Ticketmaster Verified Fan is a joke

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  • teskeinc
    teskeinc Posts: 1,784
    Vedders management makes the call on it. Guessing it was to break even tix need to be X $$$. We can keep 10 club under $200/ticket but need to sell X amount dynamic pricing. Verified fan will keep a good portion away. Something to that nature. Small venues it’s gonna be tough to keep prices down.
  • KL159781
    KL159781 Posts: 118
    I wasn’t Verified but I looked into the 4 West Coast once it was only Platinums remaining and available to everyone. At one point I saw El Cajon with only a single pair available. I checked back 2 minutes later and they had dropped 20 Platinums into the system.

    there are currently a fair amount of Inglewood Platinums available right now, most of them priced from $280-380. It’s kind of what I expected for the LA market, that the demand wouldn’t be so crazy, due to the Ohana shows so recently.
  • Zod
    Zod Posts: 10,887
    NB1996 said:
    How can it be possible for Ticketmaster to not have a general public sale for Ed's Seattle Benaroya Hall show and yet charge $500 for a single ticket on the third tier?  I don't get how this could possibly happen. I'm 100 percent positive Ed wouldn't go for this bullshit.  How can they sell a ticket for three times face value?  This was not the secondary market.  This was Ticketmaster Verified Fan Platinum tickets.  

    Platinum and Verified Fan are two separate things.   They are not the same.  Verified Fan is a vetting process TM uses for public onsales that try to screen out bots/scalpers.  They aren't 100% successful but I guess they help.  Platinum tickets are a different beast.  Rather than artists selling tickets below market value, they attempt to earn the market value.  For decades artists sold tickets below market value and scalpers earned all that sweet cash between the ticket cost and what it was actually worth.  TM developed a system to gauge demand and sell those tickets for what people will pay.

    Verified Fan was the public onsale.

    Platinum happened to start at the same time and cause some confusion.
  • KL159781
    KL159781 Posts: 118
    edited December 2021
    To me, the Verified Fan program is a disservice to fans and not that successful in what it supposedly designed to do, which is cut down on resale of tickets for profit. 

    If you use Stubhub as a gauge, usually around 15-20% of a venue’s capacity end up there. That’s a combination of scalpers, fans who got stuck with tickets they can’t use, and as I have seen, sometimes promoters selling their own tickets there instead of only relying on Ticketmaster.

    for these NY and Chicago Vedder shows, when I looked at Stubhub earlier today, each show had 250-300 tickets listed, just hours after the public sale. You’re looking at roughly 8-10% of the total tickets already listed for resale. This is with Verified Fan in place limiting who can buy and with Ten Club taking a large amount of tickets for their use. If there were no fan club tickets, it would be easy to project that probably 15%+ of total tickets would end up for resale. That hardly makes Verified Fan look like any type of success.

    We’ve all complained about past ticket sales where servers crashed or we ended up getting nothing, but to me, I at least want to feel I had a chance to try. Verified Fan immediately takes a large amount of fans out of the equation, which in it’s own way fuels the resale market.

    I have signed up for over 20 previous Verified Fan presales in the past and have never got past Waitlist. I was even amongst 2,000 U2 fan club members who in 2018 was automatically sent my presale code that was included with membership and had it taken away 3 hours later, due to some Ticketmaster screwup.

    I have resold tickets on Ticketmaster a few times in the past for shows I was unable to make it to. If you want to make back what you paid, you have to increase your asking price to cover the original Ticketmaster fees, plus the fees they charge you on reselling through their site. My theory is that has caused me to be blackballed as a scalper, something a friend of a friend that works for Ticketmaster said was true.
    Post edited by KL159781 on
  • Eddieredder
    Eddieredder Posts: 753
    edited December 2021
    KL159781 said:
    To me, the Verified Fan program is a disservice to fans and not that successful in what it supposedly designed to do, which is cut down on resale of tickets for profit. 

    If you use Stubhub as a gauge, usually around 15-20% of a venue’s capacity end up there. That’s a combination of scalpers, fans who got stuck with tickets they can’t use, and as I have seen, sometimes promoters selling their own tickets there instead of only relying on Ticketmaster.

    for these NY and Chicago Vedder shows, when I looked at Stubhub earlier today, each show had 250-300 tickets listed, just hours after the public sale. You’re looking at roughly 8-10% of the total tickets already listed for resale. This is with Verified Fan in place limiting who can buy and with Ten Club taking a large amount of tickets for their use. If there were no fan club tickets, it would be easy to project that probably 15%+ of total tickets would end up for resale. That hardly makes Verified Fan look like any type of success.

    We’ve all complained about past ticket sales where servers crashed or we ended up getting nothing, but to me, I at least want to feel I had a chance to try. Verified Fan immediately takes a large amount of fans out of the equation, which in it’s own way fuels the resale market.

    I have signed up for over 20 previous Verified Fan presales in the past and have never got past Waitlist. I was even amongst 2,000 U2 fan club members who in 2018 was automatically sent my presale code that was included with membership and had it taken away 3 hours later, due to some Ticketmaster screwup.

    I have resold tickets on Ticketmaster a few times in the past for shows I was unable to make it to. If you want to make back what you paid, you have to increase your asking price to cover the original Ticketmaster fees, plus the fees they charge you on reselling through their site. My theory is that has caused me to be blackballed as a scalper, something a friend of a friend that works for Ticketmaster said was true.
    Verified Fan's #1 goal is to stop the bots by adding extra steps/PWs. Its not necessarily to limit resale.

    They could shutdown resale whenever they want. But they don't want that at all for obvious reasons. NY and Chi are the only shows being resold due to their state laws on transfers. 

    I've had a very different experience than you. I've never not been given Verified Fan access. I've never resold concert tickets. I sell my sports season tickets all the time. 

    Today I got in to the sale about 5 after for Benaroya today. I was able to see tickets and try to acquire them albeit unsuccessfully. 

    Back in the day if you wouldn't have even seen tickets that late. Everything would have been sold to people/bots within minutes. That feels like progress to me, but I completely understand the frustrations of others.  


    Post edited by Eddieredder on
  • quasi
    quasi Posts: 492
    jh275312 said:
    It is very disgusting. If you haven't figured it out yet verified are the worst tickets available, or super expensive ones. just gross. People will still cling to excuses, but it is very sad the changes in values of certain band members.
    I was selected as a verified fan, logged in a few minutes before ten, waited one minute for the queue and got a second row ticket in the first balcony for $179. That is a pretty good seat and definitely not a "worst ticket available".
    SEA 9/20/92, SEA 12/7/93, SEA 12/31/94 (MS), SEA 11/5/00, SEA 11/6/00, SEA 12/8/02, SEA 12/9/02, BEN 10/22/03, GOR 9/1/05, SD 7/7/06, LA 7/10/06, LA 7/12/06, LA (EV) 4/12/08, LA (EV) 4/13/08, LA 7/12/08, LA 9/30/09, LA 10/7/09, SEA 12/6/13, SEA 8/8/18
  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,107
    "Ed, we can give you an allotment for a 10c sale, and we can sell at face value to 10c only in a verified fan sale. That accounts for 15% of the tickets and that is more than than we give to any other artist.  We get to sell the remaining tickets any way we like."

    Pretty sure that is how it goes down.  Compromises to ensure that the 10C gets an allotment of the best seats.  It's not complicated, and yes, not great for the consumer if you can't get a 10c ticket.  TM/LN have a monopoly and its been rigged for some time, I am still amazed that the DOJ allowed that merger to happen.
  • Loujoe
    Loujoe Posts: 11,685
    GS163319 said:
    Loujoe said:
    I just saw Mike Watt is playing a show. $15 a ticket. Sometimes big rockers just get too complicated. nnnnnnn nn naaahhhnaaa nnnnNobody's fault but mine.
    Sure, comparing the demand (or really, anything else) for Mike Watt and one of the bigger rock stars of the last 30 years makes sense.
    yep. I rarely make sense.
    Hope ev continues to make a good living off his talent and people who go will have a blast. 
  • JimmyV
    JimmyV Boston's MetroWest Posts: 19,594
    Loujoe said:
    GS163319 said:
    Loujoe said:
    I just saw Mike Watt is playing a show. $15 a ticket. Sometimes big rockers just get too complicated. nnnnnnn nn naaahhhnaaa nnnnNobody's fault but mine.
    Sure, comparing the demand (or really, anything else) for Mike Watt and one of the bigger rock stars of the last 30 years makes sense.
    yep. I rarely make sense.
    Hope ev continues to make a good living off his talent and people who go will have a blast. 
    I made the comparison of Ed to Trey Anastasio a few days ago. Apples to apples and Ed doesn't come off looking good, price wise. 


    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • OceansJenny
    OceansJenny Manhattan, NY Posts: 3,409
    edited December 2021
    .
    Post edited by OceansJenny on
    DC '03 - Reading '04 - Philly '05 - Camden 1 '06 - DC '06 - E. Rutherford '06 - The Vic '07 - Lollapalooza '07 - DC '08 - EV DC 1 & 2 '08 (Met Ed!!) - EV Baltimore 1 & 2 '09 - EV NYC 1 '11 (Met Ed!) - Hartford '13 - GCF '15 - MSG 2 '16 - TOTD MSG '16 - Boston 1 & 2 '18 - SHN '21 - EV NYC 1 & 2 '22 - MSG '22
  • tylerj
    tylerj Indiana Posts: 368
    edited December 2021
    Verified Fan is one of the best things to happen to Ticketmaster in a long time. It looks at a user's past history of whether or not they sell or actually go to shows. For artists that use it for large scale tours, it's been a godsend. I've never been denied and the process is so much smoother than before when actual bots would get majority of the tickets.

     Is everyone going to get tickets that want one, especially for a limited, high demand shows? No, but you can blame EV and PJ for not having as much tour dates too blame for that. I guarantee if there was a 25-30 tour date most ppl would get tickets.

    Is it perfect? No cause you're still dealing with Ticketmaster monopoly ( thank you Obama DOJ). Sounds like you're more upset about Platinum, which is BS. 

    But it's been really funny to watch ppl who have obviously never used Verified Fan before get pissed about it and show their ignorance. This post is one of the best examples. 
    Chicago, Aug 24, 2009 
    Noblesville, May 7, 2010
    PJ20 Night 1, 2011
    Cincinnati, Oct. 1, 2014
    Milwaukee, Oct. 20, 2014
    Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2016
    Wrigley Field, Aug 22, 2016
    Wrigley Field, Aug 18, 2018
    Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2018
    St. Louis, Sept. 18, 2022
    Chicago, Sept. 5, 2023
    Chicago, Sept. 7, 2023
    Noblesville, Aug. 26, 2024
    Wrigley Field, Aug 29, 2024
    Wrigley Field, Aug 31, 2024
  • andrew68
    andrew68 Toronto Posts: 1,845
    Jokes are funny...this was not 
    Any new realizations... would have to wait...
    Til he had more time,... more time...
    Time to dream,... to himself... he waves goodbye,
    To himself... I'll see you on the other side...
  • THEBIBLEISTEN
    THEBIBLEISTEN Posts: 2,002
    Who would want to pay $200 or $500 to sit in a tiny theatre during February and get Covid? I think it’s kinda strange he’s even touring then. Seems too risky to me but to each their own. I know we can’t live in fear but I wouldn’t go if the tixs were free. 
  • JimmyV
    JimmyV Boston's MetroWest Posts: 19,594
    OceansJenny said:
    Sorry Trey Anastasio is no Ed. Or he plays more frequently I don’t know, but I doubt he has a similar following with hundreds posting about his band on a message forum and FB daily.
    Sorry, Phish has a huge following. Trey is the front man and these tickets are for one of his side projects. Not my thing or my band, but it is fiction to claim these two things are not similar. 
    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • Clapper
    Clapper Toronto Posts: 209
    Mike Watt and Trey Anastasio as comparisons?  The clown show that is our fan base continues.    
    1993 - Toronto
    1996 - Toronto
    1998 - Barrie
    2000 - Toronto
    2003 - Buffalo, Toronto
    2005 - Hamilton, Toronto
    2006 - Toronto I, Toronto II
    2008 - EV solo Toronto I
    2010 - Buffalo, Newark
    2011 - Toronto I, Toronto II, Hamilton
    2013 - London, Chicago, Buffalo, Brooklyn I, Brooklyn II, Philadelphia I, Philadelphia II
    2014 - Detroit
    2016 - Philadelphia I, Philadelphia II, New York I, New York II, Ottawa, Toronto I, Toronto II, Chicago I, Chicago II
    2018 - Boston I, Boston II
  • bbiggs
    bbiggs Posts: 6,963
    THEBIBLEISTEN said:
    Who would want to pay $200 or $500 to sit in a tiny theatre during February and get Covid? I think it’s kinda strange he’s even touring then. Seems too risky to me but to each their own. I know we can’t live in fear but I wouldn’t go if the tixs were free. 
    Plenty of people.  As you said, to each their own.  And 20,000+ will be packing arenas to see Pearl Jam a few months later.

  • JimmyV
    JimmyV Boston's MetroWest Posts: 19,594
    Some of you need to exit your Pearl Jam bubble and look around. It's a whole beautiful world out there. 
    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • jpgoegel
    jpgoegel Posts: 415
    Ahhhh I wondered if this was how it worked.  I resold two or three events that were pre-pandemic reschedules.   Oh well, such is life, would make sense why I did not get VF


    tylerj said:
    Verified Fan is one of the best things to happen to Ticketmaster in a long time. It looks at a user's past history of whether or not they sell or actually go to shows. For artists that use it for large scale tours, it's been a godsend. I've never been denied and the process is so much smoother than before when actual bots would get majority of the tickets.

     
  • bbiggs
    bbiggs Posts: 6,963
    If TM gives a consumer the ability to re-sell tickets, but then black lists that person from VF for doing it, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  Especially if those tickets are re-sold for what the original buyer paid (and to cover fees).  If they're re-selling at 2x or 3x then I get it.  Just another flaw in the sham that is the TM buying process.
  • Merkin Baller
    Merkin Baller Posts: 12,749
    Clapper said:
    Mike Watt and Trey Anastasio as comparisons?  The clown show that is our fan base continues.    
    I agree with your point about Watt, but with an estimated net worth of $85M, Anastasio isn't an unfair comparison to Vedder who's estimated at around $100M. (#s pulled from google).

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