oh gee, this makes up for everything... (Ticketmaster)

lowlight10

ridiculous. they should be sued for having their own scalping company (TicketsNow) linked directly from their "sorry, we're out of tickets" page. give me a break.


Ticketmaster Drops Convenience Fee From Eagles Tickets

11/12/08, 2:40 pm EST

Ticketmaster will eliminate the convenience fees on Eagles tickets for the band’s upcoming January 2009 shows. The move signifies “a collaborative effort by both the Eagles and Ticketmaster to provide the best consumer value and streamline the ticket buying process.” “The Eagles have long been committed to giving their loyal fans the best concert going experience,” says the band’s long-time manager and new Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff. “The Eagles use of ‘all-in ticketing’ is the first step in Ticketmaster’s transformation to an all-encompassing entertainment company to allow artists to connect to their fans in both new and innovative ways.” Possible other motives: We’re in the middle of a recession and people may be unwilling to pay $10 in needless fees, plus Ticketmaster might be attempting to reenter the good graces of concertgoers after years of convenience fees, Hannah Montana ordeals and “price gouging” accusations with the threat of Live Nation’s own ticketing service looming in the near future.

chromiam

lowlight10 wrote:

ridiculous. they should be sued for having their own scalping company (TicketsNow) linked directly from their "sorry, we're out of tickets" page. give me a break.


Ticketmaster Drops Convenience Fee From Eagles Tickets

11/12/08, 2:40 pm EST

Ticketmaster will eliminate the convenience fees on Eagles tickets for the band’s upcoming January 2009 shows. The move signifies “a collaborative effort by both the Eagles and Ticketmaster to provide the best consumer value and streamline the ticket buying process.” “The Eagles have long been committed to giving their loyal fans the best concert going experience,” says the band’s long-time manager and new Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff. “The Eagles use of ‘all-in ticketing’ is the first step in Ticketmaster’s transformation to an all-encompassing entertainment company to allow artists to connect to their fans in both new and innovative ways.” Possible other motives: We’re in the middle of a recession and people may be unwilling to pay $10 in needless fees, plus Ticketmaster might be attempting to reenter the good graces of concertgoers after years of convenience fees, Hannah Montana ordeals and “price gouging” accusations with the threat of Live Nation’s own ticketing service looming in the near future.

Umm you do know that they are just going to include the convenience fees in the cost of the ticket.. so you won't know if you are paying 5, 10 or 15 dollars a ticket.

Pacomc79

I've always found the convienence fee humorous. Especially when they tack them on at the BOX OFFICE. How the hell is that convenient for me?

It's just an extra built in cost that they charge because people pay it, and that's why I generally don't go to many concerts anymore.

Kel Varnsen

I have always looked at concert tickets as something that is complete luxury. Something that you don't need to survive but are nice to go to if you can afford it. To complain about how concert tickets is too expensive, is like complaining that it is too expensive to eat steak and lobster every night.

even flow?

Kel Varnsen wrote:

I have always looked at concert tickets as something that is complete luxury. Something that you don't need to survive but are nice to go to if you can afford it. To complain about how concert tickets is too expensive, is like complaining that it is too expensive to eat steak and lobster every night.

I never complain about the cost that the performer is quoting. It is the prices that Ticketmast put on that inflates one ticket by about 12 to 20 bucks.

JOEJOEJOE

Once they raise the face value to reflect the lack of a service charge, people will start to complain about the artist charging and extra $10 per ticket.

Either way, we will still be out-of-pocket the same amount, and since the service charge will be built-in to the price of each ticket, those who usually try to avoid the service charge (via the box office or by buying the night of the show) will now have no choice but to pay the service charge.

Total scam!

blackredyellow

Pacomc79 wrote:

I've always found the convienence fee humorous. Especially when they tack them on at the BOX OFFICE. How the hell is that convenient for me?

It's just an extra built in cost that they charge because people pay it, and that's why I generally don't go to many concerts anymore.

I've been working in the ticket industry for different venues for like 10 years, and I have never seen another industry like it.

Every major act adds a bump onto the convenience charge so they get a cut of it... the building gets a cut of it, and usually the promoter, then the ticket company. If buyers had to just pay for the actual ticket company's fee (a legitimate business cost), it would less than half of what they are getting charged now.

Also, in just about every other business, credit card fees are just built in as a cost of doing business. But in ticketing, no one wants a part of them, not the building, promoter or artist, so they basically get passed on to the customer (that's where services charges at the box office come into play - a Live Nation move there).

I'm amazed that ticketmaster allows all this crap to be added to the fees. They look like thieves, and don't even get the majority of it.

Everyone in the industry knows that people bitch about fees, but time and time again studies show that people are willing to pay them anyway. And everyone has their hand in the cookie jar, so no one wants to give up any of their piece.

ACCBootlegGoddess

All in ticketing system?? Means all fees included in the price so we, the consumers, don't see the breakdown..ergo don't see how much in extra fee's we are paying. That article is a crock of shit cause TM is just trying to get consumers to shut up...not get into our good graces. TM isn't going to be losing any money...if anything they will be making more as I'll bet the fee's will be going UP but we'll never know it...we'll just see one price.

Smellyman2

No matter what people are going to be paying way too much to see the Eagles.


I HATE THE EAGLES.

jimed14

Consumers still pay and pay and pay ... they (we) have no one to blame but ourselves.

This is simple supply and demand ... demand has been consistantly rising. People bitch, A LOT, but the demand is still there.

People bitch about Pearl Jam ticket prices ALL THE TIME ... yet, presales sell out instantly and concerts sell out with ease.

Sporting events and concerts have become events for the well off, not for the average family / man.

The only way for prices to come down is for people not to pay ... and even with the economic crisis ... it doesn't appear to be slowing down.

g under p

jimed14 wrote:

Consumers still pay and pay and pay ... they (we) have no one to blame but ourselves.

This is simple supply and demand ... demand has been consistantly rising. People bitch, A LOT, but the demand is still there.

People bitch about Pearl Jam ticket prices ALL THE TIME ... yet, presales sell out instantly and concerts sell out with ease.

Sporting events and concerts have become events for the well off, not for the average family / man.

The only way for prices to come down is for people not to pay ... and even with the economic crisis ... it doesn't appear to be slowing down.

Agreed I've got tickets right here for AC/DC and the tickets are $92.50 each. The last time I saw AC/DC the tickets were $18 and it was free for me. Luckly my boss is paying for these tickets because it's my daughter who wants to see them.

At these prices these kinds of bands I'd rather skip and save my money for some others more deserving of my money like PJ, Smashing Pumpkins last night and Michael Franti next week.

Peace

iamica

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Ticketmaster is the devil.

Pacomc79

blackredyellow wrote:

I've been working in the ticket industry for different venues for like 10 years, and I have never seen another industry like it.

Every major act adds a bump onto the convenience charge so they get a cut of it... the building gets a cut of it, and usually the promoter, then the ticket company. If buyers had to just pay for the actual ticket company's fee (a legitimate business cost), it would less than half of what they are getting charged now.

Also, in just about every other business, credit card fees are just built in as a cost of doing business. But in ticketing, no one wants a part of them, not the building, promoter or artist, so they basically get passed on to the customer (that's where services charges at the box office come into play - a Live Nation move there).

I'm amazed that ticketmaster allows all this crap to be added to the fees. They look like thieves, and don't even get the majority of it.

Everyone in the industry knows that people bitch about fees, but time and time again studies show that people are willing to pay them anyway. And everyone has their hand in the cookie jar, so no one wants to give up any of their piece.

Oh I understand how it works. I'm not really bitching about it. I just find the hypocracy of "convenience charge" when I walked to the box office hilarious. Kind of like charging people to print out thier own tickets as some kind of convenience. It implies that I am paying for an extra service but I've been provided no service except from the people actually selling me the ticket. So not only am I paying the performers salary, the fuel surcharge, the record company, the rental fee for the building, security, all the roadies, the sanitation crew, parking... I'm also paying a "convenience charge" to actually purchase a ticket to the event.... and for this Treasure, I'm awarded 7 dollar luke if not already warm lousy beers and horrible food. At least in Vegas the beers are really cold. One would think if the beer is that expensive that maybe, just maybe the people in concessions could afford to keep the beer coolers down around the cold level or put the walking guys beer on ice more than 4 minutes before people come into the building.

We live in the world of Blue Ray and 1080P televisions. Outside of great seats and a handful of unbelievable mind blowing performers like the ones that own this board... It's simply not worth it to me like it was 10 years ago. Especially if the arena is some concrete arena with so much bad reverb in the "cheap seats" it's not even worth that.

I mean, people paying 200+ to see the Rolling Stones at 60 years old from the 300 level??? really?? I mean you end up watching the show on a giant screen anyway. Why not just ship them a Blue Ray with the 60 dollar sweatshop crafted cotton T with concert dates and let them see it on a 60 inch TV without the traffic mess and you get a 7.1 mix so if you spent the time building a good enough set up and the mix engineer is good it'll pretty much sound like you're in the sweet spot at a concert too. Hell, you could do pretty well with a viewing party too for the 400+ they'd spend on 2 seats and you can bring all the friends too.

Not complaining at all, just an observation. Thanks for the inside insight.

Kel Varnsen

Pacomc79 wrote:

Oh I understand how it works. I'm not really bitching about it. I just find the hypocracy of "convenience charge" when I walked to the box office hilarious. Kind of like charging people to print out thier own tickets as some kind of convenience. It implies that I am paying for an extra service but I've been provided no service except from the people actually selling me the ticket. So not only am I paying the performers salary, the fuel surcharge, the record company, the rental fee for the building, security, all the roadies, the sanitation crew, parking... I'm also paying a "convenience charge" to actually purchase a ticket to the event.... and for this Treasure, I'm awarded 7 dollar luke if not already warm lousy beers and horrible food. At least in Vegas the beers are really cold. One would think if the beer is that expensive that maybe, just maybe the people in concessions could afford to keep the beer coolers down around the cold level or put the walking guys beer on ice more than 4 minutes before people come into the building.

I imagine that if each venue or each band had to handle their own ticket distribution that tickets would be much more expensive. I think there is clearly a value in having a company with the resources to handle ticket sales on an international level. I mean can you imagine if each stadium, club and theater handled their own ticketing? I think it would be so much more of a pain in the ass to get tickets. Think about how crappy some of those website and phone systems would be. I mean look how much trouble ten club has distributing tickets, and they only sell a small portion of a venues tickets to a select group of people. Imagine how fast their servers would crash if they had to sell tickets to the general public for a whole stadium, or how much more tickets would cost if they had to spend the money on a better system.

Pacomc79

Kel Varnsen wrote:

I imagine that if each venue or each band had to handle their own ticket distribution that tickets would be much more expensive. I think there is clearly a value in having a company with the resources to handle ticket sales on an international level. I mean can you imagine if each stadium, club and theater handled their own ticketing? I think it would be so much more of a pain in the ass to get tickets. Think about how crappy some of those website and phone systems would be. I mean look how much trouble ten club has distributing tickets, and they only sell a small portion of a venues tickets to a select group of people. Imagine how fast their servers would crash if they had to sell tickets to the general public for a whole stadium, or how much more tickets would cost if they had to spend the money on a better system.

Oh absolutely, the ease of access to tickets today is tremendous and part of that goes to Ticketmaster and thier ability to market, as well as the money they've sunk into online sales which does take an immense amount of infrastructure. I guess that's a big part of the convenience of it all. I do think people would bitch less if they could just put all of the costs and fees into one number and that's what gets marketed.

blackredyellow

Pacomc79 wrote:

Oh absolutely, the ease of access to tickets today is tremendous and part of that goes to Ticketmaster and thier ability to market, as well as the money they've sunk into online sales which does take an immense amount of infrastructure. I guess that's a big part of the convenience of it all. I do think people would bitch less if they could just put all of the costs and fees into one number and that's what gets marketed.

That is what is annoying too... the range of convenience fees is idiotic. Part of the reason for the range is credit card fees that are based on the ticket price, but you would think that the could come up with a set fee for every ticket at every venue. At least customers would know what they are expected to pay.