<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0MwNS3_0lyJR8Hd00" style="display:none" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0MwNS3_0lyJR8Hd00" width="840" height="560" ><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0TSrI2_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0TSrI2_0lyJR8Hd00" width="797" height="560" ><figcaption>Music fans at Coachella Weekend 1. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure> Seeing live music is expensive these days. Since the pandemic, the <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2022/10/28/live-shows-are-back-but-the-economics-behind-them-arent-great/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> costs of touring are higher </a> , the processes for getting tickets are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/arts/music/concert-ticket-prices.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> more difficult </a> , and the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/24/live-nation-shows-why-concert-tickets-arent-going-down-anytime-soon.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> demand for live music </a> has skyrocketed. Attending a music festival, which has long been a way to get more bang for your buck, is no exception. And tickets for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival remain some of the highest-priced in the U.S. In 2019, general admission Coachella passes were <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/coachella/2019/01/02/when-do-coachella-2019-tickets-go-sale/2209772002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> $429 including taxes and fees </a> . Now they’re up by more than 25%, with the cheapest option (Tier 1 passes) clocking in at $549 with fees (and selling out rapidly). <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> When comparing Coachella to festivals across the country that often book similar performers, Coachella’s base pricing can be nearly double that of a festival like <a href="https://www.governorsballmusicfestival.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> the Governors Ball Music Festival </a> in New York City or <a href="https://www.bonnaroo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Bonnaroo Music &amp; Arts Festival </a> in Manchester, Tenn. Still, the event is widely seen as the “ <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-coachella-history-festival-growth-concerts-20190411-story.html" rel="nofollow"> gold standard of pop music gatherings </a> ” and marks the unofficial start of summer festival season. And so with around 250,000 people attending this year's festivities over the course of two weekends, we wanted to know: Who's choosing to spend their cash on Coachella? How much money do they make? And most importantly, do they find the steep tickets worthwhile? (Spoiler alert: Everyone we talked to did.) <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=35br7Y_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=35br7Y_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1154" ><figcaption>Danielle Veira, left, and Gabrielle Veira. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2> Danielle Veira </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 37 Lives in: Washington, D.C. Occupation: Strategic communications Income: $210,000. I’m a rich auntie; I am a single woman in the world. First time at Coachella? Yes Worth it? I like the diversity of the artists. I like that I'm not crowded and overwhelmed. Even the food I would say [is worth it], like today we’re having chicken fingers, but yesterday, we had fantastic dumplings and noodles. It’s very organized. We were talking about how, like, East Coast festivals, people are kind of pushy. Nobody pushed me once. Maybe people run into you walking and stuff like that. But we were pretty far up for Calvin Harris, and I didn't feel any surge of the crowd. Everybody is just nice. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2> Gabrielle Veira </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 27 Lives in: New York City Occupation: Strategic communications Income: $80,000 First time at Coachella? Yes Worth it? Honestly, we have gone to a few other festivals, and this does feel a lot more organized and spacious. I'm feeling very happy to be here. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Guzvy_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Guzvy_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1125" ><figcaption>Rolando Garcia. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2> Rolando Garcia </h2> Pronouns: He/they Age: 26 Lives in: Austin, Texas Occupation: None Income: No income, unless you count Mommy and Daddy. First time at Coachella? Yes Worth it? Yeah, I’ve had a great time. I've been doing festivals for years, and I feel like this is a festival on "easy mode" because everyone is so nice. No one's up against you for any reason. I can just walk up to the front. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2GOnoU_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2GOnoU_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1043" ><figcaption>Alec Mitchell, left, and Dillan Boada. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2> Alec Mitchell </h2> Pronouns: He/him Age: 25 Lives in: Los Angeles Occupation: Currently studying for the bar Income: None First time at Coachella? No, fourth time Worth it? It's a super unique experience. And I really like it because it's one of the only places where you can really unplug for three days. I never check my texts or anything — it's just so fast-paced. So it's really good for decompressing, even though it's a crazy weekend. I mostly go in with the expectation to just go with the flow. It can be really hectic, so I think getting a good group of friends and just sort of sticking with them and accommodating what everyone really wants to see is the best way to go about it. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2> Dillan Boada </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 25 Lives in: Los Angeles Occupation: Advertising Income: $90,000 First time at Coachella? No, fifth time Worth it? I honestly think this was my best one yet. I don't know if that's just because I'm older and more experienced and know how to do it. The setting is amazing — being in the desert is just beautiful. And obviously going with a big group of friends, you're making memories that you're just never going to forget. And it's just total freedom. Nothing to focus on but music for three days. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4PbI1x_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4PbI1x_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1141" ><figcaption>Marco Salazar. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><h2> Marco Salazar </h2> Pronouns: He/him Age: 34 Lives in: San Diego Occupation: Software developer Income: More than six figures First time at Coachella? It's my 17th year. Worth it? Yeah. Because I've been coming here since I was like 17 or 18, it's kind of like a formative thing for me. I love coming out to the desert; I've lived nearby my entire life. So it's kind of like revisiting that time when I discovered music, and I'm discovering more and more new artists every time. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=18QvtZ_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=18QvtZ_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1206" ><figcaption>Edd, left, and Molly Benda. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><h2> Edd Benda </h2> Pronouns: He/him Age: 32 Lives in: Los Angeles Occupation: Works in film Income: Joint six-figure income with Molly First time at Coachella? Yes Worth it? I think we were just really excited to have the experience together. We're big Gorillaz fans, personally, and that was a ton of fun. And then it was really cool to see Chromeo — we were dancing well into the night last night. Truth be told, this was so awesome. It's like, what more do we want to get out of it? <h2> Molly Benda </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 32 Lives in: Los Angeles Occupation: Works in film Income: Joint six-figure income with Edd First time at Coachella? This will be my fifth or sixth time. Worth it? This is the best [Coachella] so far. It helps when you’re with someone you love. We’re excited to see Frank Ocean but also just exploring some new music. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2l1Ngs_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2l1Ngs_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1125" ><figcaption>Christina Basile, left, and Giorgia Calabria. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><h2> Christina Basile </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 43 Lives in: San Diego Occupation: Marketing Income: $150,000 First time at Coachella? No, second time Worth it? Absolutely. Also having the secluded area and the VIP entrance from parking makes [the walk] shorter. <h2> Giorgia Calabria </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 17 Lives in: San Diego Occupation: Student Income: None First time at Coachella? No, second time Worth it? Definitely. We met Anderson .Paak in VIP, and you see a lot of other people too. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1REJ0C_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1REJ0C_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1125" ><figcaption>Charlize Agabon, left, and Kaleem Syed. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><h2> Charlize Agabon </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 23 Lives in: Cerritos Occupation: Personal assistant Income: $30,000 First time at Coachella? No, second time Worth it? I think it was. Everyone’s here for the same thing: to have a good time. I've only been twice and I've camped both times, so I think it's fun overall if you're down to be low maintenance. <h2> Kaleem Syed </h2> Pronouns: He/him Age: 22 Lives in: Cerritos Occupation: Registered nurse Income: $105,000 First time at Coachella? No, second time Worth it? They get artists from events that you normally would never be able to see. There's amazing food. Camping is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm always down when my friends are down. I think who you come with is a big part of the experience. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4fSduL_0lyJR8Hd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4fSduL_0lyJR8Hd00" width="1500" height="1125" ><figcaption>Paulina Gonzalez, left, and Greta Knosel. (Julia Carmel / Los Angeles Times) </figcaption></figure><h2> Paulina Gonzalez </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 19 Lives in: Austin, Texas Occupation: Full-time student Income: None First time at Coachella? Yes Worth it? Yeah, like, Bad Bunny, it's $600 just to see him. But [here] we're seeing Bad Bunny and other artists. <h2> Greta Knosel </h2> Pronouns: She/her Age: 21 Lives in: Laredo, Texas Occupation: Full-time student Income: None First time at Coachella? Yes Worth it? The only thing that's not worth it is how expensive the food is. You're already paying tons for the ticket and to travel here. This story originally appeared in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2023-04-20/coachella-job-salary-ticket-worth-it" rel="nofollow"> Los Angeles Times </a> . </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

With the cheapest tickets clocking in at $549 with fees, we wanted to know: Who's spending the money? How much do they make? And most importantly, is it worth it?