Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

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beantownbubba
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Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by beantownbubba »

Not only did I get shut out of tickets for 3 Springsteen shows in 3 different cities, I didn't even get a chance to try for them. I was "waitlisted" whatever that may mean. Like being waitlisted at Yale, not a lot of people get in off the waitlist, and even then it just means that you have a chance to try for tickets. I fully understand that demand far, far exceeds supply. The odds of getting tix, especially if Springsteen plays only 1 night in any given city, are extremely slim, but I'd feel a lot better about this if it weren't Ticketmaster doling out the tickets and the places in line. There is absolutely no reason to believe the process is fair and honest and it seriously pisses me off. Why Springsteen and his team continues to use Ticketmaster is beyond me but at this point I'm beginning to wonder whether there are additional dollars changing hands. Never ever could imagine thinking that about Springsteen, but his loyalty to ticketmaster is impossible to understand. But potential underhanded dealings aside, it's still ticketmaster and they still suck and I am both ticketless and feeling fucked over.

If anyone knows of any tickets available for something in the vicinity of face value, like less than 2x, pretty much anywhere in the continental US, I'd appreciate4 a chance to see if I can make it work. Except for the shows between 3/28 - 4/2/2023, of course :).
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Sterling Bigmouth
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by Sterling Bigmouth »

TicketBastard strikes again. Surprisingly, whatever service Jason Isbell and the Ryman used for his October shows was even worse. Tickets gone (likely to bots) in a matter of minutes before showing up on secondary markets marked way up.
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pearlbeer
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by pearlbeer »

I went to get tickets to the February show here in Austin. I was frustratingly locked out because I didn't "verify" ahead of time. However there were tickets available once I got in.

Here's the rub. We just opened up a brand new 15,000 seat arena that will serve as the new home for Longhorn Basketball. It's a lovely arena for shows as well!

cheapest seat on the back row was $260. GA Floor $1,000. Okay seats were close to $600+.

WTF? I do all I can to support live music, but those prices seem pretty damn excessive. Myself and a number of my friends were grossed out enough by the prices that we passed on the show.
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beantownbubba
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by beantownbubba »

pearlbeer wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:11 pm
I went to get tickets to the February show here in Austin. I was frustratingly locked out because I didn't "verify" ahead of time. However there were tickets available once I got in.

Here's the rub. We just opened up a brand new 15,000 seat arena that will serve as the new home for Longhorn Basketball. It's a lovely arena for shows as well!

cheapest seat on the back row was $260. GA Floor $1,000. Okay seats were close to $600+.

WTF? I do all I can to support live music, but those prices seem pretty damn excessive. Myself and a number of my friends were grossed out enough by the prices that we passed on the show.
This is the old debate, to which I have not yet hit upon an acceptable answer. Of course those prices are inherently absurd. But the fact of the matter is that tickets in each of those price categories will sell for more than those prices in the secondary market. And the lower the price the artist/promoter sets, the more tickets that will be sold at even more inflated prices. Or put another way, why should scalpers benefit from any forebearance/largesse the artist chooses to bestow on his/her/its fans? By charging a shit ton of money but actually less than the market will bear the artist is not being as greedy or heavyhanded as might first appear. OTOH, those are ridiculous prices for a ticket to a rock concert. As I said, I don't know the answer.

A thought experiment: How many shows would Springsteen have to perform in any given city to reduce the demand to at least one show to previously accepted ticket price levels? Now that so many people consider it so normal or even de rigeur to attend multiple shows by their favorite artists, that number is going to be absurdly high almost everywhere. Springsteen would probably need to tour just the US for more than a year straight to hit that number in a large number of cities. Or a whole bunch of baby boomer will have to die sooner than expected, take your pick.

BTW, I did go through the verification process for Springsteen tix. It didn't help.
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pearlbeer
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by pearlbeer »

beantownbubba wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:51 pm
pearlbeer wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:11 pm
I went to get tickets to the February show here in Austin. I was frustratingly locked out because I didn't "verify" ahead of time. However there were tickets available once I got in.

Here's the rub. We just opened up a brand new 15,000 seat arena that will serve as the new home for Longhorn Basketball. It's a lovely arena for shows as well!

cheapest seat on the back row was $260. GA Floor $1,000. Okay seats were close to $600+.

WTF? I do all I can to support live music, but those prices seem pretty damn excessive. Myself and a number of my friends were grossed out enough by the prices that we passed on the show.
This is the old debate, to which I have not yet hit upon an acceptable answer. Of course those prices are inherently absurd. But the fact of the matter is that tickets in each of those price categories will sell for more than those prices in the secondary market. And the lower the price the artist/promoter sets, the more tickets that will be sold at even more inflated prices. Or put another way, why should scalpers benefit from any forebearance/largesse the artist chooses to bestow on his/her/its fans? By charging a shit ton of money but actually less than the market will bear the artist is not being as greedy or heavyhanded as might first appear. OTOH, those are ridiculous prices for a ticket to a rock concert. As I said, I don't know the answer.

A thought experiment: How many shows would Springsteen have to perform in any given city to reduce the demand to at least one show to previously accepted ticket price levels? Now that so many people consider it so normal or even de rigeur to attend multiple shows by their favorite artists, that number is going to be absurdly high almost everywhere. Springsteen would probably need to tour just the US for more than a year straight to hit that number in a large number of cities. Or a whole bunch of baby boomer will have to die sooner than expected, take your pick.

BTW, I did go through the verification process for Springsteen tix. It didn't help.
I recently saw the Stones and thought, though expensive, the tickets were appropriate. Springsteen ain't.
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beantownbubba
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by beantownbubba »

pearlbeer wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:03 am
I recently saw the Stones and thought, though expensive, the tickets were appropriate. Springsteen ain't.
Part of the reason I don't understand this is that I don't know what the Stones charge these days - can you provide the numbers? But assuming the prices are in the same ballpark (arena?) as Springsteen, I don't understand your point unless its just your subjective judgment as to worth.
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Zip City
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by Zip City »

Any artist using Ticketmaster can opt out of the platinum seating tiers. Shit, they can remove the secondary market all together if they require ID on entry. So though Ticketmaster sucks, Springsteen could have made some consumer-friendlier choices as well
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pearlbeer
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by pearlbeer »

beantownbubba wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:22 am
pearlbeer wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:03 am
I recently saw the Stones and thought, though expensive, the tickets were appropriate. Springsteen ain't.
Part of the reason I don't understand this is that I don't know what the Stones charge these days - can you provide the numbers? But assuming the prices are in the same ballpark (arena?) as Springsteen, I don't understand your point unless its just your subjective judgment as to worth.
Cheap seats at the Stones were around $100 as I recall. Bruce (at least in Austin) is about 3x that.

I'm not saying one is worth more (or less) than the other...I'm just saying the price of the Bruce tickets felt kind of gross. I've taken my little girls to see the Stones and the Beatles (well, at least McCartney) and Willie Nelson...would have liked to rounded it out with the Boss...but I'd have to dip into their college/climate wars fund.
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chuckrh
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by chuckrh »

I'm verified for the Seattle presale on Wednesday. I'm ambivalent about it as the huge amount of greed at work has turned me off a lot. If I can get a seat for $100 or preferably under, I'll do it. I'm willing to pass on the show if I can't. I saw Bruce in the glory days (1981 back) 4 times. I'd rather see him tour theaters with the Jimmy Webb record. I really liked that one. The mob has gone legit. BTW: although not on the level of Springsteen, Crowded House has forbidden TM from using dynamic pricing for their tour. That being said, they are charging $300 for the first 10 rows.

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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by tinnitus photography »

beantownbubba wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 2:25 pm
Not only did I get shut out of tickets for 3 Springsteen shows in 3 different cities, I didn't even get a chance to try for them. I was "waitlisted" whatever that may mean. Like being waitlisted at Yale, not a lot of people get in off the waitlist, and even then it just means that you have a chance to try for tickets. I fully understand that demand far, far exceeds supply. The odds of getting tix, especially if Springsteen plays only 1 night in any given city, are extremely slim, but I'd feel a lot better about this if it weren't Ticketmaster doling out the tickets and the places in line. There is absolutely no reason to believe the process is fair and honest and it seriously pisses me off.

if demand far, far, exceeds supply then some people (hell, maybe the majority) will be not be able to buy tickets. beside the bots being far faster and more efficient than any human, some humans will get tickets and a whole lot of others won't. what makes this process unfair? (again, leaving the bots out of it, unless that is your main grievance).

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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by brettac1 »

chuckrh wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:12 am
I'm verified for the Seattle presale on Wednesday. I'm ambivalent about it as the huge amount of greed at work has turned me off a lot. If I can get a seat for $100 or preferably under, I'll do it. I'm willing to pass on the show if I can't. I saw Bruce in the glory days (1981 back) 4 times. I'd rather see him tour theaters with the Jimmy Webb record. I really liked that one. The mob has gone legit. BTW: although not on the level of Springsteen, Crowded House has forbidden TM from using dynamic pricing for their tour. That being said, they are charging $300 for the first 10 rows.
I'm not "verified" but am going to attempt to get some for Milwaukee. Not super optimistic at the moment after the horror stories I've heard.
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beantownbubba
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by beantownbubba »

tinnitus photography wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:25 am
beantownbubba wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 2:25 pm
Not only did I get shut out of tickets for 3 Springsteen shows in 3 different cities, I didn't even get a chance to try for them. I was "waitlisted" whatever that may mean. Like being waitlisted at Yale, not a lot of people get in off the waitlist, and even then it just means that you have a chance to try for tickets. I fully understand that demand far, far exceeds supply. The odds of getting tix, especially if Springsteen plays only 1 night in any given city, are extremely slim, but I'd feel a lot better about this if it weren't Ticketmaster doling out the tickets and the places in line. There is absolutely no reason to believe the process is fair and honest and it seriously pisses me off.

if demand far, far, exceeds supply then some people (hell, maybe the majority) will be not be able to buy tickets. beside the bots being far faster and more efficient than any human, some humans will get tickets and a whole lot of others won't. what makes this process unfair? (again, leaving the bots out of it, unless that is your main grievance).
I'm surprised by the question because I assume my opinion of Ticketmaster is pretty universally held, i.e. that they are corrupt gonifs (thieves, but w/ the implication that they enjoy pushing the thievery envelope as far as they can). I know you well enough to know that you're not just yanking my chain so I'll give you a serious answer. I have no faith in Ticketmaster's honesty or transparency. I do not pretend to know or even guess at all the ways they can and do screw consumers but it probably includes holding back tickets from initial sale, taking tickets for itself to sell on its own "secondary market" at greatly inflated prices, guiding tickets to preferred customers (read "scalpers") and more. That's their reputation, that's what's been proven or admitted to in various lawsuits and I believe it's the tip of the iceberg. Simply put I have good reason to believe that Ticketmaster is a dishonest, corrupt company that manipulates the ticket market (and the concert market generally in cahoots w/ its corporate parent, LiveNation, but that's another story) and have no reason to believe that the sale of tickets to major concerts by Ticketmaster is on the level. My personal experience last week is just a data point, not proof of anything, but it is certainly consistent with my belief that the company is basically one big scam.
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beantownbubba
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by beantownbubba »

pearlbeer wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:35 am
I'm just saying the price of the Bruce tickets felt kind of gross.
I can't and won't argue with that. It feels that way to me, too. But my point is simply that given the state of the market it's not unreasonable for Springsteen and his team to try to apportion ticket revenue more evenly between himself and scalpers. I think it's a hard issue, made harder by the behavior of the dominant forces in the industry, LiveNation and TicketMaster, made harder by the fact that those 2 companies are actually one and the same.
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chuckrh
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by chuckrh »

beantownbubba wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:15 pm
pearlbeer wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:35 am
I'm just saying the price of the Bruce tickets felt kind of gross.
I can't and won't argue with that. It feels that way to me, too. But my point is simply that given the state of the market it's not unreasonable for Springsteen and his team to try to apportion ticket revenue more evenly between himself and scalpers. I think it's a hard issue, made harder by the behavior of the dominant forces in the industry, LiveNation and TicketMaster, made harder by the fact that those 2 companies are actually one and the same.
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by tinnitus photography »

beantownbubba wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:12 pm
tinnitus photography wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:25 am
beantownbubba wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 2:25 pm
Not only did I get shut out of tickets for 3 Springsteen shows in 3 different cities, I didn't even get a chance to try for them. I was "waitlisted" whatever that may mean. Like being waitlisted at Yale, not a lot of people get in off the waitlist, and even then it just means that you have a chance to try for tickets. I fully understand that demand far, far exceeds supply. The odds of getting tix, especially if Springsteen plays only 1 night in any given city, are extremely slim, but I'd feel a lot better about this if it weren't Ticketmaster doling out the tickets and the places in line. There is absolutely no reason to believe the process is fair and honest and it seriously pisses me off.

if demand far, far, exceeds supply then some people (hell, maybe the majority) will be not be able to buy tickets. beside the bots being far faster and more efficient than any human, some humans will get tickets and a whole lot of others won't. what makes this process unfair? (again, leaving the bots out of it, unless that is your main grievance).
I'm surprised by the question because I assume my opinion of Ticketmaster is pretty universally held, i.e. that they are corrupt gonifs (thieves, but w/ the implication that they enjoy pushing the thievery envelope as far as they can). I know you well enough to know that you're not just yanking my chain so I'll give you a serious answer. I have no faith in Ticketmaster's honesty or transparency. I do not pretend to know or even guess at all the ways they can and do screw consumers but it probably includes holding back tickets from initial sale, taking tickets for itself to sell on its own "secondary market" at greatly inflated prices, guiding tickets to preferred customers (read "scalpers") and more. That's their reputation, that's what's been proven or admitted to in various lawsuits and I believe it's the tip of the iceberg. Simply put I have good reason to believe that Ticketmaster is a dishonest, corrupt company that manipulates the ticket market (and the concert market generally in cahoots w/ its corporate parent, LiveNation, but that's another story) and have no reason to believe that the sale of tickets to major concerts by Ticketmaster is on the level. My personal experience last week is just a data point, not proof of anything, but it is certainly consistent with my belief that the company is basically one big scam.
i assume you know about the Lefsetz Letter email but on the off chance you're not he's dug into ticketmaster a lot, and they don't set the rules... the artist/promoters do. they just take the heat.

i guess my main takeaway is what you already stated - demand far outstrips supply, so it's very very likely that someone who wanted to buy a ticket was shut out of getting one. so it's an odds game, nothing nefarious about it.

they do need to do a better job of keeping bots from buying tickets, i will certainly not argue that. but in terms of holdbacks, fees, etc - that's not TM. that's Bruce (or whoever).

beantownbubba
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by beantownbubba »

What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by Clams »

I got tickets yesterday for the show at Penn State. Paid a bit more than I wanted to but I've fully rationalized it to myself, lol.
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by brettac1 »

I'm trying in a few hours. Don't even have a number in mind. I'll cross that bridge if/when I get there.
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chuckrh
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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by chuckrh »

I did well on the verified fan sale for Bruce in Seattle. It took about 10 minutes. I got ADA seats 4 rows behind the stage which for Bruce are good as he plays a lot for the fans behind the stage. Total cost including service charge for the pair was $260. That was within (barely) the budget I set for myself so I'm happy. My days of spending $300 a ticket for shows are behind me but that's ok. I've seen hundreds of shows, plenty from the front in my years in the biz. Keeping my expectations tempered but looking forward to the rock show. & yes, Bruce still does provide a rock show!

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Re: Ticketmaster Again, Still, Always

Post by brettac1 »

I missed out for Milwaukee so I'll just wait for the secondary market to calm down a little. Plenty of time before March and there are benefits to being a C-level city that's not exactly a destination in early March (or ever). I had decided I'd do $300/ticket (fees included) if it was face value but I'm not paying that to be in the second level behind the stage.
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