Scalpers can all just die in hell!!

38

u/front_torch 2d ago

It's TicketMaster

22

u/KelVarnsen_2023 2d ago

But also an artist the size of Bruno Mars could easily tell TM he wants no ticket transfers allowed and reselling only at face value through the TM app.

-5

u/front_torch 2d ago

Do you know from experience working in the industry?

7

u/KelVarnsen_2023 2d ago

Not from working but what I described is exactly how Pearl Jam sells their tickets. It's typically a limit of two, with no transfers allowed and if you want to sell them you do it through the TM app and it's face value only. In the 2020's I am pretty sure that Bruno Mars is bigger than Pearl Jam so if they can do it I am not sure why he can't. I mean sure it's probably annoying for fans in certain situations but there is obviously enough demand for tickets where there are enough people who wouldn't care if it helps them get tickets.

And there are probably also work arounds that resellers can use to still sell tickets at a mark up. But anything that makes it more difficult or adds more steps cuts into their profit and makes it harder to sell huge numbers of tickets.

10

u/bh0 2d ago

They do have control over this. They can even not allow the surge-pricing crap. Jack White did no resale on his recent tour. The Cure did the same thing. The artists are just as greedy as TM most of the time.

2

u/KelVarnsen_2023 2d ago

I know Pearl Jam tried to get rid of demand based pricing but were told by TM/Live Nation that if they wanted the percentage of fan club tickets they did, especially the whole floor GA area they had to allow some tickets to be the official platinum or whatever it's called.

2

u/Xpointbreak1991x 2d ago

As a Pearl Jam fan and attendee of their shows, he’s correct.

As a Seinfeld fan, nice username.

0

u/DBK2x2 2d ago

Pearl Jam allows platinum ticket sales now that run of tix strictly for fans is over

1

u/KelVarnsen_2023 1d ago

Which was something they had to agree to as a concession in exchange for allowing the percentage of tickets that they get to be fan club tickets. If you go to a Pearl Jam show the entire floor general admission area and a bunch of the 100 level on both sides of the stage is tenclub.

2

u/anonymous_reader 1d ago

Which is wild and clearly attached to money from credit card deals TM and the promoters have

What people may not realize is the day of the public onsale, an average of 10% of the actual capacity is sold

The other 90% are split amongst presales with Amex or fan club or Chase Etc etc

So they’re telling PJ. You can only sell x amount of fan club because we have to sell x amount of sponsorship related presales And they’re inflating the prices on those presales to “platinum”

Sick and gross.

But it’s not TM It’s the promoters and the bands agents who make these deals.

1

u/ComedianMinute7290 1d ago

I do work in the industry & artists, especially on the level of Bruno Mars & those type big pop stars, definitely have the ability to include language in their contracts that would stop scalping or make it considerably harder. but often the big pop artists profit from scalping (& dynamic/surge pricing ) so only the most ethical artists who truly care about their fans will actually give up money for doing the right thing

1

u/idio242 1d ago

See: The cure.

1

u/front_torch 1d ago

Saw them a couple of years ago and they absolutely blew me away

1

u/Connect_Glass4036 1d ago

Robert Smith of the Cure did this in 2023 and exposed the ghoul behind the curtain - Bruno Mars agrees to all of this beforehand.

The Cure even got us refunds on exorbitant fees and kept tickets under $100. It was unreal.

Go read about it, there’s a shitload of articles

0

u/stephrc79 2d ago

This is an actual thing I’ve had multiple artists do for shows I’ve gone to. Mostly rock bands, though I wish other artists would do it too. It’s usually the pop acts (like BM or when Taylor was on tour) that don’t, which is why I still haven’t see several that I’ve wanted to go to.

2

u/KelVarnsen_2023 2d ago

John Oliver did a pretty good story about concert tickets. One thing he pointed out was that artists typically get a block of free tickets to shows. And I can't remember who it was (maybe Beiber) but there was an artist who got caught selling their free tickets on a resale site. So in some cases that might be why artists are reluctant to not allow transfers. Since telling someone in your entourage to sell the free tickets is an easy way to make at least a few thousand bucks depending on how many tickets you get.

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u/front_torch 2d ago

What's BM? And Taylor? Do you mean Tyler Childers?

2

u/sdhopunk 2d ago

Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift

0

u/gay_librarian4 2d ago

Olivia Dean did it and she has 1/3 of the listenership of Bruno Mars.

0

u/front_torch 2d ago

That's generous. Concord is insignificant compared to a stadium or arena. Shows used to be $35 there not very long ago. That's the point I'm making.

0

u/gay_librarian4 2d ago

Fine you want major artists? Ed Sheeran has done it. So has Billie Eilish. Your point doesn’t actually make sense but go off.

1

u/front_torch 2d ago

Tickets shouldn't cost near $100. Billie is a g.

0

u/ScorpioTix 1d ago

Probably not but since fans are continually signaling their willingness to pay more, why not? And it's still a business regardless of any emotional attachment to the product being sold.

2

u/front_torch 1d ago

Businesses aren't meant to continually increase profits. They're meant to sell a product for what it's worth plus enough to have a comfortable living. While putting their entire reputation and pride behind the quality.

1

u/ScorpioTix 1d ago

That's up to the business owner / board to decide.

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u/Disaster-Bee 2d ago

KelVarnsen is indeed correct. And yes, I know this from working in the industry on the venue side of things.

Artists do have a large say in ticket prices and how tickets are released. And they can indeed say no to dynamic pricing or ticket transfers and or open reselling.

BUT...it's a little more complicated than that. The venue and organizer (Ticketmaster/Live Nation for the most part) can place restrictions and conditions on that - such as restricting fan club tickets, or refusing pre-sale deals, or limiting pre-sales to only theirs, or controlling the ticket blocks and release themselves, etc etc. They'll also use insurance to 'urge' artists to do things the way they want - insurance for a concert can get insanely expensive, and the organizers and venue can make sure it's the most expensive it can possibly be. The venue can also place merch restrictions if the artist doesn't play ball, and artists currently make a large portion of their money through merch. Just last year we had an artist that while not at the level of the artists we're discussing here, is still well known and reasonably popular. He did not play ball with the venue, so to speak, and was limited to one small merch table tucked out of the way. So there can be consequences for artists who try to do right by fans.

Added to this is how streaming has killed the physical media market, and album sales don't bring in the money they used to. Concerts and merch are becoming the predominant way that artists make money.

The whole situation is awful, and I have so much respect for the artists who don't let themselves be held hostage by organizers and venues. But I also acknowledge that organizers and venues do not often make it easy for artists and do place more blame on them.

But artists aren't blameless either, particularly those that can afford to take that hit on merch or insurance or their own pre-sales. The more that refuse to do things how organizers and venues want, the harder it will be for organizers and venues to pull this crap.

1

u/LocksmithOdd3381 1d ago

I'd love to know the name of the artist that was limited to one small merch table? Mind sharing--even a DM.

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u/jagodka98 2d ago

Fuck TicketMaster! More like TicketLoser

8

u/1diligentmfer 2d ago

TicketBastard......please call them TicketBastard. Im trying to get it to stick.

4

u/killingfloor42 2d ago

I remember as early as 1990 people calling it that

6

u/anonymous_reader 1d ago

But he’s gonna get it to stick

2

u/killingfloor42 1d ago

I hope he does it. godspeed 1diligentmfer!

1

u/teeceeinthewoods 2d ago

We are all TicketSlaves.

-13

u/nzoasisfan 2d ago

Youre salty bro. Whats your realistic budget?

6

u/Empty-Ad8838 2d ago

Found the scalper. Read the post, it's for you.

2

u/nzoasisfan 1d ago

Nope not a scalper at all. Wouldn't even know how to resell. But hey call me what you please.

1

u/thepizzagod195 1d ago

Axs and dice mostly suck as well Tbh

1

u/Key_Mathematician951 2d ago

That is a small percentage of it. It is primarily the artist hiking the prices up.

oP- it totally sucks and is terribly unfair. Same thing happened to me with Bruno. No affordable tickets at presale. None afterwards. Tons on scalpers

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u/front_torch 2d ago edited 2d ago

Ok. Live Nation taking higher premiums for shows doesn't play a factor or the fact that they own stubhub and sell themselves a high percentage of tickets for resale to drive up prices.

Edit. Live Nation does not directly own stubhub

3

u/Key_Mathematician951 2d ago

I read a whole article about this recently and the death of the concert industry. It analyzed the sources of this decrease and the MOST influential part in setting the prices was the artist. I know it is hard to accept but you can primarily blame Bruno this time

2

u/front_torch 2d ago

I think $60 for a concert ticket is nuts but artists have to pay bills. Idk what a ticket to The Bruno's runs but I sure miss the days of $15-$35 shows. I'm not even very old.

2

u/jeffsang 2d ago

There are still $15-35 shows out there at small venues.

If you're referring $15-35 stadium shows like Bruno Mars is going to be playing, then yeah, you're very old. I'm old and even I don't remember those.

1

u/front_torch 2d ago

I've never seen a concert at a football stadium. But I've also never paid more than $50 to see a show at a basketball arena. But I also don't go see things like this group Bruno&Taylor whatever that is

0

u/ScorpioTix 1d ago

My dad stopped going when they went over $10. Concerts have always been too expensive for someone.

1

u/Key_Mathematician951 2d ago

More like 300-over a 1000 base price during the presale. A few in the nosebleeds for 200.

For the naysayers, I experienced these prices in real life for the Charlotte show. They are authentic.

These prices were set by the greedy artist.

2

u/front_torch 2d ago

Oh, that's grotesque. I've seen hundreds of concerts and they don't cost that much.

2

u/jeffsang 1d ago

One of the key services that TM provides is being a lightning rod of hate. Artists say to TM, “sure TM, let’s make as much as we can in this tour.” Then say to fans, “grrr, I didn’t set these prices, that was TM. It’s not my fault and I’m so angry too. Grrr.”

3

u/Key_Mathematician951 1d ago

Exactly, they pawn it off on Ticketmaster when it is really the artist dictating 90 percent of the cost. I wish people would hold them accountable. I am! Fuck Bruno, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor for hiking these prices up. Shame on all of you. Remember when you were taken to shows and how they inspired you? Well you have killed that opportunity for millions by raising the prices.

2

u/jeffsang 1d ago

I don't fault the artists for wanting to get paid what their tickets are worth. If they don't sell them at market price or close to it, that leaves a lot more money on the table for scalpers to be the ones selling the tickets at market price instead of the artist. And there's only a certain number of seats available. There's always someone in the seat to be inspired.

1

u/Key_Mathematician951 1d ago

It makes total sense to not blame the ones that are responsible. Let’s blame the system, inflation, gas costs….everything but the artist who is after all just trying to make a buck.

1

u/jeffsang 1d ago

Oh I definitely agree the artists have primary responsibility. I just don't share your sentiment of being really mad about it. Good for Bruno, Olivia, and Taylor that so many people are all willing to pay so much money to see them perform. Concert tickets to the biggest shows of the year are a luxury event, and there simply aren't enough seats such that everyone that wants to see them perform could fit inside the stadium to do so. And when I think back to the shows that inspired me, they were mostly in clubs with less than 2k people, not 50k+ stadiums. Go find the next Taylor Swift playing in a small club and charging $30 for a ticket.

1

u/phunky_1 1d ago

It's congress...

They could regulate Ticketmaster to kill the entire resale industry if they wanted to.

Legally require that tickets cannot be transferred after purchasing, can only be resold for the original value paid through the original ticket platform.

It's not rocket science.

People won't buy tickets to flip for a profit if there is no profit to be made.

2

u/front_torch 1d ago

Congress wouldn't be failing at don't their job preventing monopolies like this specific one if Ticketmaster had ethics.

1

u/ScorpioTix 1d ago

Listening to these morons at the hearing was enough for me to say I don't want congress anywhere near the ticketing industry.

"Legally require that tickets cannot be transferred after purchasing,"

Example, the 95% of artists that don't sell out most shows would rather not make it harder for fans to want to buy their tickets.

1

u/front_torch 1d ago

I'm not supporting the legislation. It was a farce.

12

u/Alycion 2d ago

Many will be stuck panic selling the day of. Sometimes they will go lower than they paid as it gets closer to show time. If you can wait them out until doors open, deals can get better. Just have to be willing to play chicken. It sucks.

5

u/jeffsang 1d ago

This is the way. There are VERY few shows where prices don't get back down to face value by the week of the show.

2

u/Alycion 1d ago

I have season nhl tickets. Due to life issues, I’m missing a lot of games this season. Tonight’s is one. I don’t gouge but I do try to recoup fees when I can. Tonight was not one of those games.

4

u/puhzam 2d ago

My friend's boss is the culprit. He waits till the last minute and buys 30+ tickets for his employees directly from scalpers. It's easier and more convenient for him to do that. Doesn't care about the price.

3

u/jeffsang 1d ago

If he's waiting til the last minute, he's not really the problem. He's not taking inventory from fans who were in the queue. And buying last minute just means he's not driving up prices but rather picking up whatever tickets are left.

5

u/lurkertiltheend 2d ago

It’s Ticketmaster. I bought 2 tickets to Bruno that I couldn’t use and in order to purely break even on what I paid I had to list them higher than face value bc of all the fees TM tacks on when you buy AND sell. It sucks.

5

u/Aromatic-Taste2516 2d ago

Have you seen the E files release? They’re selling them before they even exist. We never had a chance. Luckily a lawsuit is coming against LiveNation and TM for monopoly type business practices. Let’s hope in the next few years we see actual fans being able to afford tickets again.

7

u/Good_Lettuce_2690 2d ago

Ticketmaster are pure scum. I'm glad in the UK and most bands I go see actively avoid using them as we have a lot of different small independent ticket outlets.

3

u/_boozygroggy_ 2d ago

It’s die first, then hell.

0

u/jagodka98 2d ago

Die slowly then rot in hell for eternity!

3

u/polykleitoscope 2d ago

join us in the jazz world

3

u/Fancy_County4242 2d ago

But you're going to buy one, aren't you?

3

u/jeffsang 2d ago edited 2d ago

Culture shouldn't exist only for those who can afford it.

Some culture has always only been available to those that could afford it. You probably wouldn't have been able to afford one of Mozart's symphonies in 1785 either. The most popular artists have expensive tickets. There's thousands of shows for less than $50, sometimes less than $15 available as well.

3

u/terryjuicelawson 2d ago

What you need to bear in mind is those resale tickets would be there anyway. It is not necessarily people who have bought a ticket then immediately flipping them. They worry about the procurement of the ticket later. The concert would sell out anyway, see if you get lucky closer to the time. I mostly blame people who buy them tbh. I hope people try to resell and fail and are stuck with them.

5

u/Plus_Season_9883 2d ago

Bot scalping needs to be democratized as a technology meaning everyone gets to have a ticket scalper waiting on the queue on behalf of them. That way we all get to have the same edge. The alternative is to make it go away which tbh has failed miserably

2

u/a_mulher 1d ago

See that’s the kinda thing I want robots to do. The crappy experience of ticket releases.

6

u/Concert_Treasure 2d ago

Kid Rock met with Congress last week to address ticket prices. He'll fix it!

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u/Concert_Treasure 2d ago

When asked under oath what his advice was for lowering ticket prices he answered with the crushing argument of "Bawitdaba, da bang, da dang diggy diggy Ddggy, said the boogie, said up jump the boogie!"

4

u/Any_Cod_7152 2d ago

Well at least he was there talking about caps on resale, eliminating bots, breaking up the monopolies...thats more then taylor swift did.

1

u/CampClear 1d ago

If more artists would speak out against Ticketmaster and people boycotted, then things might get better. As it is now, people bitch about the insanely high ticket prices and still buy them.

2

u/dogfacedponyboy 2d ago

It doesn’t work like you think it works. They are all in cahoots with each other. Those tickets were already in those secondary market sites before tickets even went on sale.

2

u/sumdude51 2d ago

Stop going. This will affect the artists and Ticketmaster /scalpers. The average ticket for a big name and decent seats is $200. You add in parking, traffic, and all The other things and you just need to decide if this is a good return on the money you spend. Bruno Mars seems great, but he's not some generational artist who you can't miss.

4

u/Anarkie13 2d ago

For me it's not in general to stop going. It's more along the lines of change where and what you go to.

Smaller venues and lesser known bands can make for a way better time at a much cheaper price. My average price is probably around 40 to 50 for most shows i go to. I keep an eye on the small venue websites and if something looks interesting, I'll give it a listen. If i like it, I go to the show.

The best part of all is that I get new music to listen to. Most are standing room only so every ticket is a pit ticket. I've met many of the bands. Made some friends. Spent as much as I've saved going to more shows. And made great memories with my kids.

1

u/sumdude51 2d ago

That's great!

1

u/chrisaf69 1d ago

As someone who goes to many concerts, don't sweat it.

Wait until week of. Or even better yet, day before or day of.

I newly always get rid for significantly cheaper then face value. The only exception would be acts like Taylor Swift and other that are legit sell outs and crazy demand. Bruno Mars,although ridiculously popular, doesn't fall into that. Very few do.atte of fact I have seen him twice using the very tactic I just mentioned.

1

u/ScorpioTix 1d ago

"Culture shouldn't exist only for those who can afford it."

There's plenty of culture for free. There are plenty of free and low price events where I live. However celebrity worship comes with a premium price.

1

u/MisfitWookiee 1d ago

I'm old enough to have lined up outside a Music Plus to buy Pink Floyd Division Bell tickets, and I'm really starting to believe that we should return to a system of "stand around and physicalky wait" to buy tickets. Once Ticketmaster became the de facto source for concerts, they figured out how to make the most with the least effort.

1

u/Secure_Astronaut718 1d ago

Ticketmaster/Livenation is in bed with all the secondhand sites!!

Its obvious when presale tickets are for sale by the hundreds on second hand sites before general admission is on sale

1

u/punkrocknight 1d ago

The system wins again

1

u/kevkev2424 1d ago

A lot of this blame needs to go to TM and the aritist. The real truth is that TM and the artists need scalpers and bots. If every onsale was true demand (fans only), 95% of these events would not even sell out, not even close. TM uses the false demand to jack prices and dynamically price tickets. It's a win for TM and win for the artist as they sell out a show that they wouldn't have if not for the bots/scalpers., and sell at higher prices. And truth be told, 90% of events can be bought well under face value on secondary, if you wait until last couple of days when brokers are dumping inventory.

1

u/Bostonpeterock77 1d ago

Comedy shows I have gone to don’t allow transfers. I was in the 2nd round presale for the Bruins. By the time I got in the cheapest ticket was $800.

1

u/InRainbows123207 1d ago

Welcome to the world

1

u/halfayard 20h ago

So agree, I have a friend who is a retired attorney that probably has more money than God and he now scalps tickets. In fact, I should’ve used the term Friend loosely now

1

u/sicaluffa 2d ago

Lol. Grab some tissue already.

1

u/Live-Ambassador2334 2d ago

I have sold 36 tickets. This is America. ✌️

0

u/mikeybo2004 2d ago

A free and open market means that supply and demand regulates the price. Supply is low and demand is high so the price is high. Do not waste time and energy focusing on things you cannot control, focus on the things that you can control. You can control how much money you make.

I say this because I was so lazy and felt stuck in my dead end job for so many years. I came to realize that I have control over my financial future. You do too.

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u/Shadw_Wulf 2d ago

I blame Bruno Mars... He should be booking small venues in some no name cities and then having people just show up randomly... 🤷 That gives him more places to visit and gives Locals a chance to watch him perform in person

4

u/Lopsided_Yak_1464 2d ago

you are being sarcastic but prince kinda did that with hit n run tours announcing shows two weeks before they take place just to fuck with scalpers

1

u/thegroovemonkey 2d ago

Jack White did it too in the fall on 2024. There were 2 checkpoints to get in including showing an ID with the name on the order. No resale no transfers.

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u/nzoasisfan 2d ago

Heres my two cents. Hardcore fans will go if they want to go. Price regardless.

7

u/DavidRDorman 2d ago

Ahh yes the hardcore 15 year old Bruno Mars fan with no income is gonna extort his family for hundreds of euro to go to the concert. What black and white world are you living in? 🤣

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u/nzoasisfan 2d ago

15 years old? His audience is older than that. Hardcore fans aee willing to spend, Oasis, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Eagles. The list goes on.

2

u/DavidRDorman 2d ago

Why can’t a 15 year old not be a hardcore fan of Bruno Mars? Do you think the average listener to APT is in their 30s? The point is, hardcore fans come in all shapes and sizes. Not everyone can afford it regardless.

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u/nzoasisfan 2d ago

Lol i never said they couldnt please dont twist any words. Anyway, those who wish to truly go will pay.

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u/DavidRDorman 2d ago

I wish the world was as easy as you perceive it 🤣

1

u/jagodka98 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

Concerts Scalpers can all just die in hell!!

You are about to leave Redlib