Ticketmaster's "Platinum Seats" - Another Form Of Scalping, All Over Again

[DaVibe]

So recently I wanted to purchase tickets to see Bryan Adams here in Toronto. The tickets are selling out fast and my girlfriend and I were left debating what to do.
On the site for a bit, I noticed a tab that was advertising Ticketmaster's "Official Platinum Seats" ... I click on it to find the best seats we were looking for (lower rows in the stands, front rows on the floor) for a much higher price.

Example: $150 tickets are $229-249 in the "Platinum" section ...

What's the explanation? (From Ticketmaster's website)
Are Official Platinum Seats resale tickets?
No. Official Platinum Seats were not purchased initially and then posted for resale; they are being sold for the first time through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster's Official Platinum Seats program enables market-based pricing (adjusting prices according to supply and demand) for live event tickets, similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold. The goal is to give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the best tickets, while enabling artists and other people involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their true value.


Excuse me?
So all of a sudden, some of the best seats to the best shows are held so that Ticketmaster can take in an even LARGER profit?
Whatever happen to "luck of the draw" and real fans waiting for the first 10 minutes of on-sale dates and purchasing tickets ...
Whatever happen to it being (in my imagination) "fair" so that fans would have a CHANCE at getting a decent ticket, rather than paying a scalper online or at the front door xxx amount of dollars over the original price?
Whatever happened to Ticketmaster just operating as a "fair" company?

I guess this helps offset the lack of reselling they can do on "TicketsNow" - 2009 Lawsuit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticketmaster)

And for the record, those prices are much higher than what the rest of the internet is selling these tickets for.
Really, I'm just disgusted by this business practice, because it's praying on fans and their money and the want to attend the concert.

[DRonline]

Ticketmaster can get away with it cause they can. They really have NO competition at all, Live Nation could be considered competition but since they bought ticketmaster then theres nothing.

Ticketmaster has their small ticket sites that transfer profits to the mothership and gouge on BS fees. Unless theres competition of government regulation i don't see ticketmster changing anytime soon.

[jcon]

How is it scalping if they've never been sold?

[DaVibe]

How is it scalping if they've never been sold?

Mark-up on the regular price, selling above face value.
They've created a new face value.
They are also holding onto tickets for a concert that's basically sold out (at least those seats are) ... so, they are magicians as well!

[CSAgent]

This is Canada afterall, now bend over and take it like a man. :confused:

[ilove]

Typical.

[zod]

From a business point of view it makes sense. The best seats at a concert around going for under 100 dollars, but can probably be flipped on ebay or a broker site for almost twice as much. Ticketmaster is trying to capture that value (rather then have it go to scalpers).

I had read about them doing this in the US a few months ago. From what I understood the artist can opt out (or not opt in?). I wonder if Bryan Adams knew about that?

On the postive side, here in Victoria, we have a smaller arena that doesn't get alot of good shows. The upside is that it doesn't use ticketmaster :)

[jcon]

Mark-up on the regular price, selling above face value.
They've created a new face value.
They are also holding onto tickets for a concert that's basically sold out (at least those seats are) ... so, they are magicians as well!

Supply and demand.

[DaVibe]

Supply and demand.

There's been supply and demand for 50 years of selling tickets, I just find the timing interesting about a year after they tried to profit off of tickets before and it didn't work out. Now there's this instead.

If you've never bought tickets from Ticketmaster before, this explanation might sound reasonable ... but if you've been buying tickets for years, then you feel like you're being cheated.

Solution: I'm probably going to avoid Ticketmaster altogether and just support scalpers and online sales. There's simply no reason to rely on them for tickets, other than you can use your credit card to pay and even that you can do online now.

[zoro69]

drive to Kingston to see him, the $20 tickets are gone, $47 are no problem. Pretty sure he didn't sell out when he was here a couple years ago. Ticket savings will pay for the trip

[blainehamilton]

Ticketmaster is eroding the business for the actual events/venues.

I used to go to 5-10 NHL games a year, 2-3 CFL games, 4-5 concerts, live plays or musicals, etc, etc.

Now I only go to a few events combined over the entire year. Part of the reason is the cost, but a major common factor is Ticketmaster! On principle, I refuse to buy tickets to an event thru Ticketmaster unless it is a second hand deal sold at under face value, a gift or prize, or a highly discounted rate.

The service and convenience charges are anything but. And charging me for the convenience of getting to print the tickets at my home? GTFO. I go to the nearest Ticketmaster outlet and make sure I waste 20-30 minutes of their time paying in loose change, asking stupid questions about the show or something like that...




Something will happen eventually to Ticketmaster. They have gotten too big and greedy to not be a target!

[Davedigger]

Thankfully, my 2 favourite bands (Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam) have fan clubs through which they sell tickets. Ticketbastard averted.

[iridium001]

Ticketmaster is eroding the business for the actual events/venues.

I used to go to 5-10 NHL games a year, 2-3 CFL games, 4-5 concerts, live plays or musicals, etc, etc.

Now I only go to a few events combined over the entire year. Part of the reason is the cost, but a major common factor is Ticketmaster! On principle, I refuse to buy tickets to an event thru Ticketmaster unless it is a second hand deal sold at under face value, a gift or prize, or a highly discounted rate.

The service and convenience charges are anything but. And charging me for the convenience of getting to print the tickets at my home? GTFO. I go to the nearest Ticketmaster outlet and make sure I waste 20-30 minutes of their time paying in loose change, asking stupid questions about the show or something like that...




Something will happen eventually to Ticketmaster. They have gotten too big and greedy to not be a target!

Yeah same here, back in my younger university days I went to more concert and events, and now not so much. These fees keeps getting added year after year, it's so freakin' ridiculous.

[sexyj]

It's funny you bring up the convenience fee. If you pay your parking tickets online, you get ding for a convenience fee too. :lol::lol::lol:


Ticketmaster is eroding the business for the actual events/venues.

I used to go to 5-10 NHL games a year, 2-3 CFL games, 4-5 concerts, live plays or musicals, etc, etc.

Now I only go to a few events combined over the entire year. Part of the reason is the cost, but a major common factor is Ticketmaster! On principle, I refuse to buy tickets to an event thru Ticketmaster unless it is a second hand deal sold at under face value, a gift or prize, or a highly discounted rate.

The service and convenience charges are anything but. And charging me for the convenience of getting to print the tickets at my home? GTFO. I go to the nearest Ticketmaster outlet and make sure I waste 20-30 minutes of their time paying in loose change, asking stupid questions about the show or something like that...




Something will happen eventually to Ticketmaster. They have gotten too big and greedy to not be a target!

[Manatus]

I really don't like all the BS fees, charges etc. either, but I don't really have a problem with this "Platinum Seats" thing. In fact, I think this is going to become more and more prevalent as venues start taking advantage of technology to push out scalpers. Same as with the Vancouver Olympics, where they had that officially-sanctioned resale site (with prices far above face value) where ticket holders could sell their tickets for a profit and VANOC would handle the back-end, reissue tickets to the purchaser, void the original tickets etc. I don't really see high ticket prices as a problem, if those seats are being filled. If Bob is willing to pay twice as much as Joe, I don't see why Bob shouldn't get the ticket, it isn't like there's a better way of determining who wants something more. In my opinion the problem with scalping is the risk of people being scammed, being sold fake tickets etc and spending a lot of money for nothing, which tarnishes the event. It's probably a good thing when the organizers take this in-house so that at least someone who pays through the nose knows that they are going to get what they paid for.

[Shaner]

I refuse to use Ticketmaster. I only use Stubhub or Kijiji. At least in those cases, it's usually some random person making money off the inflated price, rather than a corporation. Yes, Stubhub gets a cut, but they only provide the venue, they don't decide the prices.

[zod]

I don't think the platinum ticket prices are "fees"? They are charging more for tickets that are up front. Mostly because scalpers/brokers buy most of them anyways and flip them for 200% profit. TM collects the fees. I would think the ticket revenue still gets split the way normal ticket revenue does with the band (event) getting the biggest share. It's not like TM can charge double the price for an up front ticket and cut the band out. I think the band has to authorize this type of ticket system, so I'm pretty sure they get most of the proceeds.

Philosophically its tough with how much to charge for the best seats. Historically they've always been underpriced. If they weren't scaplers wouldn't be able to make huge profits from them. On the flip side you're changing the demographic of the people that will sit up close. It most likely goes from die hard fans of the band to more affluent people who might not care as much. It could generate lower quality shows as bands tend to feed off the energy. I think its the same at hockey games. All the lower bowl seats cost at least 200 dollars (sometimes 250) and most can only be purchased as season tickets. Alot of lower bowl seats belong to corporations and wealthy persons. The diehard fans are in the nosebleeds.

Short end of it. I can see why ticketmaster/bands want to take the extra funds being made by scalpers away. Is it worth screwing the few fans who managed to pull good tickets on ticketmaster out of inexpensive seats? I'm not sure.

I also go to less concerts then I used to. Generally its because in the last 15 years I've seen everything I wanted to see (and then in duplicate, triplicate etc..). I feel bad for the kids who are just starting their concert watching years right now :(

[zod]

I refuse to use Ticketmaster. I only use Stubhub or Kijiji. At least in those cases, it's usually some random person making money off the inflated price, rather than a corporation. Yes, Stubhub gets a cut, but they only provide the venue, they don't decide the prices.

umm where do you think the stubhub sellers get their tickets from? Now you've simuntaneously supported scalpers (brokers) and ticketmaster.. lol!

[Cas77]

Yeah same here, back in my younger university days I went to more concert and events, and now not so much. These fees keeps getting added year after year, it's so freakin' ridiculous.

Same here. If it's a Ticketmaster event now I'll pass. Ironic thing is back in my 20's I used to attend alot of concerts and events. Now that I have the disposable income to go to even more events and pay for the better tickets I choose to spend it elsewhere thanks to Ticketmaster. I guess I'm the exception to the rule seeing as based on the sellouts people are willing to pay anything to a greedy corporation for entertainment.


I refuse to use Ticketmaster. I only use Stubhub or Kijiji. At least in those cases, it's usually some random person making money off the inflated price, rather than a corporation. Yes, Stubhub gets a cut, but they only provide the venue, they don't decide the prices.


umm where do you think the stubhub sellers get their tickets from? Now you've simuntaneously supported scalpers (brokers) and ticketmaster.. lol!

This. Simply refusing to use Ticketmaster and buying from re-sellers encourages this "Platinum Seats" scam, raises prices and TM gets their money either way.

[DaVibe]

Ticketmaster is so far off in price for these tickets, that the "resellers" are ALREADY cheaper than they are.
I basically bought the exact same seats that they're advertising for A LOT less. A lot closer to what the regular price should be.
So, it's a huge ripoff for people that don't do their research or trust Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster only. Poor them.