Similar to what they did last summer, LiveNation/Ticketmaster, the corporate music conglomerate who loves raping music fans, is unveiling a service fee free June. Meaning what? Well, if you wanted to catch Lilith Fair or the Kings of Leon at (insert overpriced LiveNation/Ticketmaster venue here), then you’ll be able to pick up tix without pacing their ridiculous service fees. How ridiculous? When I bought tix to see Nine Inch Nails last summer, there were 5 or 6 extra fees, including a printing fee (which was close to $9 because it was an oversized ticket) as well as a parking fee, even though I took public transportation to the event. So yes, these are the types of fees that will be waived by purchasing tix for your favorite amphitheater shows this summer.
Why are they doing this for a second year in a row? Easy. Tix aren’t selling. Then again, how could LiveNation/Ticketmaster expect to move tix, when service charges end up costing roughly 60% of what the actual ticket costs? Why does a $50 ticket end up costing $85? It shouldn’t. Michael Rapino, Live Nation’s chief executive, had this to say: “We know that’s tough in this economy, so it’s our job to find a way to make concerts more affordable.” Whatever Michael, if you were REALLY looking for a way to make concerts more affordable, then you wouldn’t be tacking on $40 in service charges during the 11 other months of the year. If you really cared about the consumer, you’d want our business year round. Then again, your precious amphitheaters where half the seats have obstructed views and cost two arms and a leg are only open during the summer. That’s why you’re scared, and that’s why you’re pulling this offer, so you can fill your seats.
Why do LiveNation/Ticketmaster shows always have trouble selling out? Because the consumer knows they’re getting ripped off. LiveNation can book an arena artist and have to wait til the day of to sell out, because people know if they wait, LiveNation/Ticketmaster will lower their price. However, a band like Pearl Jam can play the same arena, and have the show promoted by Jam, and sell it out in a few days. Because Jam Productions aren’t run by ass holes. They care about customers, not only sending out weekly e-mail updates with presales, but also breaking news, like the second MGMT announced a string of shows for June. Then they let you buy it through ETix, which charges next to nothing for service charges, Jam themselves, and last resort, Ticketmaster. They offer you three separate avenues to get tix, while LiveNation/Ticketmaster makes you pay their ridiculous rates.
So there you have it, my rant on LiveNation/Ticketmaster. Non LiveNation/Ticketmaster shows are still selling out left and right. The economy doesn’t have as much to do with it than these guys think. It’s just that the consumers are actually smart, and aren’t willing to get ripped off.
PD
RB: I think ultimately this had to happen. Fans have been the victims of price gouging through Ticketmaster for years, and when Pearl Jam unsuccessfully took them to court in the 90s it brought the issue into full view of an angry ticket buying public. The band may have lost the suit, but it wasn’t for nauht. They had exposed the monster.
Unfortunately here we are, more than 15 years later, and the issue has only gotten worse. The merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation was a good move for a greedy few but has predictably proven stressful on loyal concertgoers. I won’t run down the list of indefensible charges they tack onto their already steeply priced events. You’ve beat me to that. Instead I’ll offer you up a firm example:
Today in the mail I received two tickets to see Iggy and the Stooges. The show, set for August 31, will no doubt be mind blowing and serve as a great way to end the summer. It also cost me $136. The breakdown goes as follows: $50 a piece for 2 tickets, a $10 facility charge and, the most flagrant charge, the dreaded $26 “convenience” fee.
A convenience fee is laughable, considering the majority of Ticketmaster/Live Nation venues really do nothing to deserve it. For Boston readers, anyone who has ever been to the Comcast Center (formerly the Tweeter Center and Great Woods) knows there is nothing inherently “convenient” about seeing a show there. The staff are largely rude and unresponsive to the needs of concertgoers. They disallow drinking at tailgates (even if you’re of age), going as far as to go car by car, row by row insisting fans empty their cups at the risk of arrest. They won’t, however, stand in your way of buying a $9 Bud Light inside the venue.
So while normally I’d find the news of lagging summer ticket sales troubling, I really feel that this is the only way that fans can proactively respond to a pricing system that is continuing to grow out of control. More than a business, the Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger is the closest thing the live music industry has to a full on monopoly. The only thing they’ll respond to is lost revenue, and we’re already seeing the effects with their fee-free June promotion. That’s a good sign, but as you said Phil, it’s not nearly enough. They play it off as an extension of good faith to fans, but that’s a hard sell from a company that has shown a lot of contempt and disregard for their customers over the years.
Is the offer too little too late? Not quite. If a band I really want to see is rolling through town, I’ll pay. But it’s fair to say the offer is definitely too little. If Ticketmaster/Live Nation is really concerned, they’ll provide a long term fix to the problem by restructuring their rates and fees in a way that is kinder and more reasonable to fans, the same fans who have been far too patient with their gross, anti competitive business practices for far too long.
