Ticketmaster is one of the largest primary ticket outlets and ticket resale marketplaces in the world. As the dominant ticketing company, Ticketmaster sells tickets for concerts, sporting events, theater shows, and more. With over 500 million tickets sold per year, Ticketmaster has become the go-to platform for event tickets. However, Ticketmaster’s prominence has also led to scrutiny of its reliability. Concerns around service fees, dynamic pricing, ticket availability, and customer service have caused some consumers to question using Ticketmaster. This article will dive into the key aspects of Ticketmaster’s services and assess its overall reliability for purchasing event tickets.
About Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is a ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California. It sells tickets for live entertainment events on behalf of concert promoters, professional sports franchises, theater producers, museums, and festivals. Ticketmaster has been in business for over 45 years since its founding in 1976.
Some key facts about Ticketmaster:
- Operates in over 28 countries worldwide
- More than 11,000 global clients across multiple live event industries
- Owns and operates hundreds of marketplaces for ticket resale
- Over 62 million monthly unique visitors to its websites
- Sold 500 million tickets in 2019 alone
In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation to become the world’s largest live events and ticketing company, Live Nation Entertainment. Together with Live Nation, Ticketmaster sells tickets for over 30,000 events per year.
Ticketmaster’s Ticketing Services
Ticketmaster provides the following main services in its role as a ticket marketplace:
- Primary ticket sales for live events on behalf of promoters and venues.
- Operation of exclusive contracts and ticket platform partnerships with many major event venues and promoters.
- Ticket resale marketplaces for fans to resell event tickets they purchased.
- Digital ticketing technology that allows mobile ticketing and contactless entry.
- Fan-to-fan ticket exchanges to safely transfer ticket ownership.
Through these services, Ticketmaster sells tens of millions event tickets per year across concerts, sports, arts and theater, and family events.
Is Ticketmaster Reliable for Buyers?
When evaluating Ticketmaster’s reliability for purchasing event tickets, some of the key factors for buyers to consider include:
Ticket Availability
One of the most important aspects of Ticketmaster’s reliability is whether it provides adequate ticket availability for popular high-demand events. As an exclusive ticket sales partner for many major venues and promoters, Ticketmaster has a huge inventory of tickets. For extremely popular events like big concerts or playoff games, tickets still generally sell out quickly. However, Ticketmaster does provide more availability than most secondary ticket resellers. Overall, Ticketmaster has excellent availability across its large network of exclusive venue partnerships and inventory.
Pricing and Fees
Ticketmaster is known for its at times controversial service and processing fees that can substantially increase the base ticket price. Buyers should be aware of:
- Service fees – Ticketmaster applies service fees to each ticket purchased as its fee for providing ticketing services. This can range from 10-25% on top of face value.
- Processing fees – Additionally, Ticketmaster charges around $5-$10 as a processing fee per ticket transaction.
- Dynamic pricing – For very high demand events, Ticketmaster utilizes “dynamic pricing” which raises prices as availability declines.
While these fees and dynamic ticket pricing often receive consumer complaints, Ticketmaster is generally transparent about the complete costs. Buyers just need to be aware that advertised ticket prices usually don’t include added fees.
Buyer Protection
Ticketmaster does offer buyer protections for its ticket sales:
- Refunds – Full refunds are available if an event is cancelled or if tickets are lost or not delivered in time.
- Guaranteed valid tickets – Ticketmaster guarantees all tickets sold on its platform are valid and will allow entry.
- Secure ticket transfer – If reselling or transferring tickets, Ticketmaster enables secure ticket delivery to new buyers.
However, there are limitations in Ticketmaster’s buyer protection:
- No refunds for buyer cancellations – If a buyer can no longer attend an event, Ticketmaster does not allow ticket refunds, only exchanges.
- Counterfeit tickets – There is still some risk of purchasing fake tickets from unauthorized resellers.
Overall, Ticketmaster offers decent buyer protection but still some risk involved compared to fully guaranteed refunds or exchanges.
Customer Service
When problems arise, customers depend on Ticketmaster’s customer service to resolve issues and provide support. However, Ticketmaster’s customer service has a poor reputation in general. Common complaints include:
- Long wait times to speak to a representative.
- Unhelpful or inadequate responses.
- Difficulty resolving complex ticket issues.
- Being forced to pay services fees again for ticket exchanges.
Ticketmaster’s poor customer service creates frustrations for buyers trying to manage their ticket purchases or resolve any problems. Customers cannot always depend on much assistance if issues come up.
Is Ticketmaster Reliable for Sellers?
Ticketmaster also facilitates the resale of tickets by providing ticket resale marketplaces. Sellers should consider the following factors:
Resale Fees
Similar to buyers, Ticketmaster charges substantial fees to sellers who resell their tickets:
- Sellers pay a 10% commission fee to Ticketmaster for all resold tickets.
- A 15% “buyer’s premium” fee is added to the resale price and paid by buyers.
These fees can cut into seller profits on the tickets they resell through Ticketmaster. Sellers pay both a commission and have the buyer premium tacked onto ticket costs.
Transfer and Delivery
Ticketmaster does offer reliable digital transfer and delivery services for tickets that are resold:
- Easy digital ticket transfers via Ticketmaster’s online accounts and apps.
- Guaranteed delivery of tickets to buyers is handled by Ticketmaster.
- No risk of fake or invalid tickets since all tickets are verified.
The convenient ticket management system is a major benefit for sellers on Ticketmaster. Transferring and delivering tickets is seamless and secure.
Payment Processing
For its resale marketplaces, Ticketmaster also reliably handles payment processing:
- Ticketmaster collects payment from buyers and reimburses sellers after ticket sales.
- Payments are facilitated electronically through Ticketmaster accounts.
- Ticketmaster withholds reimbursements until after events occur to prevent canceled events.
This payment processing system does delay seller access to profits but also protects buyers. Overall, Ticketmaster facilitates secure payment exchange.
Pros of Using Ticketmaster
Given the analysis of Ticketmaster’s reliability for buyers and sellers, some of the key advantages include:
- Wide availability of tickets to popular live events and venues.
- Established trust and security as a major ticket marketplace.
- Digital ticketing and efficient transfers between buyers and sellers.
- Some buyer protections against ticket invalidity and event cancelations.
- Convenient marketplaces for ticket resales.
For the ability to buy tickets easily for in-demand events and venues, Ticketmaster is hard to beat. Fans know they can find what they need on Ticketmaster’s extensive ticket marketplace.
Cons of Using Ticketmaster
However, some downsides to Ticketmaster’s services include:
- Expensive fees that substantially increase costs for buyers and sellers.
- Dynamic pricing leads to very expensive tickets for hot events.
- Poor customer service makes problem resolution frustrating.
- No guarantees for buyers who need to cancel plans and resell tickets.
- Payment delays for ticket resales.
The biggest complaints with Ticketmaster are the unavoidable fees that cut into buyers’ and sellers’ value. Customer service shortcomings also undermine reliability when issues come up.
Conclusion
Overall, Ticketmaster remains one of the most reliable platforms for buying and selling event tickets thanks to its wide inventory, security, and convenience. However, buyers and sellers have to weigh the benefits against the expensive fees, lack offlexibility on refunds, and poor customer service reputation. For many major live events, Ticketmaster may be the best or only option, so consumers are willing to accept the downsides. But alternatives may provide better value and support for smaller local events. As the dominant ticketing marketplace, Ticketmaster delivers necessary ticket availability at the expense of ideal buyer and seller protections or value.
Comparison of Ticketmaster Fees with Other Ticketing Platforms
To understand how Ticketmaster’s fees compare, here is a table showing sample fees charged by other major ticket sellers:
Ticketing Platform | Buyer Service Fees | Seller Service Fees |
---|---|---|
Ticketmaster | 10-25% per ticket | 10% ticket commission + 15% buyer premium |
StubHub | 10-15% per ticket | 10% ticket commission |
VividSeats | $2-$25 per ticket | 10-20% commission |
SeatGeek | 10-20% per ticket | 10% commission + 5% processing fee |
Gametime | $1-$10 per ticket | 15% commission |
The analysis shows Ticketmaster charges fees at the higher end of the range compared to other secondary sellers. For very expensive tickets, Ticketmaster’s 10-25% buyer fees can yield very high costs. Similarly, Ticketmaster charges some of the highest combined commissions and premiums on the seller side. In terms of fees, alternatives like VividSeats or Gametime may offer buyers and sellers better value on each transaction. However, these platforms will not have tickets to as many events or venues since they lack Ticketmaster’s exclusive deals.
Ticketmaster Loyalty and Rewards Program
Ticketmaster does offer one program that can provide some savings to offset its high fees for buyers. The Ticketmaster Loyalty and Rewards programs provides the following benefits for repeat Ticketmaster customers:
- Early event access – Early ticket purchasing window before the general on-sale.
- Price Locks – Lock in ticket prices during presales to avoid dynamic price hikes.
- Discount vouchers – Up to 10% discount vouchers for future Ticket purchases.
- Fewer fees – Waived UPS delivery fees and discounts on seller fees.
Frequent Ticketmaster can potentially gain more reasonable prices and lower service fees. However, the loyalty program is free only at the basic level, with increasing fee tiers that enable greater benefits and savings for power buyers and sellers.
Future Outlook for Ticketmaster
Looking ahead, what could the future hold for Ticketmaster as the leading ticket marketplace? Some potential developments include:
Increased Use of Dynamic Pricing
As events recover from the pandemic, expect Ticketmaster to expand dynamic pricing across more events and locations to maximize profits on high-demand tickets. Tiered dynamic pricing could become the norm for major concerts, shows, and games.
Expansion of Mobile Ticketing
Ticketmaster will likely accelerate the shift towards 100% digital ticketing and more frequent use of mobile tickets to reduce physical production costs and fraud. Advanced technologies like biometrics and visual recognition could also be integrated for ticket verification.
Pressure on Service Fees
There may be growing regulatory and consumer pressure to reduce Ticketmaster’s buyer and seller fees. Competitors or new blockchain-based distribution models could also disrupt its fee structure. However, Ticketmaster’s dominant size gives it leverage to withstand challenges.
Acquisitions of Resale Platforms
To further consolidate its market position, Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation may look to acquire other secondary ticket sellers. Expanding its resale marketplaces would funnel more ticket volume through Ticketmaster’s fees and premiums.
Overall, Ticketmaster is likely to push the limits of dynamic pricing, service fees, and other profit maximization levers unless meaningful competition or regulation emerges. The live events industry depends extensively on Ticketmaster’s ticketing infrastructure, which entrenches its market position for the foreseeable future.
Tips for Using Ticketmaster
Based on this analysis, what are some best practices for buyers and sellers to navigate Ticketmaster most effectively?
For Buyers
- Use loyalty programs or pre-sales access to get better prices and lower fees.
- Compare final price to other sites to assess if fees are worth it.
- Pay with a credit card for better fraud protection and buyer guarantees.
- Double check event details before finalizing a ticket purchase.
- Purchase ticket insurance upfront for a refund if plans fall through.
For Sellers
- Sell as early as possible before an event to get the highest price.
- List tickets across multiple resale sites to maximize exposure.
- Consider buyer fees when pricing tickets to earn your target profit.
- Transfer tickets as soon as sales are finalized so tickets can be verified.
- Withdraw proceeds quickly once events complete before funds expire.
Being a savvy buyer and seller on Ticketmaster requires factoring in fees, comparing options, using loyalty perks, and acting quickly around events.
Key Takeaways
In summary, the key points on Ticketmaster’s reliability include:
- Ticketmaster provides very wide access to tickets for high-demand live events.
- Buyers must factor in often unavoidable additional service, processing, and dynamic pricing fees.
- Sellers also pay some of the highest commission rates to relist tickets on Ticketmaster’s resale platform.
- While event tickets are reliable, customer service shortcomings create frustrations for buyers and sellers.
- No other primary ticket seller rivals Ticketmaster’s supply of major event tickets.
- Savvy regular buyers and sellers can offset costs by using loyalty programs and rewards.
For the accessibility of its ticketing inventory, Ticketmaster delivers reliability. But expectations around fees and service support need to be set appropriately. No ticketing option is perfect or fee-free, so Ticketmaster remains a dependable albeit expensive ticket source for must-see live entertainment and sporting events.