Lana del Rey performs in concert at FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicassim) Festival on July 19, 2019 in Benicassim, Spain.(Photo by Christian Bertrand on Shutterstock)
In a nutshell
- Lana Del Rey leads as the priciest concert performer at $16.02 per song, while Charli XCX tops the per-minute cost at $3.55
- Oasis generates the most revenue per song at $858,024, with nightly earnings of $17.16 million across their reunion tour shows
- Budget-conscious fans get the best value from Ed Sheeran at just $0.91 per minute and Usher at $3.76 per song
That $240 ticket to see Lana Del Rey this summer isn’t just expensive – some might say it’s highway robbery when you break it down by song. With concert prices seemingly on the rise year after year and shows barely stretching past 90 minutes for many acts, fans are now essentially paying per track rather than per performance.
An eye-opening analysis by GigaCalculator reveals the eye-watering economics behind 2025’s biggest tours. While fans debate whether concerts are worth the splurge, the numbers expose exactly what you’re getting for your hard-earned cash – and it’s not a great look for some artists.
The Premium Players: Who’s Charging Most Per Song
Lana Del Rey tops the list as music’s priciest performer on a per-song basis. Her brief 83-minute sets feature just 15 tracks, meaning fans shell out a staggering $16.02 for each tune they hear. When calculated by time, that’s $2.90 per minute of performance – the fourth highest minute-by-minute rate among major artists. Despite the brevity, her limited seven-show Summer Tour 2025 rakes in approximately $12.3 million nightly.
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Tour follows at $13.97 per song and $2.47 per minute. Though her tickets average $321 – steeper than Del Rey’s – her 130-minute performances spanning 23 songs deliver more music for the money. Each Gaga track still generates around $359,614 in revenue across her 57-show run.
Beyoncé rounds out the top three with her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour at $13.63 per track. Her generous 36-song, two-and-a-half-hour spectacles command premium pricing (averaging $491 per seat) in venues holding roughly 29,500 fans. Her per-minute rate of $3.30 actually ranks second-highest among major artists, but the extended performance time and larger setlist dilute the per-song cost.
The Revenue Champions: It’s Not Who You Think
While Del Rey extracts the most from fans per song, Oasis stands as the true revenue juggernaut of 2025. Their Reunion Tour – ranking fourth at $13.60 per song – generates an astounding $858,024 for each track performed. At just $1.80 per minute of show time, they offer better time-value than many competitors while still maximizing revenue through larger venues.
Playing to mammoth crowds averaging 70,100 people, Oasis pockets approximately $17.16 million every night during their 33-show summer run. Their two-and-a-half-hour performances with 33 songs spread the pain somewhat for individual fans, but the revenue machine is unmatched industry-wide.
Charli XCX has clearly studied Del Rey’s playbook but takes it even further. Her Brat 2025 Arena Tour features abbreviated 73-minute sets with just 20 songs in venues averaging 59,900 capacity. Fans pay $12.97 per song and a tour-topping $3.55 per minute – the highest minute rate among all artists surveyed. This approach has Charli banking about $699,033 for each track performed across her 35-stop tour.
The Value Proposition: Who’s Actually Worth Your Money
Not every superstar is maximizing profit at the expense of performance time. Bad Bunny charges the steepest ticket price on the list ($354), but his marathon 33-song, 135-minute residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico brings the per-song cost down to $10.31 and the per-minute rate to a reasonable $2.62. That’s substantially better value than the top-priced performers.
For the truly budget-conscious, artists like Usher ($3.76 per song, $1.22 per minute), Drake ($4.66 per song, $1.95 per minute), and Ed Sheeran ($4.79 per song, $0.91 per minute) deliver significantly more music per dollar with lengthy setlists and moderate pricing structures. Ed Sheeran emerges as the minute-by-minute value champion at under a dollar per minute of performance.
The contrast is stark: You could hear almost four-and-a-half Usher songs for the price of a single Lana Del Rey track, or enjoy more than three minutes of Ed Sheeran’s performance for the same price as one minute of Beyoncé’s show.
In the middle tier, Sabrina Carpenter ($11.08 per song, $2.61 per minute), Coldplay ($11.73 per song, $2.33 per minute), and Billie Eilish ($12.35 per song, $3.05 per minute) balance setlist length with premium pricing. According to the study, Coldplay’s seemingly eternal Music of the Spheres World Tour generates approximately $718,987 per song across 184 dates in venues averaging 65,700 fans.
With concert prices surging 45% over the last five years, according to GigaCalculator, while artists experiment with different formats, both the cost-per-song and cost-per-minute metrics offer revealing new ways to evaluate which tours actually deliver value. It’s helpful to know that performers like Hozier ($5.50 per song, $1.01 per minute) and Green Day ($5.29 per song, $1.27 per minute) provide considerably more bang for your buck than premium-priced stars. It’s all the more reason that understanding exactly what you’re paying for might help decide whether that splurge is truly worth it.
| Artist | Songs Performed | Show Length (min) | Avg Ticket ($) | Gross per Show ($) | Cost per Song ($) | Cost per Minute ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lana Del Rey | 15 | 83.0 | 240.33 | 12307470.0 | 16.02 | 2.90 |
| Lady Gaga | 23 | 130.0 | 321.33 | 8271120.0 | 13.97 | 2.47 |
| Beyoncé | 36 | 148.5 | 490.67 | 13050604.8 | 13.63 | 3.30 |
| OASIS | 20 | 151.0 | 272.00 | 17160480.0 | 13.60 | 1.80 |
| Charlie XCX | 20 | 73.0 | 259.33 | 13980660.0 | 12.97 | 3.55 |
| Lainey Wilson | 17 | 83.0 | 213.67 | 2038380.0 | 12.57 | 2.57 |
| Billie Eilish | 22 | 89.0 | 271.67 | 4547700.0 | 12.35 | 3.05 |
| Coldplay | 23 | 120.0 | 279.67 | 16536690.0 | 12.16 | 2.33 |
| Sabrina Carpenter | 19 | 88.0 | 229.33 | 3983520.0 | 12.07 | 2.61 |
| Bad Bunny | 33 | 135.0 | 354.00 | 5734800.0 | 10.73 | 2.62 |
| Shakira | 23 | 137.0 | 242.00 | 9365400.0 | 10.52 | 1.77 |
| Dua Lipa | 22 | 120.0 | 212.67 | 4918980.0 | 9.67 | 1.77 |
| ACDC | 21 | 132.0 | 193.33 | 14581200.0 | 9.21 | 1.46 |
| Metallica | 17 | 123.0 | 155.67 | 8279910.0 | 9.16 | 1.27 |
| Katy Perry | 22 | 105.0 | 193.33 | 3149400.0 | 8.79 | 1.84 |
| Pitbull | 19 | 86.0 | 163.00 | 2889990.0 | 8.58 | 1.90 |
| Post Malone | 23 | 116.0 | 181.00 | 8340480.0 | 7.87 | 1.56 |
| Justin Timberlake | 28 | 158.0 | 209.67 | 2811630.0 | 7.49 | 1.33 |
| Gracie Abrams | 21 | 103.0 | 146.00 | 2470320.0 | 6.95 | 1.42 |
| Tyler the Creator | 30 | 95.0 | 201.67 | 2631750.0 | 6.72 | 2.12 |
| Olivia Rodrigo | 23 | 94.0 | 150.33 | 3314850.0 | 6.54 | 1.60 |
| Hozier | 20 | 109.0 | 110.00 | 2059200.0 | 5.50 | 1.01 |
| Green Day | 33 | 137.0 | 174.67 | 2420880.0 | 5.29 | 1.27 |
| The Weeknd | 34 | 121.0 | 171.67 | 10150650.0 | 5.05 | 1.42 |
| Ed Sheeran | 24 | 127.0 | 115.00 | 5330250.0 | 4.79 | 0.91 |
| Teddy Swims | 21 | 91.0 | 99.67 | 870090.0 | 4.75 | 1.10 |
| Drake | 44 | 105.0 | 205.00 | 5405850.0 | 4.66 | 1.95 |
| Usher | 40 | 123.0 | 150.33 | 2638350.0 | 3.76 | 1.22 |
Methodology: GigaCalculator compiled tour data from major artists touring in 2025 using Hollywoodreporter.com. Setlist information came from averaging reported performances on setlist.com, while show lengths were calculated from concert reports. Venue capacities were identified through Wikipedia, with ticket prices sourced from Ticketmaster, StubHub, and BusinessInsider.com. Earnings estimates assume 90% venue capacity multiplied by average ticket price. Cost per song calculations divided the per-minute cost (ticket price divided by show length) by songs performed. Data was collected in May 2025.
Phish has to be the biggest value considering their low-priced tickets (relatively speaking) and 3-hour concerts (although many of they songs last 20+ minutes, so I’m no sure how that math works out.)
If anyone’s wondering, Taylor Swift made $1.05/minute (3rd lowest in this list), or $4.55/song (2nd lowest). Her average show lasted 195 minutes, 45 songs, and average ticket price was $205
You are ignoring the fact that for most artists the only ones making any money for streaming or downloads are Apple, Spotify, etc. For a lot of artists concerts, and by its nature, merchandise is the only means of making any significant income from their music. You are ignoring the fact that a lot of those ticket prices are fees, etc. from Ticketmaster and the ilk.
That’s why I don’t do concerts anymore. I’m not paying that much per song, especially when I only like a few songs. Besides, of the artists listed, I only kind of like two of them and wouldn’t pay that much to see them anyway. I get much more out of seeing emerging artists at small venues before they become superstars
well said…
Back in my Hippy Dippy Days, in the 60’s/70’s, we saw all the top bands for $15/20… sometimes multiple top bands. Last time I went looking for ticket prices, there were ads for financing your tickets. $50 or so is my limit.
I sure miss the 70s. $10⁰⁰ to see Pink Floyd for over two hours. And, ALL of the music back then was ten times better…even the crappy stuff.
no taylor swift? I’m surprised..
There’s not a band on this list I would be interested in seeing. Music has been killed by the younger generation and business.
I’m surprised Dave Matthews Band was not included on here also.
His concerts run 3-4 hours. So although they are expensive, they are probably cheap per unit time.
I guess I will never go to a concert again (and Im cool with that). I refuse to pay more than $50 to see ANYONE.
Agreed. 99% of today’s music is barely music anyway. I saw the greatest rock bands ever for ten dollars a pop. Some of those shows featured six legendary bands and were still ten dollars a pop. In today’s dollars, maybe twenty dollars per show. Today’s “artists” , and I use the term lightly, couldn’t hold a beer for the bands from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Problem is that with lots of these so called artists you don’t get to really hear them sing it’s all just lip syncing to a pre-recorded track. Even Taylor Swift was doing it and you could tell because a song from a show recorded in different cities on fans’ phones would playback perfectly. Only way that happens in 2 different performances is if you are playing back a tape of the same song.
For highly choreographed shows, the artists are most likely performing to a click track. The singers are actually singing and musicians are actually playing, but everything is planned and synchronized to the point that it sounds the same, show after show. No chance for spontaneity.
They didn’t add the biggest pop superstar, Taylor Swift? Why? Weird. I’m going to see Hans Zimmer and paid $220 per ticket after fees. Wouldn’t pay that to see anyone on that list.