Summary
https://on.soundcloud.com/6BeLr
HOST: In the age of concert resurgence since the silence of COVID-19, Ticketmaster has been the primary place to go when purchasing tickets. In 2010, the company merged with LiveNation. Ticketmaster’s rise to dominance in the industry raised concerns about its monopoly power. It’s been known to have high service fees and a lack of competition. A dispute in the 1990s highlighted these concerns. As history slowly repeats itself, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour caused an uproar that brought back into the conversation as to whether “should we be relying on Ticketmaster, for live events”. Adriana Pipkins spoke with a duo of concert-goers about their experiences navigating the ticket-buying process as well as discussed the history of faults within the brand.
TRACK: “I am here with Ryane Zamora, who will be telling her side of the successes she achieved that is trying to purchase tickets”.
ACT: RYANE: “The most challenging Ticketmaster experience I had was purchasing tickets to see Harry Styles’ at Madison Square Garden. I think it was challenging in the aspect of there was such a high demand”.
TRACK/SOUND: “Harry Styles 15 show residency at Madison Square Garden was one of the hottest concerts during 2022. He was the first artist to sell out 15 shows in a row at the venue”.
ACT: RYANE: “I had signed up for every single of the pre-sale registration. So every single night I signed up for and I was able to get two presale codes”
TRACK: “Presale codes are codes that are randomly given to fans before general public sale. Though they don’t guarantee your tickets, it betters your chances. Speaking of things to do ahead of time. Ryane has a vital piece of information to add”.
ACT: RYANE: “I feel like if you have like 4,000 people ahead of you, it’s just best to refresh because it’s like randomized”
TRACK: “The controversy of Ticketmaster truly globalized once fans turned to social media to express their frustration towards the company. During the sale of Harry Styles tour, the hashtag “# HarryStylesTickets’ gathered up to 8.2 million views. Even one user showed that the average ticket price is over $600, and one seat goes for more than $3,000”.
ACT: RYANE: “The SZA ones I was just placed in such a lower spot in the cue and I ended up getting really expensive like nosebleed tickets, that I ended up selling back eventually”
TRACK: “So even with someone who can get tickets to such an in-demand event, inconsistencies can still sabotage anyone’s chances”.
TRACK: “In the 90’s, the rock band Pearl Jam decided to take a stand against Ticketmaster due to their unfair ticket prices given out regarding their tour”.
TRACK/SOUND: “Aerosmith’s manager at the time, Tim Collins in the court hearing of 1994, sided with the band’s lawsuit against the company and said, “Steven Tyler, Aerosmith’s lead singer said to me ‘Mussolini may have made the trains run on time but not everyone could get a seat on that train, that’s the problem that Aerosmith and I have with Ticketmaster. Yes, they have an efficient and profitable system, but its monopolistic aspects are unfair and hurtful”.
TRACK: “Easing even further on the failures that are often followed by ticket purchasing. As I sit down in his dorm, Noah tells me how in his journey of obtaining tickets, he had many conflicts to overcome”.
ACT: NOAH: “Most recently when I was trying to buy tickets for Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS tour, I was initially put on the ‘waitlist’. I think it wasn’t until the morning of the presale, like literally like two hours before the presale went live. Ticketmaster sent me a presale code. So I didn’t have any time to prepare at all for the presale”.
TRACK: “Ticketmaster is known for its lateness in getting specific materials to fans. Sending late codes is just one of them”.
ACT: NOAH: “There was however many thousand people ahead of me in line, and then by the time I got to the part when you enter and you can like pick your seats. Ticketmaster literally froze. I was too afraid to refresh the page”.
TRACK: “Even with all of Ticketmaster’s faults, it remains king as one of the world’s largest ticket marketplaces”.
ACT: NOAH: “I haven’t tried to get tickets off any site like I do know that there’s like StubHub or like VividSeats. Truthfully just because I don’t trust them. I’ve always heard of people getting scammed”.
TRACK: “In 2022, the Better Business Bureau received over 140 reports on BBB Scam Tracker about ticket scams. Scams are especially likely on sites such as StubHub, due to the company’s reputation for being a reselling platform overall”.
TRACK: “Change is demanded. The Justice Department is working to file a lawsuit this fall that claims the giant’s abuse of power. With worldwide attention only increasing, we hope that ticket purchasing can be a simplified process that helps more than less. I’m Adriana Pipkins with Baruch College”.
LINK: https://on.soundcloud.com/6BeLr