This is a common question that consumers have when trying to purchase tickets on Ticketmaster. There has been speculation over the years that Ticketmaster purposefully holds tickets during the checkout process in order to drive up prices. Here is an in-depth look at Ticketmaster’s ticketing process and whether they actually hold tickets during checkout.
How Ticketmaster’s Ticketing System Works
When an event goes on sale on Ticketmaster, all of the tickets are made available at once. There is a set amount of tickets that are divided up between different areas of the venue. This includes floor seats, lower level seats, upper level seats, general admission, VIP packages, etc. The tickets are all released instantly when the event goes on sale.
Customers searching for tickets on Ticketmaster are actually interacting with a virtual waiting room. They search for tickets and are given a place in the virtual line. Meanwhile, all of the tickets are technically available for purchase. As customers at the front of the line checkout, tickets are removed from availability. This gives the appearance of tickets selling out in real time as customers checkout.
It’s important to note that there is nothing stopping another customer from navigating directly to the checkout screen themselves. If they access the checkout before other customers in the virtual waiting room, they can purchase tickets that others may be waiting for. This gives the impression that Ticketmaster is holding tickets or allowing some people to cut in line.
Dynamic Pricing and Surge Pricing
In addition to the virtual waiting room, Ticketmaster also utilizes dynamic pricing and surge pricing on high demand events. This means ticket prices can fluctuate in real time based on demand. The more customers that are trying to buy tickets, the more prices increase to discourage purchases and reduce volume.
For particularly high demand events, Ticketmaster has been known to raise prices mid-transaction. For example, floor seats may be $100 when a user enters the checkout process. But by the time they actually purchase, the price may have surged to $150. This again feeds into the perception that Ticketmaster is holding back tickets only to release them later at a higher price point.
Bots and Bulk Purchases
Third party ticket brokers have been known to use bots and bulk purchasing methods to buy up large quantities of tickets the minute that they go on sale. In some reported cases, brokers have bought 30%, 40% or even higher percentages of all available tickets within milliseconds of the tickets being released.
Since all tickets are instantly available when an event goes on sale, large portions of tickets can be tied up by these mass purchases. This leaves fewer tickets available for the general public. Since Ticketmaster does not limit how many tickets a single customer can purchase, this bulk buying practice is completely legal. But it again feeds into consumer frustration over lack of ticket availability.
Verifying Credit Card and Shipping Information
The final step of the Ticketmaster checkout process involves verifying credit card information and address details. Customers have speculated that Ticketmaster intentionally holds tickets at this final verification stage in order to free up tickets for preferred partners and clients.
In reality, Ticketmaster states that this final stage is a fraud verification process. They scan for suspicious activity, invalid payment details, and mismatching account information. If anything looks suspicious, the transaction will be voided and tickets released back into availability. This process likely takes just milliseconds, but can feel like an eternity for anxious customers.
Does Ticketmaster Actually Hold Tickets?
Based on how their ticketing system is designed, there is no evidence that Ticketmaster intentionally holds back tickets during the checkout process. The virtual waiting room, dynamic pricing, bulk purchases, and fraud screening all give the appearance of tickets being intentionally withheld. But in reality, it stems from Ticketmaster’s desire to maximize profits and limit fraudulent purchases.
That being said, consumer perception is still reality. And the perception remains that Ticketmaster does not provide a fair and equitable ticket purchasing experience. They have a virtual monopoly over major event ticketing, so there are limited alternatives for consumers. This allows Ticketmaster to continue utilizing practices that maximize their own revenue above consumer satisfaction.
Recent Legal Cases Against Ticketmaster
Here are some recent legal cases that have been brought against Ticketmaster over allegations of deceptive practices:
New Jersey Lawsuit
In 2018, Ticketmaster paid $11 million to settle a lawsuit brought by New Jersey’s Division of Consumer Affairs. The lawsuit alleged that Ticketmaster was misleading consumers by selling tickets that they didn’t actually have access to. This pertained specifically to tickets being sold for resale on Ticketmaster’s exchange platform. The settlement required them to be more transparent about whether tickets were speculative or guaranteed.
Class Action Lawsuit in Canada
A class action lawsuit was filed in Canada in 2021 alleging that Ticketmaster colluded with scalpers to inflate ticket prices. The lawsuit claimed that Ticketmaster was purposefully diverting tickets to sell directly on secondary resale markets at higher prices. They then take a percentage of the inflated resale price. The lawsuit is still pending.
US Senate Hearing
The US Senate held a hearing in 2009 following public outrage over Hannah Montana concert tickets selling out instantly and then appearing for resale at exorbitant prices. While no specific laws were enacted, the Senate pressured Ticketmaster to make changes that would better serve consumers. They cited issues like undisclosed service fees, redirecting customers to secondary resale sites, and misleading customers over sold out events.
Steps Ticketmaster Has Taken
In the wake of public scrutiny, legal action, and government pressure, Ticketmaster states that they have taken the following steps to improve consumer experiences:
- Providing more transparency around event ticket availability leading up to sales
- Adding waiting room technology to handle large demand
- Capping the number of tickets a single customer can purchase
- Making more tickets available through fan club presales
- Delaying bulk resale of tickets to discourage scalpers
However, critics say these changes have not been sufficient enough. There is still a widespread feeling that Ticketmaster’s interests are not aligned with consumers and they are not doing enough to provide fair access to high-demand events.
Alternative Ticketing Platforms
Some alternative ticketing platforms that have emerged to challenge Ticketmaster include:
AXS
AXS is owned by AEG and serves as the official ticketing partner for their chain of venues and events. It provides a more modern user experience and has stricter limits on bulk ticket purchases.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite caters to smaller music venues and independent event promoters. It takes a smaller percentage of fees compared to Ticketmaster.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek is a mobile-focused ticket resale marketplace. It competes with StubHub and Ticketmaster’s own resale exchange.
Dice
Dice focuses on electronic dance music and festival events. They tout no hidden fees and waitlist options for sold out events.
However, Ticketmaster still maintains the lion’s share of major event partnerships and high-demand concerts. Their exclusive contracts and integration with Live Nation make them difficult for newcomers to compete with on a large scale.
Tips for Improving Your Ticketmaster Experience
Here are some tips for trying to improve your Ticketmaster experience as a consumer:
- Use presale codes whenever possible – Presales give you earlier access before the general public
- Be ready right at the sale start time – Have accounts created and payment ready to checkout as fast as possible
- Try lower demand shows – The huge stadium shows are hardest to get, so look for smaller venue events
- Consider VIP packages – These are lower quantity and give you guaranteed premium seats
- Avoid resale markets at first – Prices are inflated right after sellouts, so wait if possible
- Use an event ticketing app – Apps like Gametime can search multiple vendors at once
At the end of the day, Ticketmaster is beholden to its venues, league partners, and parent company Live Nation. Until they demand more consumer-friendly practices, major changes seem unlikely. As a consumer, the best course of action is being as informed as possible and taking advantage of any edges available to tilt odds in your favor.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster utilizes a series of policies and practices that make it difficult for consumers to purchase high-demand tickets. These include the virtual waiting room, dynamic pricing, mass bulk purchases by brokers, and fraud screening procedures. While Ticketmaster claims these are meant to maintain order and limit fraud, many feel they deliberately create a sense of artificial scarcity and lack of transparency.
Legal action, government intervention, and public pressure have led Ticketmaster to enact some consumer-friendly changes around presales and bulk purchase limits. However, their hold on much of the live event industry makes it difficult for alternative ticketing companies to gain a foothold. As such, Ticketmaster remains incentivized to maximize profits over keeping consumers happy.
While there is no definitive proof that Ticketmaster deliberately holds back tickets, they have not done enough to combat that perception and improve the ticket buying experience. Until significant changes are made, consumers will continue to be skeptical of Ticketmaster’s motives and frustrated by the difficulty of getting tickets to must-see events.