Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sales and distribution companies, serving clients across music, sports, theater, and other live entertainment events. As the exclusive ticketing service for many major venues and artists, Ticketmaster has faced scrutiny over the years for its fees and service practices. One common complaint or concern from customers is whether Ticketmaster purposefully restricts ticket availability or locks users out of buying tickets.
Does Ticketmaster limit ticket availability?
Ticketmaster does not technically limit or restrict the availability of tickets for an event on their platform. The number of tickets released and available for purchase is determined by the event organizer or venue. However, Ticketmaster does utilize various sales techniques and practices that can make getting tickets difficult for customers:
- Dynamic and adjustable pricing – Ticketmaster uses “surge pricing” algorithms that can raise prices dynamically based on demand. Popular events may see prices hiked considerably.
- “Hold backs” – A certain percentage of event tickets are sometimes held back from the initial on-sale date and released later. This can give the appearance of tickets selling out instantly.
- Presales – Many tickets are reserved for presales that only certain groups can access, reducing the number actually available to the general public.
- Bots and bulk buyers – Professional scalpers and resellers use bots and automation to buy up inventory, making fewer tickets available to regular consumers.
So while Ticketmaster itself does not directly limit inventory, these practices essentially restrict the number of tickets readily available at common retail prices to typical customers.
Does Ticketmaster lock users out of buying tickets?
There are a few circumstances where customers may feel “locked out” of purchasing tickets on Ticketmaster:
1. Website errors and outages
For very high demand events, Ticketmaster frequently experiences major technical issues from the huge influx of traffic. The site may crash or be unusable. This can prevent fans from accessing tickets even if they are still available.
2. Waiting room and queues
To manage traffic, Ticketmaster sometimes uses “waiting rooms” that essentially put users in a queue. Users wait for a randomized time before gaining access to ticket buying pages. These waiting rooms can last from minutes to hours and may make it seem like tickets have sold out.
3. CAPTCHAs and reCAPTCHAs
To combat bots, Ticketmaster relies heavily on CAPTCHA codes during checkout. Lengthy or glitched CAPTCHAs result in timeouts and users losing ticket reservations from their carts.
4. Payment processing failures
Network congestion and website volume can also lead to payment processing failures right as users attempt to complete ticket purchases. This is incredibly frustrating for customers.
Tips for getting tickets and avoiding lockouts
Here are some tips that may help avoid difficulties getting tickets on Ticketmaster:
Use presale codes
Presale access through fan clubs or promoter partnerships provides early ticket purchasing before the general public on-sale.
Check for artist or venue presales
Specific artist and venue presales are common as well. Follow your favorites on social media for presale password announcements.
Try lower demand shows
Prioritize smaller venues and less popular cities or dates for in-demand tours. These shows historically have fewer issues.
Queue early
If a waiting room is being used, join it as early as allowed to lower your queue time and increase chances of getting a good spot in line.
Use mobile apps
Mobile apps tend to run into less technical problems compared to desktop sites for high traffic events.
Set up accounts ahead of time
Having payment info saved and accounts ready to go can shave precious seconds off checkout time.
Try fan resale marketplaces
As a backup, StubHub or other resale sites may have tickets, likely at inflated prices.
Is Ticketmaster transparent about its practices?
Ticketmaster has received criticism over the years for a lack of transparency around things like:
- How “platinum” dynamic pricing works
- How holds and presales impact public on-sale inventory
- Rules and practices for combating scalpers and bots
However, the company has made some attempts at greater transparency, such as:
- Adding phone waiting rooms to show users their place in line
- Publicly explaining processes like presales and CAPTCHAs
- Marketing new products as anti-scalping measures
In general though, Ticketmaster could do more to be upfront with fans about their sales techniques and how it impacts ticket availability.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster uses a variety of industry practices that make acquiring in-demand tickets difficult. While they may not directly withhold inventory, factors like presales, holds, surging prices, and technical issues essentially lock many customers out from their desired tickets. More transparency would help customers understand if tickets are truly unavailable, or if it’s a strategy impacting accessibility. With massive demand chasing limited ticket supply for live events, customer frustration seems inevitable under the current systems. Both Ticketmaster and clients could prioritize fan experience over profit, but the reality remains that high demand tickets will go to those with time, luck, money, and technical savvy on their side.