Are they? they very normal prices for western concerts. Front row tickets often go close to a thousand dollars in an arena. We were just lucky and priviledged before to apply for international tickets, pay the same price as locals and get seats in the front. My Ayu tickets in Fukuoka were the cheapest arena tickets I ever paid for an artist and the closest I have ever been to a stage.

I know some people may say it is fair to put internationals in front because they have to pay a trip to get there, but other countries usually don't do that.

This honestly reminds me of how Madonna did her latest tour, and honestly... HATE.

They sure picked a good show to test this system out on, because more than likely people will snap up these tickets fast given it's CDL, but jfc those prices are just ridiculous.

Actually there’s goodies included in those ticket prices here in the US, for close floor seats that is. It’s never a thousand for just a seat/ticket (unless it’s a scalper or someone reselling them on SeatGeek or StubHub) there’s ALWAYS something that comes with it. Like VIP packages. Typically the lowest (price) tear with a ticket “package” is a tote bag or/and a laminated ticket with a hologram.

But anyways. I’m a bit shocked Ayu is charging that much. Especially for her popularity level currently. Again, I still feel that her not doing a nation this past summer really hurt her popularity. Like a big hit. Yes she was touring, but she would’ve been able to maneuver something for a nation, even if not the headliner on the final day. It would make better sense of charging those high prices if she were more on top popularity wise. I’m kinda worried for her in that her popularity is waning and she hasn’t been releasing new music for a while...or not that consistently. Yet she tours like crazy, but there’s nothing new to it. Mainly new dance routines and she’s gotten a little more racy. But she keeps putting on shows and numbers that are expected and lackluster. I’m worried that she’s going to lose more fans and then some if she keeps this constancy going with her shows. I’m not saying that I’m losing interest. But I’m moreso concerned for where she’s heading.

Sorry for getting off-topic lol

Hm, but those prices are for everyone, not international fans. And I don't know which concerts you're going to, but those also aren't usual prices for concerts in the west for regular tickets.

Some hardcore fans are probably going to pay those start prices, but the rest will be waiting until the dynamic price system kicks in and they get cheaper.
We're not in the '80's anymore when Japan's economy was great and regular people could have afforded such prices.
Taking a look at Twitter and Japanese fans are complaining about those prices and the system altogether, especially those not living round Tokyo, who have to pay transport and hotel as well. Also saw people comparing this to dinner shows, the only sort of concerts higher prices are normal in Japan.

I do not mind paying a bit more for the VIP area, if it comes with some exclusive goodies (example below), I think some even backstage accessible and meet the singer in person.



I’m sorry for off topic too 😔

Maybe they set the ticket price higher because it´s only 1 CDL concert this time, they have the same cost for equipment and preperation (ok less for rent the hall and electricity and such) but only 1/3 of the income from tickets.

Very good point.

Can you elaborate on that?
General public doesn't care about her anyway. Why would it hurt her? I understand that A-nation helps her to introduce herself to new people, but considering that she can't really sing anymore I don't know how many new fans she can get performing there, and her old fans can always see her on tour anyway. Same thing with live broadcasts - it's an open question if they are for better or worse in terms of influencing general public's opinion of her.

^ depending on what kind of show she is doing, sure it might cost more, but I would imagine the previous tour was pretty lucrative considering the number of dates and that it was pretty low on production values. TBH I think they are just trying to squeeze out as much cash as possible.

On the a-nation point, the majority of people who go there to see ayu specifically are still the fans. Sure she'd get some exposure to the general public, but it's mostly people who are into avex's artist catalog and who are most likely well aware of what she is doing, so the exposure to the new fans/public is most likely minimal. She's lost a lot more when she reduced the number of her TV appearances to a couple a year.

As of now the plan is we spend a couple of days in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro most likely) then fly to Argentina where we'd spend some time in Buenos Aires and South Patagonia and perhaps a day or two in Uruguay (Montevideo). However we are still planning! I would of course let you know if we happen to be in the same city :)

^ I'm not from Rio de Janeiro but I've been there before, so if you need any tips feel free to reach out ;)

I think a-nation doesn't really help or hurt her nowadays, especially since she was touring during that time, so it's not likely she wasn't nowhere else to be seen
tbh I'm not sure even how much a-nation helps on artists popularity nowadays, it seems to me it's more like a profitable event with some well-known names than everything else, with a couple of new artists here and there.

Attending A-Nation introduced me to TRF, Sandaime J Soul Brothers, EXILE, Tohoshinki. It had a positive impact on me. It also made me realize what artists I didn't like. It's ironic that I bought tickets to see specifically Ayu, but she changed her strategy and didn't perform in Osaka that year.

Imagine paying this much and the band isn’t there. Lol.

You're bringing up the real topics:D

Me on Brazil's Lollapalooza in 2015 when I bought tickets expecting to see Kodaline and Marina & The Diamonds and neither showed up lol

But either way, what I meant is that in the current days I'm not sure how many artists from avex aren't well known and can use a-nation as a boost. Maybe a few people from the audience don't know them, but most artists are already well-based in the industry, so it's different holding a festival with new artists + others who are owning the charts vs. new artists + artists well-known in the market already. That's just my two cents of someone who never put a foot in Japan tho :P

I just bought tickets for Celine Dion in Vancouver last week, the cheapest tickets were 225 CAD$ on ticket master and I am quite in the corner back. The seats in the front row were 1300$ (and there are no goods with it apart a commemorative ticket). I also paid similar price for Britney Spears and Maria Carey in Las Vegas. Last summer I went to France to see Mylene Farmer and tickets were about 300 CAD$ (EDIT: they were exactly 270$CAD) for quite far seats. They are all artists who had their prime over 10 years ago like Ayu.

So 100$-300$ for concert tickets seems pretty normal.

Do you mean Carré Platine that was 205€? Because those were the best and most expensive seats.

^^ Lucky you that you got to see Mylene Farmer! I'm from France but I didn't even go even though I wanted to lol

But just because western artists are used to charge people crazy amounts of money to get tickets doesn't mean it's ok to that. Yes, it is "normal", but it doesn't mean that this is a good way to treat your fans.

Here in Russia it's completely normal that the closer to the stage the seats are or the better the view is, the more you pay. The prices depend on the popularity of the artist and the city they perform in. For popular events tickets may get more expensive closer to the date of the show. If a show is far from selling out, some discounts can (or won't) be made, depending on the tour promoter's policy. There are no lotteries or one single price for all seats here.

Older artists also tend to charge more because usually their fans are more stable economically... I mean, it's not like there are a lot of highschoolers and college students going to her concerts. Mostl likely people in their 30s and older.

I just checked my tickets and I was Carre Or and 2 tickets was 370 Euros (which is 541$ CAD). It was good seats though, we were far but just above the middle door and no one sitting in front (And the show was amazing).

And I agree tickets are very expensive, as we like it or not, but the prices fits the current international market.

Ths is very true