Explore the nuanced dynamics of charging friends for professional services from the perspective of an audio engineer. This response blog delves into the challenges and rewards of merging friendship with business, offering insights on setting boundaries, valuing expertise, and maintaining healthy reciprocity in the music industry.

Fans have long feared the nightmare scenario: being shut out of their favorite concert because Ticketmaster has used dynamic Pricing to increase prices. According to a recent article, this happened to many concertgoers when tickets went on sale for an upcoming Bruce Springsteen tour. As demand increased, the price of tickets skyrocketed, with some seats costing as much as $5,500! But the real reason for dynamic Pricing is to reduce the secondary market and to increase revenue. Suppose the secondary market sells a ticket to an event for six times the face value. As the world starts to emerge from the pandemic, concert venues are filling up. But, ticketmaster’s alienating of fans in a post-COVID-19 market is leaving artists with little recourse and difficult decisions about how to best serve their fans.