Documents obtained by Guardian show company increased different fees to ‘offset revenue loss’ from FTC rule change

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.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
    6·
    1 day ago

    I can assure you that first-run sales and presales ticket costs are still outrageous. We’ve been to quite a few concerts over the last several years and even if you play the “sign up early and get the presale code and wait in the queue online as soon as you can” game the tickets for any popular band will not be below 3 digits for a seat from which you can see the band without binoculars, some venues won’t have any sub-$100 tickets at all. Best thing to do is see small-but-good bands at smaller venues if you can find it, those tickets are usually way more affordable. We’ve seen some older bands this way and it’s worth it.

    The legalized double-dipping resale scalping provided by the likes of ticketmaster absolutely send prices sky high and out of reach for the majority of people.

    • IamSparticles@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      1 day ago

      There’s some variation. I just got tickets to Mumford and Sons during their presale last month. I’m in Seattle, and the closest they’re coming to me on this tour is in Vancouver. The tickets were actually pretty reasonable. I got floor seats for just over $100 US. Part of that might be because it’s on a Tuesday night, though, LOL.

      I do agree that prices have gotten out of control, and I have limits for how much I’m willing to spend. It has very much become a cost/benefit analysis every time I go looking for tickets. But sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised.

      • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
        3·
        1 day ago

        I’ve found International venues far, far more reasonable than US. We saw Duran Duran a few years back and it was ~$200 for OK seats in a major city. My other half works internationally, and picked up seats to see them on one of her work trips for only €53. Since then we’ve vicariously eyed shows overseas only to note we could fly there and back, get a hotel, and have seats for cheaper than decent seats at a US venue.

        • IamSparticles@lemmy.zipEnglish
          1·
          1 day ago

          Good to know. This is actually the first time in… Jesus, 30+ years?.. I’ve attended a concert outside the US. I might start looking at shows in Vancouver more often.