Live Nation explains its $6 parking fee

dharma69

Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: Live Nation explains its $6 parking fee

On every ticket sold by Live Nation for events at New Jersey's PNC Bank Arts Center there is a $6 "parking fee," regardless of whether a fan drove to the venue, walked or was dropped off. Needless to say, this fee has rubbed some fans the wrong way, but the live entertainment and ticketing giant believes the measure is a fair charge that helps ensure an orderly experience for fans.

The charge, which Live Nation said used to be called the "facility fee," has always been in place and was lowered two years ago by about 8 percent to its current price.

"We have always operated under a system at PNC Bank Arts Center where parking is charged as a per ticket fee," Live Nation spokesperson John Vlautin told TicketNews in a prepared statement. "This policy is in place to alleviate traffic issues that would be caused by customers stopping to pay a parking fee at the lot entrance."

The issue came to light in recent articles in the New York Daily News, where some fans cried foul over the practice, just as the company battles to gain federal regulatory approval for its proposed merger with Ticketmaster Entertainment.

A concern of some members of Congress, artists Bruce Springsteen and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and others who oppose the merger is how ticket prices, and fees, would be handled by the two companies if they were allowed to virtually control many aspects of the concert industry.

"The charge is calculated based on our research that the average music fan comes to PNC with two people in their car," Vlautin said. "The per ticket charge helps to ensure that all fans can enter the venue in a timely and safe manner."

In addition to the parking fee, tickets for events at PNC Bank Arts Center also carry a $.25 cent "charity" fee, but Live Nation did not answer an inquiry as to what charity is the beneficiary of the charge.

Live Nation is reportedly considering folding the fee into the overall price of the ticket, instead of separating it out, but the amount will remain the same. Both Ticketmaster and Live Nation have long levied additional surcharges on tickets, as do many other box offices and ticket companies, and Ticketmaster has also experimented with "all-in" pricing for some of its tickets.

TicketNews: Parking fee

CJMST3K

LN's parking staff didn't get me in to see Radiohead on time. Was outside the venue for three fucking hours, waiting for the line of cars to move at Nissan Pavilion last year. I don't think it takes $75,000 in manpower to organize the parking lots, but that's what they're taking in on the parking fees every sold out show at an average amphitheater.

tybird

They only want their license to steal....come on people, give the poor little rich monopolies a break. :twisted:

jervin007

CJMST3K wrote:

LN's parking staff didn't get me in to see Radiohead on time. Was outside the venue for three fucking hours, waiting for the line of cars to move at Nissan Pavilion last year. I don't think it takes $75,000 in manpower to organize the parking lots, but that's what they're taking in on the parking fees every sold out show at an average amphitheater.

Consider yourself lucky, I didn't even make it into the parking lot for that show. I took the amtrak from Boston to DC with my brother to see Radiohead. We left Georgetown around 4:30, arrived at the exit for the venue around an hour later, and the the trouble started. The rain was absolutely ridiculous and by the time we arrived at the access road to the venue it had been blocked off due to flooding. The re-routed us, along with what looked to be thousands of cars, through town and we didn't arrive at the entrance to the venue until 10:30! At that point in time we just turned around and drove home. Such a shitty night. I guess the venue was only about half full for a sold out show. I had seen radiohead 5 times before so I could live with it (and I saw them later that summer in Mansfield), my sister however had never seen Radiohead live (still hasn't to this day) and was absolutely devastated. The parking lot may have been a bitch, but mother nature was the real culprit that night!

CJMST3K

I hope you got a refund! We got in at 10pm, but after that whole crap, I made damn sure I got a refund, not only from for the tickets, but also from TM.

I also made sure Radiohead's tour management (and hopefully band) got a letter I drafted to let them know about the situation. LN confirmed (without me asking) that Radiohead's management got my letter.

jervin007 wrote:

CJMST3K wrote:

LN's parking staff didn't get me in to see Radiohead on time. Was outside the venue for three fucking hours, waiting for the line of cars to move at Nissan Pavilion last year. I don't think it takes $75,000 in manpower to organize the parking lots, but that's what they're taking in on the parking fees every sold out show at an average amphitheater.

Consider yourself lucky, I didn't even make it into the parking lot for that show. I took the amtrak from Boston to DC with my brother to see Radiohead. We left Georgetown around 4:30, arrived at the exit for the venue around an hour later, and the the trouble started. The rain was absolutely ridiculous and by the time we arrived at the access road to the venue it had been blocked off due to flooding. The re-routed us, along with what looked to be thousands of cars, through town and we didn't arrive at the entrance to the venue until 10:30! At that point in time we just turned around and drove home. Such a shitty night. I guess the venue was only about half full for a sold out show. I had seen radiohead 5 times before so I could live with it (and I saw them later that summer in Mansfield), my sister however had never seen Radiohead live (still hasn't to this day) and was absolutely devastated. The parking lot may have been a bitch, but mother nature was the real culprit that night!

jervin007

CJMST3K wrote:

I hope you got a refund! We got in at 10pm, but after that whole crap, I made damn sure I got a refund, not only from for the tickets, but also from TM.

I also made sure Radiohead's tour management (and hopefully band) got a letter I drafted to let them know about the situation. LN confirmed (without me asking) that Radiohead's management got my letter.

jervin007 wrote:

CJMST3K wrote:

LN's parking staff didn't get me in to see Radiohead on time. Was outside the venue for three fucking hours, waiting for the line of cars to move at Nissan Pavilion last year. I don't think it takes $75,000 in manpower to organize the parking lots, but that's what they're taking in on the parking fees every sold out show at an average amphitheater.

Consider yourself lucky, I didn't even make it into the parking lot for that show. I took the amtrak from Boston to DC with my brother to see Radiohead. We left Georgetown around 4:30, arrived at the exit for the venue around an hour later, and the the trouble started. The rain was absolutely ridiculous and by the time we arrived at the access road to the venue it had been blocked off due to flooding. The re-routed us, along with what looked to be thousands of cars, through town and we didn't arrive at the entrance to the venue until 10:30! At that point in time we just turned around and drove home. Such a shitty night. I guess the venue was only about half full for a sold out show. I had seen radiohead 5 times before so I could live with it (and I saw them later that summer in Mansfield), my sister however had never seen Radiohead live (still hasn't to this day) and was absolutely devastated. The parking lot may have been a bitch, but mother nature was the real culprit that night!

I didn't get a cash refund, but they did give me four tickets to their show later that summer in NJ. I sold them, so in the end everyone got their money back. Who knows, I hear Radiohead is planning some more studio and touring time so hopefully my sister will have the opportunity to see them sooner rather than later.

kenny olav

it's shit like this that makes me buy tickets directly at the venue when I can. I bought a Metallica ticket for $62 at the Garden and if I went thru Ticketbastard it would have been about $30 more! granted I ended up in the 2nd row from the back of the balcony...

same thing with Gov't Mule. $30 at the venue. $45 to order online.

mookeywrench

here's an idea geniuses, have people buy a 6 dollar parking ticket that would come with their ticket purchase if they plan on driving to the venue, that way the charge can be optional.

or

just charge everyone 6 bucks and rake in the money.

12345AGNST1

More reason to hate that shitty ass venue. I hope PJ never plays there.

dharma69

12345AGNST1 wrote:

More reason to hate that shitty ass venue. I hope PJ never plays there.

Don't misunderstand this article: the PNC Center is just one example. It's not the only LiveNation venue that carries the parking fee.

The next time you make a TM/LV purchase, pay attention to those extra fees. I already ran into the parking fee looking for tix for a NIN show in California.

ewokpelts

I'm in Chicago.

The LN venue is First MNidwest Bank Ampitheatre. Parking's "included" in my ticket price, yet to took forever to get in the lot. For a show not sold out.

I saw metallica at Allstate arena recently. You pay for parking when you arrive. It took 5 minutes.

And for sports, it's easier. White Sox games it takes longer to go to the bathroom than it is to park.

I think people understand to have cash ready when parking at a venue.

dharma69

Live Nation sneaks $6 charge back into PNC Bank Arts Center ticket prices
BY Jim Farber
DAILY NEWS MUSIC CRITIC

Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 9:30 PM

Ticketmaster's alleged scalping of Leonard Cohen tix sparks fans' fury
Parking fee tix them off N.J. venue is rockin' us, say fans
A parking fee by any other name is still a parking fee.

A day after music lovers panned a new $6-per-ticket parking charge for shows at New Jersey's PNC Arts Center, promoter Live Nation eliminated it from its Web site - only to pile it back on top of the basic ticket price.

When the Daily News called to ask about the sneaky switch, and why there was no real change in overall ticket prices, Live Nation suddenly reversed itself and again itemized the parking fee on its Internet purchase page.

Live Nation insists it has charged the parking fee in past years, but built it into an overall "facility fee."

"We have always operated under a system at PNC Bank Arts Center where parking is charged as a per-ticket fee. This policy is in place to alleviate traffic issues ... to ensure that all fans can enter the venue in a timely and safe manner," a spokesman said.

True or not, PNC's renamed "parking fee" still puts it a telltale $6 ahead of another local venue associated with Live Nation - the Jones Beach Theater. The Long Island theater's Web site shows the total price for an orchestra seat at this summer's Def Leppard concert is $143.50, as opposed to $149.50 at PNC.

It's enough to have fans seeing red, especially since the six-buck fee is slapped on every concertgoer, whether one person or six arrive in the same car - or even if they take a bus.

The controversy comes as Live Nation is trying to win regulatory approval to merge with Ticketmaster. Fans fear that if the merger goes through, it will create a monopoly that will result in concert prices rising ever higher.

The Daily Nwes

These guys are amazing.

DPrival78

there's a very simple way to stop TM/LN from over charging for tickets - stop buying their tickets.

i did say "simple", not "easy".. but if a good amount of the concert/sporting event-going public decided to sacrifice seeing their favorite band or team for a period of time, these guys would be out of business. complaining about it will do nothing. as long as we're voluntarily handing them billions of dollars, what's to stop them?

JaneNY

Weak sauce. I'm sure there are many ways to handle it so only drivers get charged. Give people a bar code to print out that is then scanned at a parking lot gate; have another section for people who want to pay when they get there, or have kiosks inside to purchase a bar code ticket that you use to scan going out. I've seen variations of this in any number of city parking lots around the country. I try to use public transpo. or walk whenever possible with shows, because I hate the melee that show parking lots become, and would like to not be charged a parking fee.

CW307314

$6 bucks a ticket is ridiculous. It used to be $10 a car. I dont think as many people will car pool to shows which is a shame.

Also, what about the people that choose the VIP parking? They are paying that $6 fee plus the $25. Thats retarded.

yoke

12345AGNST1 wrote:

More reason to hate that shitty ass venue. I hope PJ never plays there.

they have played there, do you mean you hope they don't play there again? I hope they do, its a lot closer than Camden and E.Rutherford. I will still go to shows at either place and probably have a better time but this is closer.

The one thing that kills me about PNC is the NEW RULES and State Police. It is regodamndiculous now all because some parents actually allowed thier young children to go to a few concerts unsupervised. Now every adult has to pay the price.