It’s hard to blame musicians for the way Ticketmaster treats its customers.
The ticketing giant can do almost anything it wants in today’s market. There is no strong competitor, and even grunge rockers like Pearl Jam have tried and failed to provide a suitable alternative.
Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 and, according to CNBC, “now controls approximately 70% of the ticketing market and live event venues.”
The problem is so entrenched that the US government is looking into Ticketmaster following its tech meltdown related to Taylor Swift’s current tour. The Department of Justice is also investigating the company over possible antitrust matters.
The two movements share rare bipartisan support.
This makes what happened in music this week all the more shocking. The Cure has just won a small but symbolic victory against the box office juggernaut.
ROBERT SMITH DEFENDED FOR CURE FANS, EQUITY AND AWARDED TICKETMASTER TO REIMBURSEMENT AND REDUCED TICKETMASTER FEES FOR THE CURE VISIT. THANK YOU @ROBERTSMITH #The treatment #Ticketmaster #ShowsOfALostWorld23 pic.twitter.com/zfUcLOS3th
— THE CURE FOREVER (@TheCureForever_) March 16, 2023
Lead singer Robert Smith responded to fans on Twitter by backing down from the draconian fees imposed on the cheapest Cure concert tickets. Some of the cheapest tickets for his 2023 tour cost more in various fees than the ticket itself.
Smith called Ticketmaster a “little scam” by agreeing to use his services, but the group swallowed his saliva and accepted the company’s services given his knack for outwitting scalpers. Still, the exorbitant fees attached to low-level Cure seats proved too high.
The band reached out to Ticketmaster for comment, asking how even the so-called cheap seats could put fans off so much.
The 63-year-old singer received a quick and helpful response from Ticketmaster. He shared the good news on social media.
1 OF 2: AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAS AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A REFUND OF $10 PER TICKET TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR THE PRIZE LOWEST TICKET (“LTP”) OPERATIONS…
—ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023
The Cure remain an iconic band, responsible for killer cuts like “Boys Don’t Cry”, “Pictures of You” and “Just Like Heaven”. They still lack the gravitas of some of their contemporaries… like Bruce Springsteen.
The Boss’ Ticketmaster links earned it terrible publicity last year. The 73-year-old legend announced a new tour, but his fans saw the exorbitant prices they had to pay to see their rock hero again.
And they weren’t happy.
The company’s “dynamic pricing” model meant that even mid-tier seats would turn away thousands of fans.
Springsteen hid rather than address the issue at first. He sent his manager to do damage control, hoping that would clear the matter up. Later, the far-left Rolling Stone gently pressed him on the issue, and Springsteen defended the exorbitant ticket prices as if he had never had a grip on American blue-collar workers.
The ticket broker or someone is going to take that money. I say, ‘Hey, why wouldn’t this money go to the guys who are going to be up there sweating three hours a night for this?’
Take that, little guy and girl!
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Springsteen can’t change the way Ticketmaster does business. We don’t even know if Congress can do anything about its quasi-monopoly status.
The Cure knew that too, but he tried to make a difference…and did.
If The Cure could force Ticketmaster to change its prices even a little, couldn’t a rock god like Springsteen do the same?
Or, at the very least, try?
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