The answer is capitalism, I know.
But it wasn’t always like this. Why the hell are they allowed to absolutely monopolize all shows and venues? How are there not laws on this?
Is stopping going to any shows the only way to fix this? If so, that wont happen. People are gonna go see their favorite bands (and ticketmonster knows it)
I wish this one was as easy as getting rid of all my streaming services - but they really fucked us over for live shows.
Was my dream to catch Rush on this tour. 1000 cad per ticket. I can go to a European metal festival for the same price and see 120 bands.
Blame the artists too. Neil young capped tickets this year’s tour at 120 with no ability to resell.
Blame the artists too
This. They’re the ones that set ticket prices, and they get the majority of the revenue from ticket sales. Ticketmaster/LN has even said themselves that they don’t make most of their money on tickets, the artists do, but they want to take the blame away from the artist to keep making sales.
Not that Ticketmaster isn’t an issue. Vendor lock-in especially for independently owned venues has been a problem for a long time.
For the same reason as every other service…
MONEY
I would normally advise you to stick to the small stage stuff. Unfortunately anymore you have to go through a ticket service to see most of those shows. Fucking “convenience fees”
Pay cash at local ticket offices. That’s all we can really do.
If there’s no other way to gain admittance then just stop going until they change it. Capitalists won’t change a thing until you affect their bottom line. I know, you have to give up entertainment and supporting broke ass artists, but it is what it is.
That’s not how you use anymore. Anymore is a substitute for “no longer”.
Thanks
It’s a symbiotic relationship. Ticketmaster takes the heat for adding cost, the venues get some kickback and don’t have to have an expense on their books. Everyone is complicit.
Small venues maybe, but Ticketmaster owns all the larger ones.
Oh sure, that, too. That was their phase two, buying up venues.
The wheels are in motion, but they are slow, indeed. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-monopolizing-markets-across-live-concert
That was Biden’s DOJ. Americans voted to keep monopolies and raise prices last year.
Got to smaller shows at local clubs
This is the way. I’ve seen so many great bands at clubs before they blew up. Why spend hundreds of dollars to see a show produced for mass consumption at a stadium when you can drop $20 and see a hungry up-and-comer pour out their heart and soul to a hundred people. It’s a way better experience.
Also bands that aren’t so famous any more are great to catch at smaller venues.
You must live in very artistically rich city ! Im glad for you. Sadly around here its washed up metal (with lots of fake backing tracks) and rapping to a backing track, mixed in with bad country covers.
Yeah, San Diego, but I’ve lived in other cities with decent music scenes as well. Most major cities I’ve lived in have had a decent music scene.
Ah, thats 7 times bigger than my city haha. No wonder you have great opportunities!
Oh i do. But the music around here mostly sucks, and the sound guys are lazy and terrible. Im one of the best sound guys here that actually tries, and I hardly ever do it as a side gig (way too many projects). I actually just studied sound (and the blade) and know how it works, unlike many (small time) sound guys today. And before you ask, I dont do it for a job because I already have a very good job. I have thought about offering classes on the subject locally.
People want to see pro bands with an actual good audio setup and talent. Sadly, youre not getting that at a local level unless you live in a metropolis or somewhere where the local water creates amazing talent from nothing.
Because people keep buying the tickets even though they aren’t a necessity. This should be an easy boycott.
They are extremely litigious. I work in software security and they are notorious for basically having an ocean of lawyers.
they sound like 3 insulin companies that had a stranglehold on the types of insulin for type 1 diabetics. they were aggressively pursuing any attempt to make thier own version until recently, they backed off.
Capita… gosh darn it
Ticketmaster is a perfect example of how much politicians are full of shit, all of them.
You know those Congressional Dog & Pony Shows, where they drag out the CEOs of some industry, holler at them all day, and then go back to their office and do absolutely nothing about what they just hollered about?
They did that with Ticketmaster in 1994, again in 2009, and again in 2023. Every 15 years or so, they get outraged in public, and do nothing. I’m sure it has nothing to do with Ticketmaster making enormous campaign contributions to everyone in office.
This is what happens when the shareholders screw the working class https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g1u0ascpLY
Perfect.
just like TAX return filing systems, h&r block and INTUIT are pratically a duopoly.
I really hate how much of a deal they make out of congressional hearings like it isn’t the lamest form of PR where nothing happens.
If it was a serious issue they cared about, senators wouldn’t be walking in for their 15 minute turn and then just immediately leave after they’re done reading off of their script.
They never show a wide shot because the chamber is empty.
Hot seat my ass, I wouldn’t be surprised if it came built in with a back massager to compensate whoever has to sit for several hours for the whole show.
I’m boycotting Ticketmaster. I’m just not going to go to shows that force me to use them, even if they’re my favourite bands. I will buy my music on Bandcamp Fridays to support the bands instead.
But the purchasers of tickets aren’t the people who pick the ticketing service. If we want tickets to be available from other services we need to actually get shows organized that sell tickets through them, not just not pay Ticketmaster.
What bands do you know? Do they want to come to your town?
I’m not sure what other ticket services we have. I would absolutely look at what shows those services offer if I know what services to look through.
Ticketweb is also owned by Ticketmaster.
The best way I see it is to buy directly from venues if its available by looking at their websites – and to consider buying tickets in-person if they allow it.
Ticketmaster owns a lot of venues
If enough people stop using Ticketmaster then it will become the profitable option for bands and venues to not deal with Ticketmaster even at risk of not being allowed to by Ticketmaster.
That seems much easier to pull off while also building a replacement infrastructure for ticketing and performances. The hypothetical more profitable option of not dealing with Ticketmaster needs to be manually built out: firms and practices don’t just manifest themselves as spontaneous crystallization of pure potential profitability.
Ticketmaster will not allow a replacement structure. Better to just boycott it and have venues sell tickets like Theatres do.
Imagine if two thirds of movies could only be seen at AMC theatres for years after release?
How do they propose to prevent it? They can’t stop me from starting a band, they can’t stop you from having me play at your house. Exclusivity agreements don’t work on the fundamentally disagreeable.
It’s already implemented: venues and bands that work with ticketmaster sign contracts of exclusivity. Any venue that doesn’t work only with ticketmaster can’t work with ticketmaster at all, which is not good for business when Ticketmaster is the de facto monopoly.
You can make a band and you can own a venue and you can choose not to use Ticketmaster, and you should I absolutely support that, but if you want to create an online ticket sales empire you would first have to prove you’re more capable of driving sales than Ticketmaster.
That’s why we need to show up with a bunch of Ticketmaster boycotters. Every successful social movement needs a carrot and a stick.
TBH it’s difficult to use even if you wanted to, sometimes their site won’t even load unless I allow third party cookies, location data, mic and camera access, download their app, and stick their special dongle up my ass.
It wasn’t always like this?
Were you buying Rush tickets? lol
I SOOO want to see Rush’s tour next summer. Not seeing them for past tours is something I really regret.
Signed up for the pre-sale, signed on the day of AND… FUCK THAT.
I’m not spending the equivalent of my mortgage just to get decent seats. So I fired up the R40 tour video and cranked it up. I’ll just be happy with that.
Basically, through mergers and acquisitions they’re dominating the venue market. It used to be that there were many actors, but now everything is everything under the Ticketmaster umbrella.
It’s convenient for artists, as they only have one point if contact needed per location in terms of booking, ticket sales, merch, and everything else around the concert/event.
It’s convenient for venues, as Ticketmaster brings in business. However, it’s a double edged sword: Do something Ticketmaster doesn’t approve of, such as use a competitor, and you’re not getting the big headliners.
It’s awful for the rest of us, as we then have to deal with a monopoly pushing up the prices.
I am cautiously optimistic about the long term outlook, though: The Ticketmaster hate is widespread to the point where some artists refuse to work with them, as they feel their fans are getting robbed with the band getting the blame. And they are the ones with the leverage to turn things around - artists with integrity will put their fans first, and that is what will hopefully bring long term change for the better.
So basically, they’re the mob.
Uh Ticketmaster owns most of the venues. I guess that is convenient for then too.
Also scalping their own tickets is convenient as well
