As someone without an unlimited bank account I hate the premium pricing but I can also see why it’s used. Why should scalpers make more money off ticket sales than the actual artists?
This. TM is controlling the sale of every single ticket by algorithm and capturing the secondary market revenue. The best seats never get released to the public, and as we have seen, not even released to the 10C. TM is using technology to squeeze the most dollars out of all the best, and sometimes mediocre, seats. Why should Stubhub, Seatgeek et. al. make MILLIONS off a band without having any connection to the band? That is why prices are higher and dynamic pricing exists. That is TM's value proposition to the artists and it is a win win for the artists and TM. I can't blame a band for saying yes when they deserve that revenue more than the resellers. Good for Robert Smith, but he is leaving big money on the table and feeding revenue to the secondary market. The bigger issue is the lack of competition for TM and the fact that they can charge any prices and fees they like without recourse. It is a textbook monopoly and that is how and why consumers are getting screwed.
It's a contradiction to say they are competing with secondary market sites but yet it's a monopoly.
They control the tickets and the pricing and now they are trying to control the secondary market. An expansion of their monopoly. No contradiction at all.
You fall for a lot of scams, don’t you? Who in their right mind would buy something labeled “premium” at a huge markup without inquiring as to what extra benefits come with that ticket?
Obviously a lot of people buy them, or they wouldn't be so prevalent. So according to you, all these buyers are either not "in their right mind," or they inquired and made a fully informed decision to pay "a huge markup" despite receiving no extra benefits. Or maybe you're wrong and people are being misled by the labeling. I'd wager it's a deliberate strategy by TM, knowing that many ticket buyers won't know any better and will buy thinking that the platinum tag must mean they're getting something more for the price (better seats or otherwise).
That would be a good bet. And airlines do use dynamic pricing. So do hotels. Try and get a flight or a room when there is a big event in any given city. You might luck out but usually prices are two to three time their normal rates. And even for normal flights you can see different prices for the same flight depending on where the seats are and the time a flight leaves or arrives. It's not a scam, it is TM taking advantage of the eagerness to get tickets, panic buying and using clever marketing that takes advantage of consumers. Caveat emptor and know that TM is not acting in the interest of their customers because they have no competition requiring them to do so. They basically print money for most events and do not have to worry about events that do not sell well because they makeup for it with the profits from events that do sell well.
You fall for a lot of scams, don’t you? Who in their right mind would buy something labeled “premium” at a huge markup without inquiring as to what extra benefits come with that ticket?
Obviously a lot of people buy them, or they wouldn't be so prevalent. So according to you, all these buyers are either not "in their right mind," or they inquired and made a fully informed decision to pay "a huge markup" despite receiving no extra benefits. Or maybe you're wrong and people are being misled by the labeling. I'd wager it's a deliberate strategy by TM, knowing that many ticket buyers won't know any better and will buy thinking that the platinum tag must mean they're getting something more for the price (better seats or otherwise).
That would be a good bet. And airlines do use dynamic pricing. So do hotels. Try and get a flight or a room when there is a big event in any given city. You might luck out but usually prices are two to three time their normal rates. And even for normal flights you can see different prices for the same flight depending on where the seats are and the time a flight leaves or arrives. It's not a scam, it is TM taking advantage of the eagerness to get tickets, panic buying and using clever marketing that takes advantage of consumers. Caveat emptor and know that TM is not acting in the interest of their customers because they have no competition requiring them to do so. They basically print money for most events and do not have to worry about events that do not sell well because they makeup for it with the profits from events that do sell well.
I fully understand dynamic pricing based on demand. The difference as I see it from the hotel/airline example is that they're not using a misleading tactic to jack up the price of a portion of the inventory. If you buy "economy" or a "deluxe king," that's what you get. They don't hold back inventory while only releasing "Platinum" king rooms or economy seats at inflated prices, only to then remove the label and sell whatever's left under the regular name for a fraction of the price. And that is partly attributable to competition (or lack thereof). There's enough competition among hotels and airlines (in most markets) that no one is going to pay a "Platinum" price for a standard room at a 4-star hotel when the same room is available down the street for $500 less. Without competition in the primary market, TM can hold back standard inventory and just put out Platinum, which is only competing with secondary pricing months before the show. Also there is more regulation in those industries.
I don't feel it's a scam. Lots of businesses (like airlines, uber, etc..) use demand pricing. It sucks, but it's economic theory. X amount of people are willing to pay X for your good, XX amount of people are willing to pay XX, etc... If you set one price you leave money on the table. Demand pricing allows you to capture people willing to pay at different price levels.
I do feel it's expensive, and with the combination of higher face values, and now premium tickets, ticket prices are spiraling out of control. I do understand the costs of running concerts have gone up considerably, but at the same time, I do wonder, where's the breaking point? Where do they push to far, and fans finally start saying fuck it.
I was really interested in the Euro tour threads where Euro fans are much better at doing this than North American fans, and Euro concerts have lower ticket prices. I had no idea.
I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive.
Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster.
The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.
I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800
During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.
By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.
How many times have you been on an airplane and the person in front of you paid more or less? Was someone scammed there?
No scam, because the airline told me I was in the "economy" section. If the airline sold a bunch of tickets as "Platinum class," but when you get to the airport you're in the fifth row of economy next to a lavatory and sandwiched between two people who paid a third of the price for "standard economy" tickets that the airline released the day before the flight, that would be a scam. That's basically what TM is doing with platinum/premium.
If the airline announced in advance that those seats would be based on market value and subject to change, as TM has done, then no, it wouldn’t be a scam.
There’s no fraud involved here… deceptive wording? Sure…. I’ll give you that. But no one was promised anything they didn’t get… it seems the problem is in the assumption made when people see the word premium, which in the end is on the consumer for being uniformed. Being uninformed doesn’t = getting scammed.
We all know the panic that comes w/ trying to score tickets when they go on sale, & TM is preying on this for sure; but when the details of tickets are made available in advance of the sale, it’s the consumer's responsibility to understand what they’re purchasing. There’s no scam here, no one was robbed… buyer beware.
I think we're splitting hairs. Deceptive wording = dishonesty. It's at least arguable either way.
If a sales person tells you something dishonest to close a sale, yet if you had read the fine print in the contract, you would have discovered otherwise, is that fraud? I'd say it is. Sure, buyer beware is good advice and we all agree that people should do their homework before buying something. If I were to buy platinum tickets, I wouldn't have been scammed because I know that it's marketing BS and wouldn't have relied on the label in making the purchase. But we also know that there's a segment of consumers that aren't going to know that (due to lack of experience, sophistication, or otherwise) and will be misled. That's what TM is counting on. I don't think it's fair game to take advantage of those buyers just because they theoretically could have figured out the truth if they had dug in deeper. I guess we'll agree to disagree on that.
I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive.
Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster.
The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.
I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800
During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.
By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.
How many times have you been on an airplane and the person in front of you paid more or less? Was someone scammed there?
No scam, because the airline told me I was in the "economy" section. If the airline sold a bunch of tickets as "Platinum class," but when you get to the airport you're in the fifth row of economy next to a lavatory and sandwiched between two people who paid a third of the price for "standard economy" tickets that the airline released the day before the flight, that would be a scam. That's basically what TM is doing with platinum/premium.
If the airline announced in advance that those seats would be based on market value and subject to change, as TM has done, then no, it wouldn’t be a scam.
There’s no fraud involved here… deceptive wording? Sure…. I’ll give you that. But no one was promised anything they didn’t get… it seems the problem is in the assumption made when people see the word premium, which in the end is on the consumer for being uniformed. Being uninformed doesn’t = getting scammed.
We all know the panic that comes w/ trying to score tickets when they go on sale, & TM is preying on this for sure; but when the details of tickets are made available in advance of the sale, it’s the consumer's responsibility to understand what they’re purchasing. There’s no scam here, no one was robbed… buyer beware.
I think we're splitting hairs. Deceptive wording = dishonesty. It's at least arguable either way.
How is it dishonest if they've disclosed in advance what premium means?
I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive.
Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster.
The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.
I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800
During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.
By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.
How many times have you been on an airplane and the person in front of you paid more or less? Was someone scammed there?
No scam, because the airline told me I was in the "economy" section. If the airline sold a bunch of tickets as "Platinum class," but when you get to the airport you're in the fifth row of economy next to a lavatory and sandwiched between two people who paid a third of the price for "standard economy" tickets that the airline released the day before the flight, that would be a scam. That's basically what TM is doing with platinum/premium.
If the airline announced in advance that those seats would be based on market value and subject to change, as TM has done, then no, it wouldn’t be a scam.
There’s no fraud involved here… deceptive wording? Sure…. I’ll give you that. But no one was promised anything they didn’t get… it seems the problem is in the assumption made when people see the word premium, which in the end is on the consumer for being uniformed. Being uninformed doesn’t = getting scammed.
We all know the panic that comes w/ trying to score tickets when they go on sale, & TM is preying on this for sure; but when the details of tickets are made available in advance of the sale, it’s the consumer's responsibility to understand what they’re purchasing. There’s no scam here, no one was robbed… buyer beware.
I think we're splitting hairs. Deceptive wording = dishonesty. It's at least arguable either way.
How is it dishonest if they've disclosed in advance what premium means?
You said yourself it's deceptive. Do you really think deception, i.e., causing someone to believe something that is not true, is not dishonest?
I do not know enough about the hotel or the airline industry to comment further except that they do use technology to price rooms and flights, and yes there is competition in those business segments. If you are buying tickets in the 200s or 300s at premium or platinum prices, I am not sure it is reasonable to expect a "premium seat." Call it whatever you want, it is still a ticket in the rafters bought by a consumer at a high price. I do not see it as a scam. When you buy premium, platinum or whatever TM decides to call it, you know what you are getting. I do find the restrictions on reselling those seats as a restraint of trade though, and that should be illegal. That said, so few read the fine print in their haste to secure tickets. Caveat Emptor, whren you deal with Ticketmaster, buyer beware.
I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive.
Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster.
The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.
I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800
During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.
By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.
How many times have you been on an airplane and the person in front of you paid more or less? Was someone scammed there?
No scam, because the airline told me I was in the "economy" section. If the airline sold a bunch of tickets as "Platinum class," but when you get to the airport you're in the fifth row of economy next to a lavatory and sandwiched between two people who paid a third of the price for "standard economy" tickets that the airline released the day before the flight, that would be a scam. That's basically what TM is doing with platinum/premium.
If the airline announced in advance that those seats would be based on market value and subject to change, as TM has done, then no, it wouldn’t be a scam.
There’s no fraud involved here… deceptive wording? Sure…. I’ll give you that. But no one was promised anything they didn’t get… it seems the problem is in the assumption made when people see the word premium, which in the end is on the consumer for being uniformed. Being uninformed doesn’t = getting scammed.
We all know the panic that comes w/ trying to score tickets when they go on sale, & TM is preying on this for sure; but when the details of tickets are made available in advance of the sale, it’s the consumer's responsibility to understand what they’re purchasing. There’s no scam here, no one was robbed… buyer beware.
I think we're splitting hairs. Deceptive wording = dishonesty. It's at least arguable either way.
How is it dishonest if they've disclosed in advance what premium means?
You said yourself it's deceptive. Do you really think deception, i.e., causing someone to believe something that is not true, is not dishonest?
Here's an idea: how about take some personal accountability and know what you're paying $800 for before you agree to a seller's terms and conditions and completing the purchase.
As someone without an unlimited bank account I hate the premium pricing but I can also see why it’s used. Why should scalpers make more money off ticket sales than the actual artists?
This. TM is controlling the sale of every single ticket by algorithm and capturing the secondary market revenue. The best seats never get released to the public, and as we have seen, not even released to the 10C. TM is using technology to squeeze the most dollars out of all the best, and sometimes mediocre, seats. Why should Stubhub, Seatgeek et. al. make MILLIONS off a band without having any connection to the band? That is why prices are higher and dynamic pricing exists. That is TM's value proposition to the artists and it is a win win for the artists and TM. I can't blame a band for saying yes when they deserve that revenue more than the resellers. Good for Robert Smith, but he is leaving big money on the table and feeding revenue to the secondary market. The bigger issue is the lack of competition for TM and the fact that they can charge any prices and fees they like without recourse. It is a textbook monopoly and that is how and why consumers are getting screwed.
Cure tickets last year were nontransferable so outside of NY, Illinois and Colorado, secondary market didn't exist. And Smith readily admitted he was leaving money on the table and was glad to do it, saying he was making plenty.
As someone without an unlimited bank account I hate the premium pricing but I can also see why it’s used. Why should scalpers make more money off ticket sales than the actual artists?
This. TM is controlling the sale of every single ticket by algorithm and capturing the secondary market revenue. The best seats never get released to the public, and as we have seen, not even released to the 10C. TM is using technology to squeeze the most dollars out of all the best, and sometimes mediocre, seats. Why should Stubhub, Seatgeek et. al. make MILLIONS off a band without having any connection to the band? That is why prices are higher and dynamic pricing exists. That is TM's value proposition to the artists and it is a win win for the artists and TM. I can't blame a band for saying yes when they deserve that revenue more than the resellers. Good for Robert Smith, but he is leaving big money on the table and feeding revenue to the secondary market. The bigger issue is the lack of competition for TM and the fact that they can charge any prices and fees they like without recourse. It is a textbook monopoly and that is how and why consumers are getting screwed.
Cure tickets last year were nontransferable so outside of NY, Illinois and Colorado, secondary market didn't exist. And Smith readily admitted he was leaving money on the table and was glad to do it, saying he was making plenty.
NY and Illinois are not exactly small markets, but nonetheless, the Cure is the rare exception to the massive consumer squeeze that is going on. If we did not have wars and other problems maybe someone would give a shit about concert tickets. I guess consumer fleecing in the concert industry is low on the list of global problems.
As someone without an unlimited bank account I hate the premium pricing but I can also see why it’s used. Why should scalpers make more money off ticket sales than the actual artists?
This. TM is controlling the sale of every single ticket by algorithm and capturing the secondary market revenue. The best seats never get released to the public, and as we have seen, not even released to the 10C. TM is using technology to squeeze the most dollars out of all the best, and sometimes mediocre, seats. Why should Stubhub, Seatgeek et. al. make MILLIONS off a band without having any connection to the band? That is why prices are higher and dynamic pricing exists. That is TM's value proposition to the artists and it is a win win for the artists and TM. I can't blame a band for saying yes when they deserve that revenue more than the resellers. Good for Robert Smith, but he is leaving big money on the table and feeding revenue to the secondary market. The bigger issue is the lack of competition for TM and the fact that they can charge any prices and fees they like without recourse. It is a textbook monopoly and that is how and why consumers are getting screwed.
Cure tickets last year were nontransferable so outside of NY, Illinois and Colorado, secondary market didn't exist. And Smith readily admitted he was leaving money on the table and was glad to do it, saying he was making plenty.
That was only in theory. In practice, the tickets got hosted on websites as live tickets where people that bought through StubHub, SeatGeek etc. were sent a link to a moving barcode and used that. The secondary market was robust. Same for Foo Fighters, Hozier, Noah Khan and every other artist that restricted Ticketmaster transfers. Unless venues are checking IDs at the gate there will always be a way. Zack Bryan tried that with AXS to stop scalpers but it was abandoned mid-tour because of the logistics.
In a new interview with The Times of London, The Cure’s Robert Smith discussed the practices of modern ticketing, which he says are “driven by greed.” He also chided artists who “hide behind management” as a way to avoid scrutiny for enabling dynamic pricing.
I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive.
Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster.
The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.
I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800
During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.
By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.
How many times have you been on an airplane and the person in front of you paid more or less? Was someone scammed there?
No scam, because the airline told me I was in the "economy" section. If the airline sold a bunch of tickets as "Platinum class," but when you get to the airport you're in the fifth row of economy next to a lavatory and sandwiched between two people who paid a third of the price for "standard economy" tickets that the airline released the day before the flight, that would be a scam. That's basically what TM is doing with platinum/premium.
If the airline announced in advance that those seats would be based on market value and subject to change, as TM has done, then no, it wouldn’t be a scam.
There’s no fraud involved here… deceptive wording? Sure…. I’ll give you that. But no one was promised anything they didn’t get… it seems the problem is in the assumption made when people see the word premium, which in the end is on the consumer for being uniformed. Being uninformed doesn’t = getting scammed.
We all know the panic that comes w/ trying to score tickets when they go on sale, & TM is preying on this for sure; but when the details of tickets are made available in advance of the sale, it’s the consumer's responsibility to understand what they’re purchasing. There’s no scam here, no one was robbed… buyer beware.
I think we're splitting hairs. Deceptive wording = dishonesty. It's at least arguable either way.
How is it dishonest if they've disclosed in advance what premium means?
You said yourself it's deceptive. Do you really think deception, i.e., causing someone to believe something that is not true, is not dishonest?
Here's an idea: how about take some personal accountability and know what you're paying $800 for before you agree to a seller's terms and conditions and completing the purchase.
I did some research into what Platinum / Premium means with TM tickets, and found the best answer to be that you get the privilege to overpay for a regular ticket. It's a pretty awful business practice to use the words Platinum or Premium. It would be more fair if they didn't include those extra words and just called it a regular ticket that is that price. Because many consumers feel a product with the word "Premium" in front of it would somehow be a bit better than the standard product (better view, merch, etc...). Just using logic. I'm surprised that this shoddy tactic is allowed to be used.
Also, it didn't say on the ticket purchase page that the seats I'm purchasing will be lined up directly in front of each other, so that your view is obstructed. My wife works at a college and sometimes sets up audience chairs, and was shocked to see this terrible setup at an arena concert. Seats are typically staggered row by row, so as to allow each person a decent view of the stage. So the "Premium" seats that I bought were worse than many of the standard seats in the building. This was not mentioned in the print as to how the seats would be set up with obstructed view.
LOL - so they weren't lying at all. GOTCHA, homonym!
I seem to recall someone saying the excess went to EV charity or something. At least that was just one of the rumors flying around earlier in the year.
It was an excellent idea to grab the definition of "Premium". Here you are showing the noun form.
But in the scope of this thread, we are looking for the adjective definition, since the word "Premium" is used with the noun ticket.
Here is the adjective definition below. I'm honestly quite surprised that you need to go look up the definition. I think it's blatantly obvious that a premium product is expected to be superior somehow to the regular product.
So the idea that this is a scam is based on the fact that there is a group of products being sold, and randomly some of the products are being labeled "Premium" and have a large price increase, but these are the same standard product. Just having the word "Premium" added. Surprised that this business tactic is allowed to be used.
I’m sorry you feel duped by the process. The whole ticket buying experience sucks and seems to get impossibly worse year over year.
Premium / platinum seating sucks extra, but I understand why they are doing it. It’s the unfortunate byproduct of the scalping industry and it’s probably unlikely to change.
LOL - so they weren't lying at all. GOTCHA, homonym!
I seem to recall someone saying the excess went to EV charity or something. At least that was just one of the rumors flying around earlier in the year.
In 2020 before the tour was postponed, some of the MSG tickets were sold as Vitalogy charity seats for $1k+. PJ Premium were added in 2022 if I recall correctly. I don't believe they've ever claimed that the cost differential of the PJ Premium seats goes to charity.
LOL - so they weren't lying at all. GOTCHA, homonym!
I seem to recall someone saying the excess went to EV charity or something. At least that was just one of the rumors flying around earlier in the year.
In 2020 before the tour was postponed, some of the MSG tickets were sold as Vitalogy charity seats for $1k+. PJ Premium were added in 2022 if I recall correctly. I don't believe they've ever claimed that the cost differential of the PJ Premium seats goes to charity.
I would say the band definitely gets a piece of the extra profit earned from dynamic pricing. I have no facts to back that up, and have no direct knowledge of the contracts, but it makes sense. It would not surprise me if they requested that the face value be under $200 as I would guess TM wanted to charge more. Pure speculation.
LOL - so they weren't lying at all. GOTCHA, homonym!
I seem to recall someone saying the excess went to EV charity or something. At least that was just one of the rumors flying around earlier in the year.
In 2020 before the tour was postponed, some of the MSG tickets were sold as Vitalogy charity seats for $1k+. PJ Premium were added in 2022 if I recall correctly. I don't believe they've ever claimed that the cost differential of the PJ Premium seats goes to charity.
I would say the band definitely gets a piece of the extra profit earned from dynamic pricing. I have no facts to back that up, and have no direct knowledge of the contracts, but it makes sense. It would not surprise me if they requested that the face value be under $200 as I would guess TM wanted to charge more. Pure speculation.
Of course they do - and please put to bed any nonsense about the band’s altruism towards fans - I’m sure they donate some towards their causes (tax deductible of course) but as seen recently keen to get fans use any left over money from concert ticket extortion to prop up these “foundations”.
It’s not a good look for PJ - the Cure are showing them how to do things with class.
LOL - so they weren't lying at all. GOTCHA, homonym!
I seem to recall someone saying the excess went to EV charity or something. At least that was just one of the rumors flying around earlier in the year.
In 2020 before the tour was postponed, some of the MSG tickets were sold as Vitalogy charity seats for $1k+. PJ Premium were added in 2022 if I recall correctly. I don't believe they've ever claimed that the cost differential of the PJ Premium seats goes to charity.
I would say the band definitely gets a piece of the extra profit earned from dynamic pricing. I have no facts to back that up, and have no direct knowledge of the contracts, but it makes sense. It would not surprise me if they requested that the face value be under $200 as I would guess TM wanted to charge more. Pure speculation.
Of course they do - and please put to bed any nonsense about the band’s altruism towards fans - I’m sure they donate some towards their causes (tax deductible of course) but as seen recently keen to get fans use any left over money from concert ticket extortion to prop up these “foundations”.
It’s not a good look for PJ - the Cure are showing them how to do things with class.
I think the ship has sailed on the "if you can't beat'em join'em" for Pearl Jam. It is noble of Robert Smith to take a position. But it is a terrible business decision given the current state of the concert industry and allows others to get fat off their art. Again, if there was any competition for Ticketmaster we might see a market adjustment on ticket prices. The fact of the matter is that all entertainment has gotten ridiculously expensive. At least with Pearl Jam I feel like I get my money's worth.
It's bullshit...TM will keep those premiums prices up and prevent people from selling tix they have purchased so that the premiums sell. They are controlling the market for their own tickets.
I don't mind the idea of the artist getting paid more and cutting out scalpers but TM is manipulating the process.
When tix first go on sale it makes sense for TM to put premiums on...but after a few days they clearly need to adjust those prices. People willing to pay more for good seats will do so. Then the demand drops and those that have already bought tickets (that they supposedly can sell through TM at cost if needed) get screwed.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Comments
They control the tickets and the pricing and now they are trying to control the secondary market. An expansion of their monopoly. No contradiction at all.
That would be a good bet. And airlines do use dynamic pricing. So do hotels. Try and get a flight or a room when there is a big event in any given city. You might luck out but usually prices are two to three time their normal rates. And even for normal flights you can see different prices for the same flight depending on where the seats are and the time a flight leaves or arrives. It's not a scam, it is TM taking advantage of the eagerness to get tickets, panic buying and using clever marketing that takes advantage of consumers. Caveat emptor and know that TM is not acting in the interest of their customers because they have no competition requiring them to do so. They basically print money for most events and do not have to worry about events that do not sell well because they makeup for it with the profits from events that do sell well.
I think we're splitting hairs. Deceptive wording = dishonesty. It's at least arguable either way.
If a sales person tells you something dishonest to close a sale, yet if you had read the fine print in the contract, you would have discovered otherwise, is that fraud? I'd say it is. Sure, buyer beware is good advice and we all agree that people should do their homework before buying something. If I were to buy platinum tickets, I wouldn't have been scammed because I know that it's marketing BS and wouldn't have relied on the label in making the purchase. But we also know that there's a segment of consumers that aren't going to know that (due to lack of experience, sophistication, or otherwise) and will be misled. That's what TM is counting on. I don't think it's fair game to take advantage of those buyers just because they theoretically could have figured out the truth if they had dug in deeper. I guess we'll agree to disagree on that.
How is it dishonest if they've disclosed in advance what premium means?
NY and Illinois are not exactly small markets, but nonetheless, the Cure is the rare exception to the massive consumer squeeze that is going on. If we did not have wars and other problems maybe someone would give a shit about concert tickets. I guess consumer fleecing in the concert industry is low on the list of global problems.
Also, it didn't say on the ticket purchase page that the seats I'm purchasing will be lined up directly in front of each other, so that your view is obstructed. My wife works at a college and sometimes sets up audience chairs, and was shocked to see this terrible setup at an arena concert. Seats are typically staggered row by row, so as to allow each person a decent view of the stage. So the "Premium" seats that I bought were worse than many of the standard seats in the building. This was not mentioned in the print as to how the seats would be set up with obstructed view.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ADO/comments/18e6saq/whats_the_difference_between_regular_and_platinum/
I seem to recall someone saying the excess went to EV charity or something. At least that was just one of the rumors flying around earlier in the year.
2018: Fenway 1
2021: Sea.Hear.Now
2022: San Diego, MSG, Camden
2023: Ft. Worth 1, Ft. Worth 2, Austin 1, Austin 2
2024: Las Vegas 1, Las Vegas 2, Wrigley 1, Wrigley 2, MSG 1, MSG 2, Philly 2, Fenway 1, Fenway 2
But in the scope of this thread, we are looking for the adjective definition, since the word "Premium" is used with the noun ticket.
Here is the adjective definition below. I'm honestly quite surprised that you need to go look up the definition. I think it's blatantly obvious that a premium product is expected to be superior somehow to the regular product.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/premium#american-premium-adjective
So the idea that this is a scam is based on the fact that there is a group of products being sold, and randomly some of the products are being labeled "Premium" and have a large price increase, but these are the same standard product. Just having the word "Premium" added.
Surprised that this business tactic is allowed to be used.
I would say the band definitely gets a piece of the extra profit earned from dynamic pricing. I have no facts to back that up, and have no direct knowledge of the contracts, but it makes sense. It would not surprise me if they requested that the face value be under $200 as I would guess TM wanted to charge more. Pure speculation.
It’s not a good look for PJ - the Cure are showing them how to do things with class.
I think the ship has sailed on the "if you can't beat'em join'em" for Pearl Jam. It is noble of Robert Smith to take a position. But it is a terrible business decision given the current state of the concert industry and allows others to get fat off their art. Again, if there was any competition for Ticketmaster we might see a market adjustment on ticket prices. The fact of the matter is that all entertainment has gotten ridiculously expensive. At least with Pearl Jam I feel like I get my money's worth.
I don't mind the idea of the artist getting paid more and cutting out scalpers but TM is manipulating the process.
When tix first go on sale it makes sense for TM to put premiums on...but after a few days they clearly need to adjust those prices. People willing to pay more for good seats will do so. Then the demand drops and those that have already bought tickets (that they supposedly can sell through TM at cost if needed) get screwed.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana