Bands are Engineering Sold-Out Shows to Create More Demand

Within the indie rock world, the Brooklyn, New York, band Geese was undoubtedly the breakout success story of the past year. After releasing their critically acclaimed record Getting Killed, the precocious zoomers embarked on a national tour of midsize venues across the US, each show to a sold-out crowd.

Thanks to the success of Getting Killed — and mounting fascination with the band’s frontman, Cameron Winter — ticket demand went through the roof, pushing resale prices on sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek to $2,000 in some cities. Given how far in advance tours are planned, that kind of ...