As the backlash over tickets for Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming tour continues, Springsteen’s manager has spoken out in defense of the high prices.

Jon Landau says the tickets — some of which are priced at more than $1,000 each — don’t cost any more than tickets to see a number of other artists. In many cases, they’re even less expensive, he adds. “In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing,” Landau says. “We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others.” He goes on to say in “today’s environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation.”

Not everyone in Springsteen’s camp appears to agree with Landau. Reacting to the backlash, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt recently posted a tweet that read, “I have nothing whatsoever to do with the price of tickets. Nothing. Nada. Niente. Bubkis.”

Has the cost of concert tickets gone up because artists are no longer making enough money from album sales?

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