Olivia Rodrigo releases ticket prices for PH, sparks debate online

POPULAR singer and actress Olivia Rodrigo is coming to the Philippines, performing at the Philippine Arena this coming October 5, for the “GUTS World Tour.”

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, September 14th, and fans are shocked at the fact that all tickets will be priced at only PHP 1, 500. 

This special “Silver Star Show” will be selling tickets “Silver Star Tickets” inclusive of taxes and fees and will be randomly assigned to fans. You may receive limited-view, lower-level, upper-level, or floor seating. 

As per Live Nation Philippines, specific seat locations will be given after receiving your Claim Ticket Voucher on September 8 at 12 AM.

Olivia has since said that all net proceeds from the ticket sales will go to her fund entitled “Fund 4 Good,” which is a global initiative dedicated to supporting community-based nonprofits that help to empower women. 

This fund’s mission is to advance girls’ education, support reproductive rights, and prevent gender-based violence.

Price comparisons

Olivia Rodrigo is an artist known and loved by many, most notable for hit songs like “Driver’s License” and “Deja Vu.”

She has received much acclaim since releasing her debut album “Sour” in 2021, which was followed by an equally – if not more – popular album named “Guts” in 2023. 

She has also won and been nominated for several awards, even taking home two Grammys for her album “Sour” and her song “Driver’s License” back in 2022. 

Her name is one known all over the world, hence why people are so shocked as to why her ticket prices are so low, even comparing it to the recent issue of local artists pricing their concerts even higher than international ones.

Some BINI fans (BLOOMs), for example, have compared the artist’s ticket prices to those released last month for BINI’s “Grand BINIverse” concert. In their announcement, ticket prices were as follows: 

• Gen Ad: PHP 1, 387
• Upper Box: PHP 2, 658
• Lower Box: PHP 5, 230
• Patron B: PHP 7, 364
• Patron A: PHP 9, 499
• VIP Standing: PHP 11, 195

Fans acknowledged that the girls were not at fault for these prices, but raised how concert ticket prices should be accessible to the masses, especially for local artists.

“BINI ticket rate defenders floored right now,” said one user on X (formerly Twitter) in a repost of Olivia’s Philippines concert announcement. 

To this tweet, a fan of BINI replied: “BINI is for profit, Olivia is doing it with [a] cheap price in front of 55K after multiple shows. Please learn basic accounting or marketing management.”

The original poster of the tweet then rebutted by saying: “Nobody’s arguing profitability and Olivia is even doing this with proceeds going to charity. Just don’t pretend their demand wasn’t leveraged to raise prices when the girlies are already booked as hell.”

Other fans explained that the Philippines just got lucky to be part of Olivia’s Silver Star shows, as the other shows during her tour were just as expensive as BINI’s tickets, if not more.

One user on X explained: “Iba po kasi purpose ng con ni Olivia here sa PH, ‘di po for revenue purposes. Para lang ‘to [ma-]fund yung foundation niya. Kaya di siya comparable sa normal na concert prices. Kaya ‘di dapat kino-compare sa prices ng ibang artists.”

“Some members of these Filipino fandoms tend to engage in unnecessary comparison and criticism,” another wrote.

“Instead of focusing on negativity, let’s celebrate and support the success of these Filipino women who are making their mark internationally.”

Fans also pointed out that even though it was the management that people were upset with and not the members of BINI themselves, the members would still be affected by any negative comments posted online.