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Ridiculous Ticket Surcharges Problematic For Bands


watsername182

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Posted
How can this be justified? A 38 percent surcharge on a $21 concert ticket. It can't, especially when - as usual - the specifics of these "service charges" never are divulged, writes Recordnet.com.

This time, it was tickets for a July 27 Glasvegas concert at San Francisco's newly renamed Regency Ballroom (formerly Grand Ballroom). This is a young (one album), very promising band from Glasgow, Scotland, whose self-titled debut is one of the year's best rock records.

Tickets purchased with a Visa ATM card at a Ticket Master outlet - not online or by phone, where even higher fees can be whomped on you - were $21 each. The surcharge was $8 per ticket, as in 38 percent of the face value. That usury doesn't go to the band. The whole concert ticketing situation has turned into an absurd, almost unfathomable free-for-all. It's a big mess that could lead to a U.S. Justice Department ruling on antitrust issues this year.

Let's get real here. Why should a young band trying establish itself in the U.S. - and its supporters - have to deal with this kind of gouging? Does it cost any more to process a $5 ticket than a $500 ticket?

Even a hard-core fan of Coldplay, the now Grammy Award-certified British rock band, had to decline when the price of four tickets to the group's July 13 show at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View came up at $500 on the on-sale date. Now, maybe to compensate, the group are giving away a free live CD to those who attend their shows.

In these economic times, a lot of people are going to make some increasingly hard choices this summer. San Francisco-based Live Nation made one this week by offering a 2-for-1 deal for Coldplay's July 14 show at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Wheatland.

Between 10 a.m. Friday and 10 p.m. Sunday, two Coldplay tickets for that date will be sold for the price of one in all seating areas. Tickets are $35.50, $80 and $98 (before surcharges, of course). They're available only at Livenation.com.

Live Nation also has been promoting "no-service-fee Wednesday," whereby those purchasing a "4 pack" at Shoreline, Sleep Train Amphitheatre and Concord's Sleep Train Pavilion don't pay extra fees.

Green Day has tried, too, by pricing its tickets as low as $25 and $49.50 for shows at Sacramento's Arco Arena (Aug. 24) and HP Pavilion in San Jose (Aug. 18). The surcharge strain doesn't account for ticket brokers, who still seem to skim off lots of the best seats and peddle them for even more ridiculous prices.

Found this at coldplaying.com

Sorry if this has been posted.

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Posted

I didn't get a service change, because I bought it at the Pavilion. :P

But still, I do find these service charges to be bullshit.

Posted

I did, damn ticketmaster, but it wasn't 38%, I think it was £5 on a £35 ticket, I think it's bull that you have to pay it on each ticket for the exact same show though

Posted

Reading this thats fucked up man.

Posted

that is ridiculous. gigs cost SO much money :down:

Posted

They're already a lot of money as it is!

I respect Green Day for keeping their prices somewhat low. (With how popular they are now, $60 is still pretty low)

I see Paul McCartney's tickets are like $250! I know he's really famous, but the man has enough freaking money! I'd love to see him, but I'd never spend that much money on a ticket.

Posted
Does it cost any more to process a $5 ticket than a $500 ticket?

Exactly. It's absolutely ridiculous. :down:

Posted

Ridiculous. Fucking service charges...

I'm glad Green Day shows are trying to keep the tickets as cheap as possible.

Posted
Ridiculous. Fucking service charges...

I'm glad Green Day shows are trying to keep the tickets as cheap as possible.

I know! I'm poor(i have to buy my own concert tickets.) so i can't have expesive concerts!

Posted

these charges piss me off. I think I can afford a show and then these get thrown at me.

I think that all the bands should start up their own ticket agency.

Green Jam never happened. :(

Posted

These surcharges are ridiculous. Luckily Blink 182 was awesome enough to have them eliminated for most of the shows so i didnt have to pay any extra for either of the two shows im going to. However I had to pay an extra twelve dollars for warped tour tickets.

Posted

GD's LA show tickets were 49.50 for GA. My total was 61.50 once it was all processed. XD

Still cheaper than Hannah Montana tickets, apparently! Bless you Green Day. :D

Posted

For 1 ticket it cost me $59.99, but after all the taxes I was paying $80 for 1.

And I bought 2.

Posted

I hate Ticketmaster because it just likes to fuck me in the ass and steal all my hard earned money. Fuck you, Ticketmaster. Ugh.

I can't tell you how many times I've thought that I was getting a good deal on a ticket just to have Ticketmaster tack on extra "service charges".

Posted
For 1 ticket it cost me $59.99, but after all the taxes I was paying $80 for 1.

And I bought 2.

Same here. I was pissed as much as I love Green Day and all. :(

Posted

My ticket was originally 49.50 for GA for Green Day, but after I was done I believe it was around 57. The price itself for the ticket I don't find bad and I'm really glad that the guys are so good about that, but I don't get what "processing" goes on that forced us to pay an extra 24 bucks for 4 tickets.

Posted

Ticketbastard sucks with all their service charges and convience fees by the time you buy your ticket its like an additional 15-20 bucks on top of the ticket price. Its effen rediculous

Posted

i bought 3 tickets for green day and i got charged €8 service charge on each ticket, for tickets that were €49. Its a bit steep but who cares if there your fav band.

Posted

Meh Green Day tickets are still way more expensive than that in the UK surcharge or not.

Mine was £41.25 with a £4.80 transaction fee, through the Idiot Club presales on Seetickets. That's $76!

Posted

I got tickets to three shows, but the price varied. Anyway, I think the average "convenience" fee was $7. that was from the Idiot Club.

Posted

In Australia we've just paid $100-$103 dollars for Green Day tickets, with an $8.95 transaction fee (that's what I got anyway) + postage. But we don't get our tickets til November..

Posted
In Australia we've just paid $100-$103 dollars for Green Day tickets, with an $8.95 transaction fee (that's what I got anyway) + postage. But we don't get our tickets til November..

I paid the same as Shaye, & at today's rate, A$102 converts to US$80.

I expected our tickets to be more cause the cost of band (& crew) to travel here... I'm just so glad they are coming. Some bands just think the cost outweighs the distance or charge heaps more than GD..

Posted
Ticketbastard sucks with all their service charges and convience fees by the time you buy your ticket its like an additional 15-20 bucks on top of the ticket price. Its effen rediculous

Exactly! :down:

Posted
In Australia we've just paid $100-$103 dollars for Green Day tickets, with an $8.95 transaction fee (that's what I got anyway) + postage. But we don't get our tickets til November..

$100 each? :o

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