- cross-posted to:
- usnews@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- usnews@beehaw.org
Documents obtained by Guardian show company increased different fees to ‘offset revenue loss’ from FTC rule change
Following a wave of regulations banning the surprise fees that appear at the end of a transaction, Ticketmaster stopped charging the extra few dollars it added to each order at checkout. Typically shared with the venue, the order processing fee was a boon to a global platform that sells hundreds of millions of tickets a year.
But documents obtained by the Guardian show that while Ticketmaster eliminated this fee to comply with the rules, the company simply raised the cost of different fees in a number of its venues to ensure it didn’t lose money.
That’s just punishing both artists and long-time loyal fans for the artists being popular. It’s not their fault that there’s a monopoly on venues bigger than hyper-local clubs and bars.
No, but there’s not another option available to the consumer. Antitrust action from the government could solve the problem but that’s clearly not going to happen so boycotts are the only viable alternative.
My desire to see my favorite acts is greater than my desire to take trust busting upon myself. I can and do see shows at my local dives but I’m not going to abandon my favorite bands just because more people like them than before.
That’s fine if that’s your decision, but then don’t complain about prices being too high