Ticketmaster has long been one of the primary ways for fans to purchase tickets to concerts, sports events, and other live entertainment. However, with service fees that can add 25% or more to the base ticket price, many consumers have looked for alternative places to buy tickets.
Why Do People Dislike Ticketmaster?
There are a few key reasons why Ticketmaster draws the ire of so many event-goers:
- High service fees – Ticketmaster adds on a service fee to every ticket purchased on their platform. This fee can often add 25-30% to the base ticket price. For high demand events, these fees can be $20 or more per ticket.
- Dynamic pricing – For very high demand events, Ticketmaster utilizes “dynamic pricing” which means ticket prices can fluctuate over time based on demand. This leads to changing and inconsistent ticket prices for the same event.
- Lack of transparency – Ticketmaster’s fees are not always clearly disclosed upfront in the ticket buying process. The full costs are often only revealed at the last stage before purchase.
- Captive audience – For many major concerts and sporting events, Ticketmaster has exclusive ticket selling contracts. This means fans have no option but to purchase through Ticketmaster.
These factors have led many consumers to feel that Ticketmaster’s fees are excessive and that they lack options. This sentiment has fueled demand for alternative ticket purchasing methods.
Major Ticketmaster Alternatives
While Ticketmaster still sells the majority of tickets to major live entertainment events, there are some viable alternatives that have gained popularity.
Official Artist & Venue Presales
Many artists and venues will offer special presales for their most loyal fans. These presales typically happen before the general on-sale date and offer access to tickets before the general public. Presale tickets are usually sold directly through the artist’s website or the venue’s ticketing system and do not involve Ticketmaster. The only catch is that you often need to have a special fan club membership, promotional code, or be registered on the venue’s email list to access these presales.
AXS
AXS is a ticketing platform owned by AEG that serves as a direct competitor to Ticketmaster in the live event ticketing space. AXS sells tickets for concerts, sports, and other events at major AEG-owned and operated venues across the US. Some of the main venues using AXS ticketing include STAPLES Center, Toyota Music Factory, and Mercedes-Benz Superdome. In addition to having lower fees compared to Ticketmaster in most cases, AXS does not utilize any type of dynamic pricing on their tickets.
Independent Ticketing Companies
Beyond AXS, there are a variety of other independent ticketing companies that venues can use to sell their tickets. Some of the largest independent ticketing companies include:
- Etix
- TicktBox
- Ticketfly
- Ticketspice
- Brown Paper Tickets
- Eventbrite
Many smaller, independent music venues and theaters will sell tickets through these type of companies instead of Ticketmaster. The specific company they use will vary venue by venue. Fees are typically less compared to Ticketmaster, though still present in most cases.
Official Team & Venue Box Offices
Purchasing tickets directly from the box office of a sports team, theater, or concert venue is one way to avoid fees completely. Of course, the major downside is you usually need to purchase tickets in person at the box office location instead of online. However, for highly coveted tickets, buying at the box office may be the best way to avoid marked up resale prices and fees.
Face Value Resale Marketplaces
There are some ticket resale marketplaces focused on providing face value ticket resales without significant markups or fees:
- CashorTrade.org – Allows fans to buy and sell tickets at face value to other fans. Only charges a small service fee. Tickets are e-delivered.
- Twickets – Specializes in last minute face value resales. Primarily focused on UK/Europe events.
- Fan-to-Fan Ticketing on Facebook – Lots of fan groups on Facebook enable face value ticket sales between members.
While availability can be limited, these markets are useful for finding reasonably priced tickets without the typical resale markups.
How Artists Are Using Dynamic Ticket Pricing
Dynamic ticket pricing has become increasingly popular with major artists. Here is a look at how some big name performers are utilizing it for their tours:
Artist | Tour | How Dynamic Pricing Was Used |
---|---|---|
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | Used “Verified Fan” program and multiple tiers of dynamically priced tickets |
Bruce Springsteen | 2023 Tour | Used Ticketmaster’s “Dynamic Pricing” system which adjusted prices based on demand signals |
Harry Styles | Love on Tour | Employed dynamic pricing for VIP pit tickets with prices exceeding $1000 in many cities |
Madonna | Madame X Tour | Charged between $60-$750 per ticket using dynamic pricing |
The basic premise is ticket prices start lower and then rise as demand increases leading up to the event. While this does provide some affordability for the initial on-sale, it also leads to much higher prices for late buyers, creating affordability issues.
Pros & Cons of Dynamic Pricing for Fans
There are some benefits but also many drawbacks of dynamic pricing for fans and consumers:
Pros
- Prices start lower during the initial on-sale period
- Fans can get an idea of how high demand is based on changing prices
- In theory provides more price points for different income levels
Cons
- Prices usually end up much higher than face value closer to the event
- Makes budgeting and planning difficult as prices fluctuate
- Can completely price out lower income buyers as event draws near
- Widens gap between affordability for early and late buyers
While dynamic pricing is often pitched as providing fairer access to tickets, the reality tends to be the opposite once prices rise over the course of an on-sale.
Is Ticketmaster a Monopoly?
Ticketmaster sells over 60% of primary market tickets and dominates the ticketing industry. But does that constitute an illegal monopoly?
Arguments for Ticketmaster Being a Monopoly
- They are the market leader controlling over 60% of major venue ticketing
- The 2010 merger with LiveNation gave them even more market power
- Many artists and venues have exclusive deals with Ticketmaster
- Their market dominance allows them to charge high fees
Arguments Against Ticketmaster Monopoly Status
- They do have competitors like AXS, even if smaller market share
- Artists and venues willingly enter into contracts with them
- The rising secondary ticket market provides some alternatives
- Have not been legally defined as violating antitrust laws
While Ticketmaster’s dominance gives them lots of pricing power, they avoid outright monopoly status by still having viable competitors and not barring other ticketing companies from the market entirely.
Is Ticket Resale Price Gouging Legal?
Ticket resale sites like Stubhub and Vivid Seats are notorious for hugely inflated ticket prices. Is this legal?
The short answer is – in most cases, yes. Ticket resellers are generally not bound by state-level price gouging laws that apply to essentials like food, water, and gasoline. Tickets are considered a luxury/entertainment item exempt from those regulations.
However, some states like New York have specifically enacted laws against ticket resale price gouging:
- New York’s anti-bot law prohibits using bots to unfairly buy up tickets.
- Makes reselling tickets for over 10% of face value illegal.
- Requires resellers to disclose the original ticket source.
Similar laws have been proposed in other states but not yet enacted. So for now, most secondary market ticket resellers are in a legal gray area and able operate freely in regards to pricing.
Conclusion
While Ticketmaster still dominates the primary event ticketing industry, fans do have some alternatives to avoid high fees and prices. Official artist presales, AXS, independent ticketing companies, box office purchases, and face value resale marketplaces allow some routes around Ticketmaster. However, for the biggest concerts and sporting events, it remains very difficult to entirely avoid Ticketmaster given their exclusive contracts. The best advice for fans is shop around, look for presales, and compare prices across multiple ticketing platforms.