Yes, I think it’s well over due.
Even back in the 80s, Ticketmaster, along with scalpers, were constant problems for us concert goers.
It seems nothing changes, and these agencies seem to have monopolies on ticket sales. It is too much power, and control, for very few companies, which I believe is illegal.
Bands should have a way to sell tickets directly to their fans through their websites. Cut out the middleman, lower the fees, give everyone a fair chance to obtain good seats, and hopefully end the corruption.
But sadly, since this has yet to happen, and it is 2026, my feeling is, it is will not be remedied, any time soon.
29 Responses
I agree with you Dana. It’s highway robbery and although I make good money being a hard working American, I simply can’t afford to go to concerts anymore. Not only because of the insane prices for concert tickets, but also parking, food and beverage prices. I have simply bought blu-ray vids and dvd concerts of my favorite bands for $20-30 and watch hassle and drunk asshole next to me free from the comfort of my own home.
Ticketmaster/LiveNation………even StubHub……..have attorneys that will fight to the death to keep a firm grip on those golden tickets. When the ‘Box Office’ opens for the latest spectacular…….and tickets are sold out in mere minutes……..we all know the FIX is in. Glad we got to see as many acts as we did back in the last century. Saw The Police their first big arena type show, saw Dio/Sabbath first tour, and saw Ozzy sadly right after Randy died…….all at Madison Square Garden. Didn’t even pay $20 for a ticket.
My experience is some of the bands are reasonable priced. Some like Florence and the machine wanted three hundred plus dollars for a just ok seat at the huge Garden in Boston. So I didn’t buy tickets. That is the solution! If the tickets are to high…. Don’t buy them. Sit home and watch them with friends of a Blue Ray player with 2 dollars beers from your fridge instead of 12 and up at the venue! Unless they are not greedy! There is always going to be scammers where there is corruption or no laws passed protecting consumers!! My local politician is so lazy, I don’t think he put up a stop sign! Haha! That’s all he cares about is his side business.
George, I agree with you. If ticket prices are too high, just don’t buy them. Eddie Trunk has also been saying for fans to respond the same way to expensive ticket prices….just don’t buy them. Now, what is “too high” is subjective to each of us, but for me, anything over $100 is too expensive. The concert experience, for me, is not worth that price….unless it’s Iron Maiden. And, personally, I think they are the only arena/stadium act band that does what it can to help fans from overpaying for their tickets, particularly through third party outlets. And to see some of these arena/stadium bands with no or integral original/classic members is pathetic…shame on those bands for selling the brand at those prices. IMO, Foreigner isn’t Foreigner, Judas Priest isn’t Judas Priest, AC/DC isn’t AC/DC, etc….
For me, my favorite concert experience is at small venues, like the House of Blues, where I can see killer bands like Armored Saint, Exodus, Saxon, Overkill, and Testament and pay $40 for a ticket.
Yes, ticket agencies/brokers should be done away with…..When I was a youngster, I paid a ticket broker $5 to reserve tickets for AC/DC should they ever come to town. I still have the receipt as proof of payment. Well, the broker, TNT Tickets, went out of business before AC/DC ever came….and TNT Tickets left town with my $5….those F-ers!! .
Definitely agree with the both of you!! Case in point, went to see Judas Priest/Alice Cooper in Detroit last October..
Tickets were $135.00 each. By today’s standards not bad BUT $28.00 were fees for each ticket! And I sat about 8 rows from the back of the pavilion!
Paid $8.50 for a stale pretzel and $17.35 for a beer!! My buddy doesn’t drink so he paid $5.50 for a bottle of water! Throw in the $50.00 for the tour shirt I
had to have & it became expensive in a hurry! Priest is the only band I will pay this money for as they are my all time favorite and I haven’t missed a tour of theirs since 1984 (That ticket was $11.00
for the Defenders tour 🙂 )
Having said that I am going to see Lynch Mob at a small club in Cleveland next month. $40.00 each no fees.
Groupon also has deals if you look hard enough. I got a lawn seat at Blossom Music Center (Cleveland’s main outdoor venue) to see Styx & Chicago this coming August for $25.00. By today’s standards that’s almost a free ticket LOL
I’m ABSOLUTELY not fan of Ticketmaster/LiveNation, but sadly they are now a reality that is not going anywhere. They have exclusive, long-term contracts with the vast majority of venues. And since their merger about 15 yrs ago, they control the entire process – ownership/management of many venues, tour promotions, and of course selling tickets. They basically ARE the infrastructure of the entire concert industry.
And I’m not going to get political here, but the fact is the current Dept. of Justice proactively pre-empted the antitrust trial that was to take place in court and worked out a deal with Live Nation that allows them to not be broken up. Instead, they’ve agreed to a 15% fee cap on fees (which is laughable because they can compensate by raising ticket prices), allow other rival ticket sellers to sell tickets at Live Nation venues (yeah, good luck with that!), and pay a $280 million fine (petty cash fund money for the company).
End result, Best-case scenario: prices might not be as high as they otherwise might’ve been. Worst-case scenario: Meet the new Ticketmaster/Live Nation, same as the old Ticketmaster/Live Nation.
And I’m not going to get political here, but…
NO POLITICS!