Music

Bieber ticket sales tank Down Under

Justin Bieber’s not so hot Down Under right now.

Tickets prices for the pint-sized hitmaker are falling like a stone as he prepares for a run of eight Australian concerts beginning next week.

Biebs has been suffering from a run of bad PR with erratic performances and alleged wild partying.

The tidal wave of bad press has driven some admission prices to less than half of face, according to Alex Levenson, who runs Asia Pacific sales for ticket reseller viagogo.

The secondary ticket seller said Bieber’s reported bad behavior isn’t sitting well with parents, who would have to foot the bill for their kids to see his shows. Those same parents would rather shell out money for drama-free acts like One Direction.

“With their squeaky clean image, One Direction is popular with fans and their parents alike,” Levenson told news.com.au. “Bieber on the other hand is doing a very good impression of an enfant terrible, which seems to be putting off his fans and driving their parents to resell tickets.

“One Direction won the battle for hearts and minds and Bieber has been left trailing behind in the fan stakes. His new bad boy persona seems to be putting people off.”

Bieber plays Tuesday and Wednesday in Brisbane, and fans can get into closing night for as little as $50 on viagogo, half the face value on primary outlet Ticketek.

Ducats to his Dec. 2 and 3 gigs in Melbourne are going for as little as $48 on viagogo for $98 face-value locations.

Even top-end seats can be had for less.

Bieber plays in Sydney next Friday and Saturday, and category “A” tickets can go for as little as $56 on viagogo. Face value for those choice spots is $145.

These current prices are in stark contrast to Bieber’s first Australian tour in 2011, when shows sold out within minutes, forcing more dates to be added.

The ticket landscape is much different in 2013, with young music fans finding a new flavor of the month.

“It seems the nation is still recovering from 1D fever after the band performed 25 dates Down Under in September and October,” said Levenson. “Bieber is feeling the downside of sharing a fan base with the boys from One Direction.”