Last year, the New York Times Sunday Review coined a new generational term for people born between the early '80s and mid '90s. Labels such as the unoriginal "Gen Y" and cutesy "Millenials" said nothing about the persons themselves, according to author William Deresiewicz: instead, he called them "Generation Sell."
For the past year, the music industry has been a living, profitable testament to Deresiewicz's term. Being who we are, doing what we do, and having the kind of developer brainpower at our disposal, we decided to investigate just how much "selling" – and at what price points – the top 30 artists under 30 have accomplished this far into 2012. Have they lived up to the directness of their new name?
In a word: yes. There are few surprises among the top 30 artists with the highest average ticket prices. Jay-Z's better, some would say bolder half is far and away the top artist, commanding an average ticket price of almost $400. Runner-up Justin Bieber will have a better chance stealing (or defaulting into) Queen B's spot next year – Beyonce turned 30 this past September.
Further into the list, relative newcomers Mindless Behavior, Lana del Rey, and the Nickelodeon star among the youngest of our 30, Victoria Justice, all boast average prices around $100. In some instances, the rankings came down to a matter of cents: Ed Sheeran edged out Flux Pavilion thanks to fans who were willing to pay an extra 20 cents to see him play, while The Black Keys topped Demi Lovato by a margin of just 7 cents – a couple of pennies.
The full list of the Top-Selling 30 Under 30 is included below. If you're interested in supporting your favorite and bumping him, her or them higher on next year's list, click each heading to see a complete list of available ticketing links for upcoming shows.
30 Top-Selling Artists Under 30
1).BEYONCE
Average Ticket Price:$371
2).JUSTIN BIEBER
Average Ticket Price:$237
3).ONE DIRECTION
Average Ticket Price:$202
4).DRAKE
Average Ticket Price:$141
5).CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Average Ticket Price:$139
6).TREY SONGZ
Average Ticket Price:$133
7).KELLY CLARKSON
Average Ticket Price:$131
8).SELENA GOMEZ
Average Ticket Price:$130
9).NICKI MENAJ
Average Ticket Price:$121
10).FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
Average Ticket Price:$118
11).LADY ANTEBELLUM
Average Ticket Price:$112
12).FRANK OCEAN
Average Ticket Price:$111
13).MUMFORD AND SONS
Average Ticket Price:$105
14).MINDLESS BEHAVIOR
Average Ticket Price:$104
15).THE BLACK KEYS
Average Ticket Price:$100.82
16).DEMI LOVATO
Average Ticket Price:$100.75
17).LANA DEL REY
Average Ticket Price:$93
18).EVANESCENCE
Average Ticket Price:$91
19).HEDLEY
Average Ticket Price:$90
20).AVICII
Average Ticket Price:$89
21).VICTORIA JUSTICE
Average Ticket Price:$85
22).THE BAND PERRY
Average Ticket Price:$83
23).CALVIN HARRIS
Average Ticket Price:$82
24).SKRILLEX
Average Ticket Price:$80
25).FOSTER THE PEOPLE
Average Ticket Price:$77
26).WIZ KHALIFA
Average Ticket Price:$72
27).TYGA
Average Ticket Price:$70
28).ED SHEERAN
Average Ticket Price:$64.20
29).FLUX PAVILION
Average Ticket Price:$64
30).AFROJACK
Average Ticket Price:$63
Average Ticket Prices For 2012's Top 30 Under 30
| Rank | Artist | Avg. Ticket Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beyonce | $371 |
| 2 | Justin Bieber | $237 |
| 3 | One Direction | $202 |
| 4 | Drake | $141 |
| 5 | Carrie Underwood | $139 |
| 6 | Trey Songz | $133 |
| 7 | Kelly Clarkson | $131 |
| 8 | Selena Gomez | $130 |
| 9 | Nicki Minaj | $121 |
| 10 | Florence & The Machine | $118 |
| 11 | Lady Antebellum | $112 |
| 12 | Frank Ocean | $111 |
| 13 | Mumford and Sons | $105 |
| 14 | Mindless Behavior | $104 |
| 15 | The Black Keys | $100.82 |
| 16 | Demi Lovato | $100.75 |
| 17 | Lana Del Rey | $93 |
| 18 | Evanescence | $91 |
| 19 | Hedley | $90 |
| 20 | Avicii | $89 |
| 21 | Victoria Justice | $85 |
| 22 | The Band Perry | $83 |
| 23 | Calvin Harris | $82 |
| 24 | Skrillex | $80 |
| 25 | Foster the People | $77 |
| 26 | Wiz Khalifa | $72 |
| 27 | Tyga | $70 |
| 28 | Ed Sheeran | $64.20 |
| 29 | Flux Pavilion | $64 |
| 30 | Afrojack | $63 |
