Rush just sold out their 2026 Fifty Something Tour without breaking a sweat and without the traditional help needed from radio. Radio was not ignored. Brands participated, promoted, and played an important role in the tour’s rapid sellout — but spot buys weren’t what they once were for concerts.
Rush still loves and appreciates radio, that’s not what this is about. It’s just a new chapter in the long-held romance between radio, concerts, and artists.
Let’s start with a few general truths.
Seeing a great live band beats a killer movie every night of the week. You won’t find a human who doesn’t think today’s ticket prices are insane. Ad dollars spent at radio by concert promoters are shrinking. Outside of arena and stadium bands, it’s tougher for artists to make money touring.
For those of us in radio, it’s not just shrinking spot buys. Remember when bowling with a band was just a normal promotion? When radio turned down more flyaways than it accepted? Remember when having a station section at the concert was beneficial for all?
Not anymore.
Fact: Since the day I was a banner hanger and saw Tool slay at Red Rocks, the average ticket price has gone up 400% — mid-‘90s to now — $25 to $135 (for major tours).
Don’t expect it to get better.
Shirley Manson of Garbage said touring is no longer sustainable for her band due to the rising costs of being on the road, among other variables that funnel out most of the money before it ever gets to the band. On the promoter end of the spectrum. It’s been reported that Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said concerts are “underpriced.”
But what we do know is big shows announce on social media. The Foo’s dropped details of their stadium tour yesterday morning online, not with a big ad buy. Smaller shows skip buys altogether. Comps are much harder to get. And Zoom has made getting an artist into the station more difficult than getting Sydney Sweeney to do a takeover.
Radio is no longer at the center of the concert ecosystem. This isn’t artists, Live Nation, AEG, or other promoters not believing in radio or intentionally giving the industry “the hand.”
It’s just business. Think about it.
Promoters have been collecting data on concertgoers for years. They know who the audience is. They don’t need to “mass market” when Green Day rolls into town because they can text or email all the Green Day fans on their own.
Artists can often sell out shows through their socials, but even then, they’re making far less on music sales, which makes performance fees higher and merch much more important.
Labels and managers have more promotional relationships to manage these days — not just for this tour, but for the next and the next. Neutralizing everything today saves them headaches tomorrow.
Festivals have only amplified the shift. One lineup can feature several headliners, each promoting to their own base — making big marketing unnecessary. Production costs scale better, artists save on road grind and costs, and fans get more for their money.
Radio will only help its own cause if it becomes a stronger partner. How?
Like Apple used to say — think different. It’s not about selling “airtime” or the typical spots, dots, rankers, and caller 10 contests. Today, the focus must be on audience access and curation — and bringing new, measurable, and trackable value.
Radio is still the most effective way to quickly get an important message out to the masses. There’s a reason the government established the EAS for radio. But a promoter isn’t releasing tornado information. They just want to reach Wet Leg fans in the most cost-efficient way possible.
None of this means radio can’t find ways to earn a bigger share of today’s smaller pie. Something is better than nothing.
The following aren’t written in a foreign language, but rarely are they implemented to the point of making a real difference to promoters dictating spend.
Truly grow and use the station database to create “super fan squads.” Those who are incentivized to help spread the word on pre-sales, discounts, etc.
Talk real data — not “our share is this, our cume is that.” They’ve heard the quantitative speak. But have they heard the qualitative bombs you can drop that can translate to sales?
“If we don’t sell tickets, we don’t get paid.” Create exclusive pre-sale links or short codes to drive direct sales that are trackable. Direct sales results are only going to become a bigger requirement — not just for concerts, but for all advertisers.
Bands rely on merch. Put money in both pockets. Design co-branded, drop-ship merch that brings shared revenue or charitable contributions.
With the right sales staff, all it takes is one pair of good seats to build a sponsorable package — with transportation, dinner, and hotel. That can bring more effective frequency than the typical mid-range spot buy.
There’s no shortage of ideas. Even the usual suspects like concert calendars can be refocused for a new and more targeted model.
Concerts may not need radio like they used to, but they’ll always need what radio can uniquely deliver: real fans, real emotion, real results.
See you at the show. Bring your earplugs.
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Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.
