Drake fans are the next to be burnt by Ticketmaster after surprise second concert announcement.
Ticketmaster has continued its rampage of terror against music fans after Drake’s latest concert tickets went on sale. Fans have claimed that they were intentionally and maliciously mislead by the company.
Drake’s original concert on July 14th had ‘Official Platinum’ tickets sold for over $750, yet another concert on July 15th was later announced. The same tickets for the second concert were being sold for $350 less than the first concert.
Fans have filed a lawsuit that claims Ticketmaster knew about the second concert the entire time. Has Ticketmaster simply gone too far with their greed this time?
Ticketmaster received some serious heat after their use of ‘Dynamic Pricing’. Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift both disappointed fans with the results of this system.
It was supposedly implemented by Ticketmaster to prevent ticket scalping. However, the fans have seen it more as a punishment. As the system works on the basis of the demand for a concert, the more expensive the tickets become.
That is the more fans of the artist, the more expensive the tickets are. This led to many Taylor Swift fans missing out on the chance of even buying tickets for her Eras tour. The Swifties who did get tickets were forced to pay extortionate prices. Springsteen fans ended up having to shell out up to $4,000 for a single ticket.
It appears that there is not a single A-lister performer that is not affected by Ticketmaster’s conglomerate on the concert touring industry. With no other platform being able to support so much traffic, there is simply no competition and no choice for consumers. In 2010 Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged. Live Nation, for example, owns 51% of the Academy Music Group.
This means that many venues are owned by Live Nation and will only work with Ticketmaster. Ticketmasters’ greed has even shocked both sides of the political spectrum. In January, US Senator Amy Klobuchar described them as “the definition of a monopoly”. It seems clear to fans and government bodies that Ticketmaster is acting unrestricted in the market and operating in a malicious manner. So is there anything we can do?
1 OF 2: AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A $10 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR LOWEST TICKET PRICE ('LTP’) TRANSACTIONS…
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023
Well, Ticketmaster’s corporate greed has been denounced by artists like Robert Smith. He forced the company to refund high service and processing fees. Artists also have the choice to not use ‘Dynamic Pricing’. Neil Young, who is an outspoken proponent of ethical music-making and touring, has denounced the company’s tactics. He quotes that “concert tours are no longer fun” because of the ticket-selling methods.
But…unfortunately, Ticketmaster continues to be the only company operating at such a large level. There is currently no need for them to change their ways. This is despite the many lawsuits that have been filed by customers. Ticketmaster has shrugged off any responsibility for their actions. Their position is that they have never forced fans to buy tickets.
We can only hope that artists continue to speak out against their methods and support their fanbase. Only once fans feel the grip of Ticketmaster ease, will the joy be put back into concert touring, for fans and artists alike.
