Jack Antonoff has criticised the rising cost of live shows, insisting that concerts should not be “for rich kids only”.
The Bleachers frontman and record producer has hit out at rising ticket costs and the issues surrounding concert ticket sales.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Antonoff reflected on the lack of transparency surrounding the ticketing process and questioned the role of companies making money from resale tickets.
“If something’s incredibly complicated, it’s because someone wants you confused,” he said. “Why is it so complicated to vote? Why is it so complicated to buy a concert ticket? Why can’t I get a straight answer of where the ticket’s coming from, or if it even exists?”
He added, “They want us confused. They want us freaked out.”
The I Wanna Get Better hitmaker argued that purchasing concert tickets should be as straightforward as buying other everyday items.
“It’s not hard to buy a pair of shoes. It’s not hard to buy a pair of pants. It’s not even that hard to buy a car!” he told the publication.
“I think I’ve made the mistake of thinking there’s morality there, and they would care about someone like me being upset, because I love this industry so much and don’t believe that concerts should be for rich kids only.”
Ticketmaster has faced longstanding criticism over its role in the ticketing industry, including accusations relating to ticket resellers, who purchase tickets and sell them again at inflated prices.
The company was accused of working with scalpers in 2018, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) formally alleged in September 2025 that Ticketmaster had engaged in “triple-dipping” on fees by collecting charges from the initial broker sale, the broker relisting and the final consumer purchase.
