As the sun sets on another festival season, the music world finds itself at a crossroads: ticket prices are soaring, mega-tours are bigger than ever, and yet, behind the scenes, many festivals are folding under financial pressure. Yet, amid this turbulence, some events are not only surviving but thriving—defying the odds and even expanding. The All Things Go festival, held annually in Columbia every September, is one such outlier, offering a fascinating window into the shifting economics and evolving culture of live music in 2025.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, speaking at CNBC and Boardroom’s Game Plan conference on September 25, 2025, didn’t mince words about the future of concert ticket prices. “Music has been under-appreciated. In sports, I always joke it’s like a badge of honor to spend 70 grand for a Knicks courtside [seat]. They beat me up if we charge $800 for Beyoncé,” Rapino remarked, as reported by Dexerto. He argued that, despite headlines about skyrocketing ticket costs, concerts remain a relative bargain compared to sporting events. “We have a lot of runway left. So when you read about ticket prices going up, the average concert price is still $72. Try going to a Laker game for that, and there’s 80 of them or whatever the hell. The concert is underpriced and has been for a long time.”
This assertion comes at a time when fans are shelling out unprecedented sums for access to live music. Oasis’ reunion tour this summer saw general admission standing tickets hitting around £1000 ($1300), a price point that would have seemed unthinkable just a decade ago. And the sticker shock doesn’t end there: official ticketing platforms like Ticketmaster and Live Nation tack on a slew of assistance fees, further inflating the final bill for eager concertgoers. According to BBC, these add-ons have become a routine part of the modern ticket-buying experience, frustrating fans who already feel stretched by base prices.
Rapino attributes much of the price escalation to the sheer scale and spectacle of today’s shows. Take Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour, for example. “That’s a Super Bowl she’s putting on every night. 10 years ago, there might’ve been 10 trucks,” he said, noting that the current tour requires 62 trucks per show. The arms race in production values—bigger stages, more elaborate light shows, and pyrotechnics—has not only raised the bar for what fans expect but also driven up costs for promoters and artists alike.
Yet, while the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Kendrick Lamar can fill stadiums and command top dollar, the broader festival landscape is less rosy. According to NPR, 2025 has seen roughly 100 music festivals fold worldwide—a grim milestone that surpasses even 2024, which was dubbed “the year the music festival died.” The reasons are manifold: market saturation, rising costs, and a post-pandemic correction in demand. Adam Kirr, a festival organizer quoted by The Banner, observed, “2022 was awesome for the industry. And then ’23, ’24, ’25, it just seemed like it overcorrected to the opposite.”
Despite this, All Things Go has managed not only to survive but to expand. What began as a humble blog and a 3,000-person event in a Washington, D.C. food hall in 2014 has, over the past decade, blossomed into a multiday, international festival. In 2021, the event moved to the Merriweather Post Pavilion, and by 2025, it had grown into a three-city affair, with editions in Columbia, New York, and—this year for the first time—Toronto.
The festival’s resilience is all the more remarkable given the industry’s razor-thin margins and high risks. As Pollstar reported, All Things Go is “the best counterargument bucking” the trend of festival decline. In 2024, combined attendance in Columbia and New York was roughly 70,000; with this year’s expansion, organizers expect to surpass 100,000 attendees. More than 40 acts—including Noah Kahan, Lucy Dacus, Doechii, and Kesha—are playing across the three cities, drawing fans from across North America.
Financial sustainability, however, remains a tightrope walk. Festivals must juggle rising artist fees, ballooning insurance premiums, and spiking supply chain costs. Renting portable toilets, for instance, is now up to four times more expensive than five years ago, according to The Festive Owl, a site that analyzes the industry. “What are you going to do, not rent toilets? That’s not an option,” the site’s operator quipped in an email exchange with The Banner.
For independent festivals like All Things Go, the stakes are even higher. Unlike Live Nation—which operates dozens of festivals and has been accused by the Department of Justice of monopolistic practices—independent events lack deep corporate pockets and must operate on thin margins. As R. Scott Hiller, a professor at Fairfield University, explained, “What you’re looking for is someone who will potentially outperform how much you have to pay for them.” Last year, All Things Go booked Chappell Roan, who became a breakout star and helped the festival sell out swiftly—though she canceled at the last minute, forcing a scramble for a replacement. This year, despite the festival’s growing popularity, it took longer to sell out, and the Toronto edition is offering discounts to incentivize last-minute ticket sales.
Still, the festival has carved out a distinctive niche. From its earliest years, All Things Go has prioritized women artists—hosting an all-women lineup in 2018—and has become a favorite among Gen Z and LGBTQ+ audiences. The Toronto edition is being staged in partnership with Live Nation Women, and the festival has earned affectionate nicknames like “Gaychella” and “Lesbopalooza.” Meg Streissguth, a 24-year-old attendee from Sykesville, told The Banner, “Everyone’s giving each other compliments all the time, especially when it comes to fashion.” The festival’s inclusive, community-driven atmosphere sets it apart from many of its competitors.
Other festivals, meanwhile, are struggling to keep pace. Oceans Calling, a Live Nation-affiliated event held the same weekend as All Things Go, expects about 55,000 daily attendees in Ocean City. Yet, as Tim Sweetwood, its director, observed, “It’s standard economics: Does that ticket price get too high for your average consumer?” The balance between covering rising costs and maintaining accessibility is a constant challenge—one that has forced festivals like Pemberton Music Festival and Charm City Bluegrass Festival into bankruptcy or indefinite hiatus.
Even so, for many artists and fans, festivals remain a vital part of the live music ecosystem. For Lee Newell of the band Sunday (1994), performing at All Things Go is a “pinch-me moment.” As he put it, “It’s always been a dream to play, even though it’s a relatively new festival. It’s just sort of skyrocketed in popularity.”
The festival world is clearly at an inflection point, buffeted by economic headwinds but buoyed by the enduring power of live music to bring people together. As ticket prices climb and the industry continues to consolidate, the fate of independent festivals like All Things Go will be a bellwether for the future—proof that, even in challenging times, there’s still room for innovation, inclusivity, and a little bit of magic under the stage lights.
