No, Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster are two different ticket reselling platforms. While they both provide a secondary marketplace for event tickets, there are some key differences between the two companies.
What is Vivid Seats?
Vivid Seats is an online ticket marketplace that allows people to buy and sell tickets for sports, concerts, theater shows, and other live events. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Some key things to know about Vivid Seats:
- Allows users to buy and resell tickets like StubHub and Ticketmaster
- Offers a 100% buyer guarantee on the validity of tickets
- Charges service fees to both buyers and sellers
- Has tools to help buyers find the best deals like a seat view before purchase
- Works directly with many major event venues and promoters
- Is an official secondary ticket provider for over 100 college athletics programs
What is Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster is a ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California. It provides ticketing services for many major entertainment events and venues.
Some key things to know about Ticketmaster:
- Owns or has long-term contracts with major venues and promoters
- Acts as the primary/official source for first-release event tickets
- Owns several major ticketing platforms like NFL Ticket Exchange
- Charges fees to ticket buyers as the primary ticket seller
- Owns SeatGeek, a secondary ticket marketplace similar to Vivid Seats
- Has exclusive ticket selling rights for many sports leagues and college athletic programs
Comparing Business Models
The key difference between Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster is their business models:
Vivid Seats:
- Secondary ticket marketplace – Does not sell initial release tickets
- Makes money by charging service fees to buyers and sellers on resold tickets
- Has no special partnerships with major venues, sports leagues, etc.
- Focuses on providing a safe resale marketplace for tickets
Ticketmaster:
- Primary AND secondary ticket seller – Sells both initial and resale tickets
- Makes money through fees on initial ticket sales and resales
- Has exclusive partnerships for initial ticket sales with many major venues/events
- Owns major venues like Ticketmaster Entertainment
In summary, Ticketmaster is focused on being the dominant platform for the initial ticket sale. Vivid Seats exclusively provides a secondary resale marketplace for tickets.
Ticketmaster has become such a major player in initial ticket sales that they’ve been subject to anti-trust lawsuits over their practices. However, Vivid Seats faces no such conflicts as a purely secondary marketplace.
Comparing Pricing and Fees
Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats also have some key pricing differences:
Ticketmaster Fees:
- Charges initial ticket buying fees that vary depending on event but often 10-25%+ of ticket face value
- Also charges fees on resold tickets through SeatGeek
- Fees vary based on event demand and exclusivity
Vivid Seats Fees:
- Charges a more consistent 10-20% service fee to buyers
- Also charges a 10% seller fee when tickets are resold
- Generally has lower fees compared to Ticketmaster’s initial ticket sale fees
In general, Ticketmaster leverages their exclusive partnerships to charge higher fees on high-demand events. Vivid Seats offers a more standardized fee structure since they exclusively resell third party tickets.
Comparing Buyer Protections
Due to the difference between primary and secondary ticket sales, there are also some differences in buyer protections:
Ticketmaster Buyer Protections:
- Guarantees validity of tickets as primary seller
- Will replace tickets that are lost, stolen, or damaged
- Will refund tickets for event cancellations or major changes
Vivid Seats Buyer Protections:
- Guarantees ticket validity when sold by a verified seller
- Offers 100% money back guarantee if tickets are invalid or unusable
- Will replace lost, stolen, or damaged tickets at their own expense
- Also refunds for event cancellations
While Ticketmaster provides basic guarantees as the primary seller, Vivid Seats provides strong buyer protection for their resold tickets. This helps buyers feel confident purchasing third-party tickets on Vivid Seats.
Compare Seller Options
There are also differences in how Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats handle ticket sellers:
Ticketmaster Seller Options:
- Only sells initial release tickets, no reselling platform for general public
- Resells some tickets through owned resale platform SeatGeek
- Also allows season ticket holders of sports teams to resell select tickets
- Very limited reselling options unless vendor partner
Vivid Seats Seller Options:
- Provides a platform for everyday sellers to resell event tickets
- Requires sellers to create an account and list tickets for sales
- Allows setting ticket prices or bidding like an auction house
- Wide range of events and tickets available for sellers
Vivid Seats provides a much more open secondary ticket marketplace for sellers. Ticketmaster heavily restricts general public resale in favor of direct sales.
Comparing Available Events
The events available on Ticketmaster vs. Vivid Seats also differ:
Ticketmaster Events:
- Major concerts and festivals like Coachella
- Professional sports like NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL
- Theater performances like Broadway musicals
- Major theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios
Vivid Seats Events:
- NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, college football/basketball
- Music tours and festivals
- Theater shows and comedy acts
- Motorsports like Formula One and NASCAR
- Some theme parks like Six Flags
There is substantial overlap between the events on both platforms. However, Ticketmaster has exclusive initial sale rights for the very highest demand events like Coachella. Still, popular events are resold on Vivid Seats.
Comparing Site Features
Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats also provide some different features on their platforms:
Ticketmaster Site Features:
- Interactive seat maps when selecting tickets
- Filters for ticket type, price, section, row, etc.
- Ratings and reviews of venues/events
- Integration with venue’s health & safety rules
- Updates on COVID-19 event changes
Vivid Seats Site Features:
- Predictive pricing data for upcoming events
- Sorting options like best value, lowest price, etc.
- Real-time tracking of ticket quantity remaining
- Bidding process for premier tickets in high demand
- Seller rating system
Ticketmaster provides some very detailed search filters and views of initial ticket purchases. Vivid Seats has tools tailored more for the secondary marketplace like seller ratings.
Are the tickets the same?
No, the actual ticket you receive from Vivid Seats vs. Ticketmaster may be different:
Ticketmaster Tickets:
- Official tickets directly from the venue or event
- Will include official branding, logos, graphics
- Usually digital tickets or official hard stock
- May include souvenirs, VIP amenities, etc.
Vivid Seats Tickets:
- Resold third-party tickets, not directly from event
- Still valid for entry but may lack official branding
- Mostly digital tickets for convenience
- No extras like souvenirs or VIP amenities
While all Vivid Seats tickets are verified valid for entry, they are resold from third-parties, so lack the official branding of direct Ticketmaster tickets. The base ticket functionality is the same.
Can you sell tickets on both platforms?
Typically, no. Ticketmaster restricts public resale of their directly sold tickets. Vivid Seats, however, allows anyone to resell tickets:
Reselling on Ticketmaster:
- General public has no option to resell Ticketmaster tickets
- Selected partners like season ticket holders may resell some tickets
- Owned resale site SeatGeek sells some Ticketmaster tickets
- Very limited options unless a vendor partner
Reselling on Vivid Seats:
- Any member of public can create account and resell tickets
- Can list variety of sport, concert, theater tickets for resale
- Easy online tools to manage ticket resales
- Open competitive marketplace, not restricted
Vivid Seats encourages open resale of event tickets between consumers. Ticketmaster heavily discourages and limits public resale of its direct ticket sales.
Can you sell tickets on both platforms?
Typically, no. Ticketmaster restricts public resale of their directly sold tickets. Vivid Seats, however, allows anyone to resell tickets:
Reselling on Ticketmaster:
- General public has no option to resell Ticketmaster tickets
- Selected partners like season ticket holders may resell some tickets
- Owned resale site SeatGeek sells some Ticketmaster tickets
- Very limited options unless a vendor partner
Reselling on Vivid Seats:
- Any member of public can create account and resell tickets
- Can list variety of sport, concert, theater tickets for resale
- Easy online tools to manage ticket resales
- Open competitive marketplace, not restricted
Vivid Seats encourages open resale of event tickets between consumers. Ticketmaster heavily discourages and limits public resale of its direct ticket sales.
Summary of Key Differences
To summarize the key differences:
Feature | Vivid Seats | Ticketmaster |
---|---|---|
Business Model | Secondary ticket marketplace | Primary + secondary ticket sales |
Fees | 10-20% buyer fee + seller fee | Higher fees, varies by event |
Buyer Protection | Refunds if ticket invalid | Basic guarantees as primary |
Seller Options | Open marketplace | Very limited resale |
High Demand Events | Lacks biggest like Coachella | Has exclusive rights to top events |
While Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster have some overlap in secondary ticket sales, Ticketmaster controls many exclusive partnerships for high-demand primary ticket sales. Vivid Seats offers a more open competitive marketplace for ticket resales.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster have different core business models – Vivid is exclusively secondary resale marketplace while Ticketmaster focuses more on primary sales
- Ticketmaster leverages exclusive partnerships for higher fees on major events
- Vivid Seats offers buyers protections when purchasing resold tickets
- Vivid Seats provides an open ticket resale marketplace vs. Ticketmaster’s restrictions
- Ticket availability overlaps somewhat but Ticketmaster has the very top in demand events
While Vivid Seats lacks some major high-demand partnerships, they provide a more affordable and open secondary ticket marketplace. Ticketmaster remains dominant in primary ticket sales. The right choice depends on your priorities as a ticket buyer or seller.