"Hypocrisy at its finest" - Ticketmaster

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  • So...I have ranted to friends about my attempt to purchase tickets to see Jeff Tweedy play a solo show at the Fillmore in SF.  I was on line and requesting tickets at 10 am sharp...literally right when the clock struck 10 I was clicking to purchase tickets for $50/per GA ticket.  The screen came up within 10 seconds that I had in fact digitally secured a pair of tickets...as I looked more closely I saw that I did have tickets that I could purchase, but that instead of being the standard $50 ticket, I was being allowed to buy a $125 per ticket "verified reseller" ticket.  So you are f#cking telling me that, in the 15 seconds that had elapsed since the ticket went on sale, someone had purchased the $50 ticket and then put them back up on the TM site as a "verified reseller" for 150% markup?  TicketBastard is the devil....
  • igotid88igotid88 Posts: 27,148
    ZAPPER said:
    I dont think most people even know what scalping is. Most people when they want tickets go direct to stubhub and they think that is normal and the price they are asking is “face” and that is the official place to get tix.

    another thing that is really annoying is when someone is selling tickets at “face” but yet they include the TM fees. To me, face value is what is printed on your ticket, adding the fees is just tacky.

    anyway, to hell with ticketmaster. I still have almost a hundred credits and vouchers from that bullshit ticketmaster settlement i cant do shit with. 
    Everyone knows how wrong TM is, yet shit never changes. Everyone needs to wake up
    you don't know how many times I had to tell people PJ weren't charging the stubhub prices
    I miss igotid88
  • lexicondevillexicondevil Bay Area Posts: 1,874
    ZAPPER said:
    ZAPPER said:
    are those fees part of “face value”? Nope. Face is the printed price.

    when you buy something at a store for a friend is entirely different from scalping your tickets. Its the principle, and it is tacky. 

    are you also going to bill them for time spent purchasing tix, gas, etc? 

    Fees this and fees that, its all bullshit, the tickets are expensive enough, then they want to stick you for a few more bucks. You would think it was all inclusive
    TM fees are BS. Scalpers are scum. No question.

    The idea that fees aren't part of face value? I guess we can agree to disagree. I don't know anybody who likes eating those when trying to just recoup their costs. 
    Bottom line “face value” is the price printed on the face of the ticket. Its not that hard to understand. You shouldn’t have bought them if you werent planning on going. And since you are unable to make a profit you sell them with fees? Why dont you go ahead and add some fees of your own with it, im sure you can find a way to justify it to yourself.
    Just because TM dicks you with fees, you have to dick someone else after? What is wrong with this world ...

    again- face value is what is printed on the face of the ticket. I can go on forever but im done, if im the only one here who thinks this way, then i guess there is something wrong with me and i apologize
    I agree, there is something wrong with you. I don't know how old you are, but face value has ALWAYS been what the person PAID to acquire the tickets first hand, not on the secondary market. Yes, this includes the bullshit fees. Believe it or not, sometimes people buy tickets with full intention of attending that show, then life happens and you have to let them go. Nice people will sell for for face value, which is the total cost they had to pay from Ticketasster or any of the other regular ticket companies. I can't tell you how many times I've bought tickets and sold them at face value or just taken the entire loss. because for whatever reason I just couldn't attend the show. For you to expect someone to eat the fees because you think face value shouldn't include the full ticket price is entitled and the true definition of "tacky".
    1991- Hollywood Palladium, California with Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains -RIP Magazine Show Oct. 6th
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  • mdgsolomdgsolo Posts: 782
    I really hope this post stays front and center here and everywhere else we can post the link to that article.  It blows my mind how bad this problem has become.  Ticketbastard's complicity in the secondary ticket market and facilitation of bots is so shameful at best and abhorrent at face that most people don't even know what "face" means anymore.  It's 'survival of the richest' when it comes to fans of a band trying to get tickets to their favorite artists anymore.  The idea itself of leveraged commerce getting behind the wheel and driving this whole beast is repulsive and antithetical to the very heart of an artist wanting to share their work and those whom it means so much to in the first place.  On the upside, it makes me super thankful for the 10C and all that they do to get us in the house!
  • ZodZod Posts: 9,945
    So...I have ranted to friends about my attempt to purchase tickets to see Jeff Tweedy play a solo show at the Fillmore in SF.  I was on line and requesting tickets at 10 am sharp...literally right when the clock struck 10 I was clicking to purchase tickets for $50/per GA ticket.  The screen came up within 10 seconds that I had in fact digitally secured a pair of tickets...as I looked more closely I saw that I did have tickets that I could purchase, but that instead of being the standard $50 ticket, I was being allowed to buy a $125 per ticket "verified reseller" ticket.  So you are f#cking telling me that, in the 15 seconds that had elapsed since the ticket went on sale, someone had purchased the $50 ticket and then put them back up on the TM site as a "verified reseller" for 150% markup?  TicketBastard is the devil....
    You can buy/resell tickets from the presales, which is why they are available during a public onsale.    The thing that sucks is how the resell tickets are fully integrated into ticketmaster and turned on by default.  You don't really get a chance to flip the tab to "off" when you're trying to get in right away.

    I still don't know how I feel about presales either.  Most of the time they sell a few good tickets and a bunch of shitty tickets.  It's a way for them to sell the worst tickets ahead of the good ones.   It also makes the pool for regular sales smaller, so you're competing in a number of smaller pools of ticket instead of larger one (which I'm not sure is better).

    That post on page of this threat about face value not including the TM fee's.   I've never heard of that.  Face Value is what the ticket cost at inititial point of purchase.   Usually the ticket shows the TM fee and the total but sometimes they omit the charge to mail and stuff like that.   I've always gone by face value being the the original cost of the ticket the first time it was bought.
  • PJWGIIIPJWGIII Chicago, IL Posts: 806
    TICKETMASTER SUCKS!
    TICKETMASTER SUCKS!
    - 7/11/95

    Crazy to look back sometimes.
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  • 1upstate1upstate near Syracuse NY Posts: 201
    The fact that Ticketmaster/ Live Nation has never been brought up on anti trust or racketeering charges amazes me. Under current laws you can't do this sort of garbage in any other business. 
    "I know I was born and I know that I'll die. The in between is mine"
  • deadendpdeadendp Northeast Ohio Posts: 10,434
    ZAPPER said:
    ZAPPER said:
    are those fees part of “face value”? Nope. Face is the printed price.

    when you buy something at a store for a friend is entirely different from scalping your tickets. Its the principle, and it is tacky. 

    are you also going to bill them for time spent purchasing tix, gas, etc? 

    Fees this and fees that, its all bullshit, the tickets are expensive enough, then they want to stick you for a few more bucks. You would think it was all inclusive
    TM fees are BS. Scalpers are scum. No question.

    The idea that fees aren't part of face value? I guess we can agree to disagree. I don't know anybody who likes eating those when trying to just recoup their costs. 
    Bottom line “face value” is the price printed on the face of the ticket. Its not that hard to understand. You shouldn’t have bought them if you werent planning on going. And since you are unable to make a profit you sell them with fees? Why dont you go ahead and add some fees of your own with it, im sure you can find a way to justify it to yourself.
    Just because TM dicks you with fees, you have to dick someone else after? What is wrong with this world ...

    again- face value is what is printed on the face of the ticket. I can go on forever but im done, if im the only one here who thinks this way, then i guess there is something wrong with me and i apologize
    I agree, there is something wrong with you. I don't know how old you are, but face value has ALWAYS been what the person PAID to acquire the tickets first hand, not on the secondary market. Yes, this includes the bullshit fees. Believe it or not, sometimes people buy tickets with full intention of attending that show, then life happens and you have to let them go. Nice people will sell for for face value, which is the total cost they had to pay from Ticketasster or any of the other regular ticket companies. I can't tell you how many times I've bought tickets and sold them at face value or just taken the entire loss. because for whatever reason I just couldn't attend the show. For you to expect someone to eat the fees because you think face value shouldn't include the full ticket price is entitled and the true definition of "tacky".
    If you resell a ticket here, face is what they specify, but face INCLUDES the fees. 
    2014: Cincinnati
    2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
  • 100 Pacer100 Pacer Toronto, ON Posts: 8,449
    Just reaffirms how invaluable 22 years’ worth of 10C membership dues have been in terms of seat locations.
    To quote the 10C from Newsletter #8: "Please understand we have a lot of members and it is very hard to please everybody. If you are one of those unhappy people...please call 1-900-IDN-TCAR."

    "Me knowing the truth, I can not concur."

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  • PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,171
    ZAPPER said:
    ZAPPER said:
    are those fees part of “face value”? Nope. Face is the printed price.

    when you buy something at a store for a friend is entirely different from scalping your tickets. Its the principle, and it is tacky. 

    are you also going to bill them for time spent purchasing tix, gas, etc? 

    Fees this and fees that, its all bullshit, the tickets are expensive enough, then they want to stick you for a few more bucks. You would think it was all inclusive
    TM fees are BS. Scalpers are scum. No question.

    The idea that fees aren't part of face value? I guess we can agree to disagree. I don't know anybody who likes eating those when trying to just recoup their costs. 
    Bottom line “face value” is the price printed on the face of the ticket. Its not that hard to understand. You shouldn’t have bought them if you werent planning on going. And since you are unable to make a profit you sell them with fees? Why dont you go ahead and add some fees of your own with it, im sure you can find a way to justify it to yourself.
    Just because TM dicks you with fees, you have to dick someone else after? What is wrong with this world ...

    again- face value is what is printed on the face of the ticket. I can go on forever but im done, if im the only one here who thinks this way, then i guess there is something wrong with me and i apologize
    Well, generally the Ticketmaster fees are printed on the face of the ticket.


    See the $22.48 under the $112.00
    This weekend we rock Portland
  • lolobugglolobugg BLUE RDGE MTNS Posts: 8,175

    livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=446

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  • for a lot of my ticketbastered tickets it shows part of the service charge on the ticket and i think zapper might be the only only who thinks face value does NOT include service charge fees LOL but alas it's a free country. think what u want!

    as far as this story goes. it's nuckin futty the shit ticketmaster gets away with. and as someone mentioned above is a huge mess of "massive collusion"
  • AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,204
    ZAPPER said:
    are those fees part of “face value”? Nope. Face is the printed price.

    when you buy something at a store for a friend is entirely different from scalping your tickets. Its the principle, and it is tacky. 
    this is one of the strangest swords i’ve ever seen someone decide to fall on. like somebody else said, if you ever have tix to sell, hit me up, i’ll glady buy them for ‘face’ only.
  • 1upstate said:
    What artists should do is price their tickets at close to market prices.   Would you pay $500 for a first 10 rows seat to a PJ show?  I would. 
    dividing up pearl jam fans at shows into the ones that can afford $500 tickets and the ones that can't goes against everything PJ want. IMO

    they have been one of the few bands that don't tier ticket prices(other than lawns) and i will say that their policy on this is what sets them apart from many other. it is just ONE of the many reasons why i love them.

    and would i pay $500 to see PJ in the first ten rows? not a chance in hell! 
  • BentleyspopBentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 10,524
    for a lot of my ticketbastered tickets it shows part of the service charge on the ticket and i think zapper might be the only only who thinks face value does NOT include service charge fees LOL but alas it's a free country. think what u want!

    as far as this story goes. it's nuckin futty the shit ticketmaster gets away with. and as someone mentioned above is a huge mess of "massive collusion"
    I've been buying concert tickets for 40 years now. I've on occasion had to sell an extra or 2. I have always included fees as part of the original ticket price also known as "face value".
    I have never ever had anyone balk at face value including fees other than someone being cheap and trying to get a deal. This is the first time I have seen or heard of anyone believing that fees are not to be included in the cost of the ticket, and or all tickets being resold at face value.



  • deadendpdeadendp Northeast Ohio Posts: 10,434

    Ticket fees are listed.  


    Ticket fees are not listed.  Pixies was picked up at the box office where you skip big fees, but pay a nominal $4 fee ticketing fee.  Fine with me!  

    MMJ was a fan club ticket purchase.  My friend purchased them.  I cannot recall if a fee was incorporated into that despite not being listed.  

    I know that there was a fee for the Magpie ticket, but it is not listed there. 

    Still... If there was a fee, I reimbursed for it. 
    2014: Cincinnati
    2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
  • ^^ the national($13.65) and jeremy($5.82) BOTH showing fees on there. it might not be all the fees but some are shown on the face
  • deadendpdeadendp Northeast Ohio Posts: 10,434
    ^^ the national($13.65) and jeremy($5.82) BOTH showing fees on there. it might not be all the fees but some are shown on the face
    Yup.  I tried to pull examples from different ticketing agencies as well as different locations to see what differences there might be in fees shown.  
    2014: Cincinnati
    2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
  • indeed some may show and some don't show
    i always have my tickets mailed and that fee never shows up on any ticket ever and when i sell at face i include that fee as well
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    edited September 2018
    AndySlash said:
    ZAPPER said:
    are those fees part of “face value”? Nope. Face is the printed price.

    when you buy something at a store for a friend is entirely different from scalping your tickets. Its the principle, and it is tacky. 
    this is one of the strangest swords i’ve ever seen someone decide to fall on. like somebody else said, if you ever have tix to sell, hit me up, i’ll glady buy them for ‘face’ only.
    Get in line dude, I'm first in line for the "Never-Tacky/Always Fee-Free Face Value Tix"!  The fact that you jumped on my idea is, well, tacky dude.  But ok, I'll set up a numbering system, gimme your hand so I can write #2 on it with a sharpie... Just don't wash until Zapper has tix to sell.

    =)
  • AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,204
    what if i need to go to the bathroom? my buddy is showing up later, too, fyi.
  • I know this is unrelated but I bought my daughter Ed Sheeran tickets for her birthday.  We bought 4 at $116.50 for a total of $466.

    After all fees and everything else was added my bill was $588.01.  So we paid $122.01 in fees, or the equivalent of another ticket.  Ticketmaster can fuck right off.
  • deadendpdeadendp Northeast Ohio Posts: 10,434
    edited September 2018
    I know this is unrelated but I bought my daughter Ed Sheeran tickets for her birthday.  We bought 4 at $116.50 for a total of $466.

    After all fees and everything else was added my bill was $588.01.  So we paid $122.01 in fees, or the equivalent of another ticket.  Ticketmaster can fuck right off.
    We just had that the other day with Minus The Bear tickets.  Two tickets purchased plus the equivalent of one in fees.  :angry: 
    2014: Cincinnati
    2016: Lexington and Wrigley 1
  • Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 12,443
    Nobody in government, local or otherwise, really cares about the ticket business. It is unbelievable to me that the Department of Justice allowed Live Nation and Ticketmaster to merge. Clearly massive collusion and deceptive marketing practices going on. No one really cares, it is not a priority issue.  Ticketmaster is a monopoly and are pretty free to do whatever they want. If anyone wants to understand the industry better, you should read 

    Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped

  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 7,958
    edited September 2018
    About the article itself: Is anyone familiar with the TradeDesk that they reference? Quick googling pulls up a marketing firm. There's obviously fuckery afoot, but I read that article twice and I'm not clear on how/where these transactions are taking place.
  • MUZIKMUZIK Posts: 627
    edited September 2018
    Everyone wants a hand in the cookie jar.

    TM is trying take away more business from stubhub by playing dirty.

    as for the fee’s not all of those fee’a go to TM.

    It’s broken up between the promoter, venue and TM.

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  • BentleyspopBentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 10,524
    I know this is unrelated but I bought my daughter Ed Sheeran tickets for her birthday.  We bought 4 at $116.50 for a total of $466.

    After all fees and everything else was added my bill was $588.01.  So we paid $122.01 in fees, or the equivalent of another ticket.  Ticketmaster can fuck right off.
    Just to clear up some confusion....not all of the fees go to TM. Some of the fees go to the venue,  the promoter, the artist, etc
  • mace1229mace1229 Posts: 8,956
    edited September 2018
    No one should be surprised by this. I've assumed it was the case all along.
    Since when has TM done anything other than try to get as much money as possible?
    All you have to do is look at the $25 worth of fees on a $30 ticket to understand that.
  • BentleyspopBentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 10,524
    Ticketmaster Calls Resale Accusations 'Categorically Untrue'
     https://www.pollstar.com/article/ticketmaster-calls-resale-accusations-categorically-untrue-136338     
  • Oh....and another TicketBastard story from me (see Tweedy story above):
    Decided to drop $200 a ticket to see Fleetwood Mac in Sacramento in 2014 (I think the year is right)....I wanted to check it off the musical bucket list and figured that I would not see them twice (especially at that price).  A couple of days before the show, Stevie Nicks got the sniffles and cancelled the show--thanks for that.  A sold out show....Ticketbastard sends out an email indicating that they will refund the ticket price....but that does not include the handling charge, which was nearly $20 per ticket.  15,000 tickets sold....let's consevatively say that TB got fees on 10,000---they made $200,000+ on fees for a show that never occurred....that should cover the cost of printing up those tickets and sending them out.....it is a total racket all the way across the board.  I long for the days when I had to call in to get my PJ tickets directly.....
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