会为一张门票花500美元以上的钱。
“Concert-going used to be accessible and a fun way to end the evening,” he said.
“听演唱会曾经是一种去得起的、有趣的结束夜晚的活动。”他说。
He is saving money to buy a ticket to see Beyoncé but is attending smaller, more affordable shows in the meantime.
他在存钱买票去看碧昂斯的演唱会，但同时也在去看一些规模较小、价格更实惠的演出。
Allison Santa, 27, is a business development associate for a solar energy company and a part-time Pilates instructor in Chicago who makes $80,000 a year.
27岁的艾莉森·桑塔是一家太阳能公司的业务发展中级助理，同时也在芝加哥做兼职普拉提教练，年收入为8万美元。
Last year, she saw 10 concerts in Chicago, at both small and large venues.
去年，她在芝加哥看了10场演唱会，有大馆也有小馆的。
She estimates she spent $1,000 on tickets for all 10 shows, which includes losing more than $400 in a scam for tickets to a Chappell Roan concert she saw through an Instagram ad.
她估计自己为10场演出的门票花费了1000美元，其中包括在一次诈骗中损失了400多美元，那次是她在Instagram广告上看到了查普尔·罗恩的演唱会门票。
“Everyone and their mother in Chicago were trying to get tickets,” she said. “It was crazy.”
“在芝加哥，所有人以及所有人的妈妈都在努力抢票，”她说，“超级疯狂。”
Ms. Santa said she had gone into credit card debt from buying concert tickets.
桑塔说，她因为买演唱会门票已经陷入了信用卡债务。
In the future, she said, she will buy tickets only through Ticketmaster and other verified third-party vendors.
她说，将来她只会通过票务大师和其他经过验证的第三方供应商购买门票。
She has decided that spending on travel would be a better use of her money than expensive concerts.
她已经决定，把钱花在旅行会比花在昂贵的演唱会上更有价值。
