Event tickets seller Ticketmaster says it is going to let artists and sports teams raise and lower the price of tickets to reflect demand while they’re being sold.
The idea is for promoters to get the most value they can from top-demand front-row seats and to cut the profit scalpers can reap from those.
The new technology also could increase sales of seats that now go unsold by allowing promoters to drop prices on seats that are less desirable.
Ticketmaster, a division of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., says the move also should improve fans’ experience.
The company has begun testing the system with several professional baseball, basketball and hockey teams.
Are they still going to charge 30% fee for each tickets?
Nope the fee is going up to 40%.
Ticketbastards
right now fans have a chance — however small — to score premium seats for face value…but this to me sounds like only fans with deep pockets will have the chance to buy premium seats…while regular fans with $100 to spend will be stuck with the nosebleeds…
“…the move also should improve fans’ experience”
– the fox guarding the henhouse
If Ticketmaster wants to “improve fans’ experience”, drop those outrageous “handling” and “convenience” fees. Stop ripping people off. That’s a first step to improving fans’ experience.
If Ticketbastard sincerely wishes to improve a fan’s experience, I would suggest the drawing and quartering of a Live Nation Entertainment executive staff member at each event.
For one, they could stop charging the insane fee for the privilege of using your own printer and ink to print your tickets at home.
That’s the way airlines price their tickets… on those brief occasions when they’re not in bankruptcy.
Ticketmaster, a division of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., says the move also should improve fans’ experience. WHO amongst us is going to believe that line? If the people at Ticketmaster or Live Nation had ANY brains they would “abolish” all fees buy rolling them over into the face price of the ticket instead of adding costs on at the end. It’s a lot easier to swallow a $100 ticket face value then a $70 one with $30 in fees added on the back side. Problem is that the artists won’t let them do it because nobody in this game of ripping off of the public wants to be the one to appear as the greedy party. And they wonder why their business is dying. and bring back camping out overnight for seats on occasion to let the real fans have a chance. It would go a long way toward building fan loyalty and improving the corporate image.
How will this stop the scalpers? They’ll just keep getting the tickets like they always do – by bribing Ticketmaster employees.
I purchased a pair of tickets AT THE BOX OFFICE recently for a House of Blues show. The tickets had a face value of $25 each. The total cost for the pair was $60. When I asked the box office employee why I was charged $30 for a $25 ticket, she said it was a service fee, “because she’s servicing me.” Huh?
Of all the tickets I’ve bought over the passed 25 years I can’t think of one that was ever improved by my Ticketmaster experience. I can’t believe they can say that with a straight face. How will this stop scalping? Now the main scalper is Ticketmaster.
I meant past not passed.
Seriously talk about a Monopoly. Luckily I working downtown I can walk over to the box office for some tickets and save big money by not going thru Ticketmaster. Last year was going to buy Monday night half off Sox tickets. I think they were $12 each face value, after Ticketmaster fee’s they were $19 each.
Come on, over 50% fee – for me I could take of during lunch and take the L to Sox park and get the tickets. For 99% of people your screwed. Not a big government regulation guy but in my mind this takes a looking at, because the consumers are screwed with this and nowhere else to turn.
This will only increase the monopoly power that ticketmaster has and my guess is that scalpers will still be around for people seeking tickets to premium events. The state should look into who is profiting at ticketmaster since they charge obscene surcharges for the “privilege” of buying tickets and have near monopoly power for ticket purchasing.
funny to see people bitching about ticket prices; isn’t this corporate capitalism at its best. we should applude this, considering any regulation is sinful, immoral, illegal, etc… the american way at its best.
This won’t stop scalpers; this act of stupidity will only increase their profits because now they’ll be able to mark-up higher priced tickets. Ok, so now a $35 ticket goes up to $50 for a premium highly desired game. What was already a $50 scalped ticket is now a $60 or $65 ticket. Sure, nosebleeds when the Sox play KC may go from $18 to $10 but there will still be a $5 convenience and a $3 print fee. Thanks but no thanks Ticket-***-master.
I agree with every post thus far. One more point. Why should TM have any authority over the pricing of the tickets themselves? That is not their job. I’d still like to know what they do differently for buyers of a $10 ticket than a $75 ticket, even though their ripoff fees differ.
Hopefully the next reporter doing a story about TM will keep this in mind.