In the opening paragraphs, I will aim to provide quick answers to questions that are relevant to the article’s topic. Based on the title, it seems the main question is whether Ticketmaster has eliminated fees for event tickets sold through their platform. To briefly answer this: No, Ticketmaster has not permanently eliminated all fees. However, in late 2022 they did run limited-time promotions waiving certain fees on select event tickets. I’ll expand on the details throughout the article.
What are Ticketmaster’s fees?
Ticketmaster charges a variety of fees on top of the base price for event tickets sold through their platform. These include:
- Service fees – Charged per ticket for Ticketmaster’s services as the ticket seller.
- Order processing fees – Charged per order for processing the ticket purchase.
- Facility charges – Charged per ticket to fund operating costs for the event venue.
- Convenience fees – Charged for the convenience of purchasing tickets online/on mobile devices.
The specific fees and amounts vary based on the event, ticket type, venue policies, and other factors. Generally the fees add anywhere from 10% to over 50% onto the base ticket price.
What fee promotions has Ticketmaster run?
In September 2022, Ticketmaster announced limited-time fee promotions waiving certain fees on tickets for select events and venues. These promotions have included:
- “No Service Fee Wednesdays” – Waiving service fees on ticket purchases made on Wednesdays for certain events.
- Waiving order processing fees for tickets to select amphitheaters and festivals.
- Waiving service fees for college football playoff game tickets.
The fee waivers through these promotions only applied to certain ticket purchases made during limited time periods. Ticketmaster has not permanently eliminated or reduced fees across their entire platform.
Why did Ticketmaster offer these promotions?
There are a few factors that likely influenced Ticketmaster’s decisions to run the limited-time fee waiver promotions:
- Increase ticket sales – Waiving certain fees could incentivize more fans to purchase tickets for events with lower costs.
- Respond to criticism – Ticketmaster has faced ongoing criticism over their high fees. The promotions could help mitigate their negative public perception.
- Promote slow-selling events – Waiving fees on sluggish ticket sales could help boost demand.
- Test fee sensitivity – The promotions served as a “test” to see impact of fees on sales.
The promotions provided Ticketmaster with data points to analyze fee sensitivity across different events, price points, venues, etc. This data can inform future fee strategies.
Have the promotions increased Ticketmaster’s ticket sales?
Ticketmaster has not released specific sales data on the impact of their limited-time fee waiver promotions. However, some venue operators reported notable increases in ticket transactions during the promotion periods:
- Penn National Gaming saw a 30% boost in Ticketmaster transactions for its venues on the first “No Service Fee Wednesday.”
- The Chicago White Sox had a 15% increase in tickets sold online during the Wednesday promotions.
- St. Louis concert venue owner Big Night Entertainment had a 20-25% event-over-event jump in sales during the promotions.
This anecdotal data suggests the fee waivers did provide a measurable boost in ticket sales during the promotional time periods for certain venues and events.
Has Ticketmaster faced criticism regarding fees?
Yes, Ticketmaster has long faced criticism and backlash regarding their fees from concert goers, artist/team fan bases, policymakers, and media outlets. Some key areas of criticism include:
- Fees being excessively high and “predatory”
- Lack of transparency and “hidden fees”
- Processing fees being applied per ticket (rather than per order)
- Charging fees on “free” tickets (for children, etc.)
- No option for “fee-free” ticket purchasing
This criticism has ramped up recently, following high profile incidents like Taylor Swift fans being outraged at $500+ fees for her “Eras” tour pre-sale on Ticketmaster.
Calls for legal action
Some U.S. politicians have called for legal action related to Ticketmaster’s fees, including:
- Amy Klobuchar demanding the FTC investigate possible antitrust violations.
- Bill Pascrell introducing the BOSS Act to banexcessive fees and require fee disclosures.
- Jerry Nadler questioning whether Ticketmaster’s practices violate consumer protection laws.
Despite the prominent criticism and legal scrutiny, Ticketmaster has defended their fees as reasonable service charges and has not made any permanent policy changes thus far.
Are there alternatives for buying tickets with lower/no fees?
While Ticketmaster dominates the primary event ticketing market, there are some alternatives where buyers can avoid certain Ticketmaster fees:
Buy directly from the venue box office
Purchasing tickets directly through the event venue’s box office allows you to avoid Ticketmaster’s service fees and order processing fees. You’ll just pay the base ticket price, plus any venue-specific fees.
Buy from artist fan club presales
Many artists sell tickets directly to their fan club members through presales before the general public on-sale. These presale tickets sometimes have lower or no service fees added by Ticketmaster.
Buy from resellers
Ticket resale marketplaces like StubHub, VividSeats, SeatGeek, etc. have emerged as alternatives for buyers to avoid Ticketmaster. However, it’s key to note resale tickets can sell well above face value.
Buy on the secondary market
Fans can avoid some Ticketmaster fees by buying secondhand tickets on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or via fan exchanges. But secondary market purchases carry increased risk of fraud/scams.
Ultimately there is no way to completely avoid service fees when buying tickets, even when using Ticketmaster alternatives. But the above options provide some channels where buyers may face lower fees in certain scenarios.
Could Ticketmaster ever get rid of fees permanently?
It is highly unlikely that Ticketmaster would ever permanently eliminate all fees across their platform, for several reasons:
- Service and order processing fees are key revenue streams in Ticketmaster’s business model.
- Venues depend on Ticketmaster’s facility fees and ticketing services as part of their operations.
- Fees cover real costs like credit card processing, website operations, customer support, etc.
- Fees often get passed back to clients (venues, teams, artists) as rebates.
Eliminating fees would directly impact Ticketmaster’s profits. It could also potentially disrupt their business operations and relationships with venues/artists. They are better off responding to criticism by making selective short-term fee waivers when possible from a PR perspective.
Could legal action threaten Ticketmaster’s fees?
Increased legal scrutiny around Ticketmaster’s fees practices could potentially pressure them to be more transparent and justified with their fees. For example, requirements could be made to:
- Disclose detailed fee breakdowns across platforms
- Charge order processing fees once per order rather than per ticket
- Cap certain percentage-based fees
However, it is unlikely that prevailing in an antitrust lawsuit or passing of legislation would result in the complete elimination of all Ticketmaster fees. Fees are too ingrained in their business model.
Key Takeaways
- Ticketmaster ran limited-time fee waiver promotions but has not permanently eliminated fees
- Promotions increased some ticket sales but purpose was also to test fee sensitivity
- Ticketmaster faces ongoing criticism over high and hidden fees
- Some alternatives like box office purchases avoid Ticketmaster fees
- It’s very unlikely Ticketmaster would ever get rid of fees completely
In summary, while Ticketmaster’s recent fee waiver promotions provided some savings on select event tickets, the company has not made any permanent changes to their fee policies. Fees remain a core part of Ticketmaster’s business model for the foreseeable future.
Criticism may prompt more transparency and restraint around fees, but eliminating them altogether would conflict with Ticketmaster’s financial interests. As long as they maintain their dominant market position in primary ticketing, fees are likely here to stay in some form.
Buyers can seek out alternatives like box office purchases to avoid certain Ticketmaster fees on a case-by-case basis. However, there is no blanket solution for avoiding all fees across all ticket purchases. Consumers will have to continue balancing fees against convenience when buying event tickets through Ticketmaster and other primary market sellers.
The limited promotions did demonstrate that modest fee reductions can significantly impact sales, even for a company with Ticketmaster’s market leverage. So while not permanent, periodic fee waivers are likely to remain in their playbook to boost certain events or mitigate criticism. How exactly this balances out with their general fee strategy will remain an evolving process as regulators and consumers continually pressure the industry on costs.
For now, no service fees on Wednesdays makes for a nice marketing tagline to engage some fans. But in the bigger picture, Ticketmaster shows no signs of abandoning their lucrative fees revenue at the core of their business.