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Ticket Price Breakeven Calculator

Find the ticket price and attendance a show needs to break even.

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Rex says

Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.

Try a scenario

Click to load — tweak from there.

Inputs

Result

Tickets needed to break even

104

Price needed at expected attendance

$21.85

Net revenue per ticket

$24.00

Profit/loss at expected attendance

$1,100

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How to use this

  1. 1Enter fixed costs (venue, sound, promo) ($).
  2. 2Enter ticket price ($).
  3. 3Enter ticketing platform fee (%).
  4. 4Enter variable cost per ticket (guarantee, security) ($).
  5. 5Enter expected attendance.
  6. 6Read your tickets needed to break even on the right — it updates as you type.
  7. 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.

About this calculator

A show's breakeven point depends on fixed costs (venue rental, sound engineer, promotion) versus variable per-ticket costs (ticketing platform fees, artist guarantees paid per head) and your ticket price after fees are deducted. This calculator solves for how many tickets you need to sell at a given price to cover costs, and separately shows what price you'd need to charge to break even at an expected attendance figure.

FormulaBreakeven tickets = fixed costs ÷ (price × (1 − fee %) − variable cost per ticket).

Worked example

Using the values the calculator loads with:

Inputs

  • Fixed costs (venue, sound, promo): 2500 $
  • Ticket price: 30 $
  • Ticketing platform fee: 10 %
  • Variable cost per ticket (guarantee, security): 3 $
  • Expected attendance: 150

Results

  • Tickets needed to break even: 104
  • Price needed at expected attendance: $21.85
  • Net revenue per ticket: $24.00
  • Profit/loss at expected attendance: $1,100

What each field means

Inputs

Fixed costs (venue, sound, promo) ($)
The fixed costs (venue, sound, promo) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2500 $ so you have a working example on load.
Ticket price ($)
The ticket price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 30 $ so you have a working example on load.
Ticketing platform fee (%)
The ticketing platform fee used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 10 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–40 %.
Variable cost per ticket (guarantee, security) ($)
The variable cost per ticket (guarantee, security) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3 $ so you have a working example on load.
Expected attendance
The expected attendance used in the calculation. Starts at 150 so you have a working example on load.

Results

Tickets needed to break even
Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Price needed at expected attendance
Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Net revenue per ticket
Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Profit/loss at expected attendance
Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.

FAQ

What counts as a fixed cost for a show?

Venue rental or minimum bar spend, sound and lighting tech fees, insurance, promotion/advertising spend, and any flat artist guarantees paid regardless of turnout. These don't change whether 20 people or 200 people show up.

What should I do if breakeven attendance looks unrealistic for my draw?

Lower fixed costs first (smaller room, self-run sound, cheaper promo), then look at raising ticket price only if your genre and market can support it — raising price too far often shrinks attendance more than it raises revenue. A support act with its own following can also lower the effective breakeven by splitting promotion reach.

How much do ticketing platform fees typically run?

Consumer-facing fees on Ticketmaster-style platforms can hit 20-30% on top of face value, but many are passed to the buyer, not deducted from your payout — check whether your platform quotes fees as buyer-side or seller-side before assuming a 10% deduction like this calculator's default.

Accuracy and limitations

  • Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
  • Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
  • This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.

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Cite this calculator

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APA
RevenueLab. (2026). Venue Ticket Pricing Breakeven Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/venue-ticket-breakeven
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<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/venue-ticket-breakeven" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venue Ticket Pricing Breakeven Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
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Source: [Venue Ticket Pricing Breakeven Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/venue-ticket-breakeven) (2026).
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