Decker

That's how I feel as well. I don't begrudge him getting nicely compensated for a rare live performance. But based on his man of the people reputation, it looks worse for him to do it than say Paul McCartney or Mick Jagger. And that's not really fair to him.
And there were seats for $69 for the show, it's not like it's $400 everywhere. I think that is fair for his fans of different means.

Eric F

There were no $69 tickets (at least not for less than 1min) in the larger cities/venues like here in Boston. This was all over the news here in the Boston area this weekend.

Decker

I think there were low-price tickets for every venues. But they went very fast at most places. I did see $69 tickets for sale in Tulsa on Ticketmaster after the presale ended and tickets were available to the general public.

Majority of Bruce Springsteen concert tickets were sold at face value, says Ticketmaster

The majority of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fans in the U.S. who purchased concert tickets last week bought them at face value, according to statistics released by Ticketmaster on Sunday, July 24.

Just over 88 percent of the tickets were sold at face value, according to Ticketmaster. The prices for arena shows ranged from $59.50 to $399 before service fees and the average ticket price was $202.

Many Springsteen fans, who registered under Ticketmaster's Verified Fan system, experienced sticker shock when they purchased, or tried to purchase, tickets for the six Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2023 U.S. arena tour concerts that went on sale the morning of Wednesday, July 20.

The price of some floor seats rose to more than $4,000 due to the Ticketmaster dynamic pricing system, which adjusts the price in real time due to demand. Top prices were elevated for the subsequent sales.
The break-down by Ticketmaster is as follows:

• 88.2% of tickets were sold at face value. The prices for arena shows ranged from $59.50 to $399 before service fees, and the average ticket price was $202.
• 11.8% of tickets were designated Platinum. 1.3% of total tickets across the shows sold for more than $1K.
• The average price of all tickets sold, both at face value and through Platinum pricing, is $262.
• 18% of all tickets sold were under $99; 27% between $100 and $150; and 11% between $150 and $200. 56% under $200.

Prices and formats are consistent with industry standards for top performers, according to Ticketmaster. A spokesperson for Springsteen and the E Street Band had no comment.

The pricing of the 2016 and ’17 “River Tour,” the last E Street Band tour, was below the industry average at $68 to $150 for a typical arena show.

In related news, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), who has previously introduced legislation on the matter, called for Ticketmaster to adjust its policies on July 21.

“When Yogi Berra said it’s déjà vu all over again, he could have easily been talking about Ticketmaster and another unwelcome surprise for Springsteen fans,” said Pascrell in a statement. “After the long hiatus, we are all excited that Bruce is going back in tour. But Americans have the right to enjoy some live entertainment without getting ripped off. Ticketmaster sees popular events as an opportunity to soak regular Americans. My colleagues and I are hearing from irate customers who are fed up, and the New Jersey and New York dates aren’t even on sale yet.”

Pascrell introduced the BOSS Act, an acronym for “Better Oversight of Secondary Sales and Accountability in Concert Ticketing,” back in 2009. It hasn't been passed.

“The fact is that multi-billion dollar live events ticket marketplace cries out for reform. The BOSS ACT legislation I have previously introduced would bring much needed transparency to sale, pricing and distribution of live event tickets,” Pascrell said. “I have been working closely with my colleagues and stakeholders on revising our legislation and expect to reintroduce the improved bill shortly.

“We are supportive of industry-wide reforms to bring more clarity to ticket buyers and believe more can be done to aid artists in delivering their tickets to fans at price points they determine,” said a spokesperson for Ticketmaster in response to Pascrell. “As one recent example, we worked collaboratively with New York policymakers to enact a new law that adds important new protections and transparency for fans.”

Tickets for area shows also including the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 16; Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 1; two at the new USB Arena in Belmont Park, New York, on April 9 and 11; and the Prudential Center in Newark on April 14 go on sale this week.

The Wells Fargo Center does not use Ticketmaster.
https://www.app.com/story/entertainm...r/65381328007/

emanon

BOSS Act. Haha.

BDB

Happy I got tickets to Rome so. 2 tickets for $250 total at circus Maximus.

Will probably build out a 2-3 week trip around this. Europe in may is amazing. Less crowded.

Am in France right now. Almost went to Gaga last night. VIP box seats were 400 ea. getting ripped off in the us. Festivals are ridiculous. We did one in Bilbao. Was 300 for the weekend for 2 people. Beer and wine was normal prices.

jpcamb

I'd love to see Ticketmaster release stats on how many of the face-value seats went to resale agencies before the public could get at them... This is their model after all, put large blocks in the hand of resales agencies and then make a second sale with more fees for the tickets after they are sold to the public.

Decker

This is why I like Fan Verified. The pre-order code is tied to an actual Ticketmaster account and makes it harder for bots to snap them up. I have been very happy with this new pre-order policy and it's never let me down. Every time I got a Fan Verified code, I was able to snag seats at the time of the presale, at face value. The only time I didn't was the Adele show, but I didn't get selected for a code with that one.

Meathead

Tried for tickets and had a pair. Went to check out and the website errored out processing my card. Plenty of time left on the clock and instead of letting me try again or use a different card it kicked me out. Went back to get similar seats but by then the dynamic pricing had kicked in and they were double the price.

Fuck Ticketmaster straight to hell.

Guess I'll try again on the second leg.

ViewAskewbian

Bruce Springsteen’s Manager Defends Ticket Prices Amid Backlash

Jon Landau responds after many criticized Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” system, which included prices of $1,000 or more

“In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing,” Landau said in a statement to The New York Times. “We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others. Regardless of the commentary about a modest number of tickets costing $1,000 or more, our true average ticket price has been in the mid-$200 range. I believe that in today’s environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation.”

Meathead

The same floor seats that were $400 when I started looking were over $2000 when there were only a few of them left.

I watched all the seats in the arena jump (double or more) in price as availability dwindled.

I don't have an issue with the starting prices. It's the dynamic pricing and the broken Ticketmaster checkout system. Not to mention the total lack of customer support after the sale.

dex14

That statement from Landau is garbage and it pissed a lot of people off. The Springsteen communities I follow… a lot seem to have turned. It’s a bad situation. I mean they made their money, so what do they care.

It took me 90 mins (on multiple devices and browsers) to get through the queue for Philly. I only need a single. By the time I got in all that was left were platinum and aisle seats, both which you had to buy as a pair. I kept getting undesirable seats (for the amount they are charging) with aisle offer, but eventually I got some lower side/rear stage, which is my preferred location if I can’t get GA or close side lowers. I guess I’ll either try and trade the extra ticket for Newark or The Garden… or just sell it for profit to balance out the cost of these prices. That’s what I did for the first leg of the Broadway run, which basically got me in for free.

I got verified for the second night in Long Island. We’ll see what happens. Otherwise, I’ll just wait for the stadiums. Tickets are much easier to get, in the locations I prefer, for those.

Plus, I still plan to try and go to one of the Sweden shows since I’ll be in that area for work next year. Cheaper than buying US tickets, that is for sure.

ViewAskewbian

Oy, sounds like a headache but good you got something.

Decker

That really sucks and is very unfair. I'm sorry for you.
I would still call Ticketmaster and see if there's anything they can do since it was their glitch that caused this mess for you.

Meathead

Thanks... does Ticketmaster even offer phone support now? They didn't last year when I had an issue. They didn't even answer via the webform or email. I can't see them doing anything now anyways.

I went back in when the public on sale started. Hundreds if not a thousand verified resale tickets were now listed. Floor seats for over $3500. Everything was at least 3-5x original prices. So much for getting tickets to the real fans without being robbed blind to get them.

Decker

I don't know if there's anything Springsteen or Ticketmaster could do to stop that. Hell I wish my wife had bought 4 tickets so I could sell two and essentially go for free with money in my pocket. Reselling tickets will always be a part of live music performance since concert seats are inherently a scarce commodity - - much more so for an artist as popular as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band after a multi-year hiatis. The prices on the secondary market would be just as high if the face value was half as much, just giving the resellers a couple more hundred dollars profit per ticket.

The Cow

It is ridiculous and it's not a "Bruce" problem, his ticket prices are just showing a higher level example. I'm amazed people pay what they do. You get halfway back in an arena, and then it's like watching it on TV, but with a large crowd. If I can't get seats where I'm watching the band, I'm generally not going. And at these (and others prices), no way. Luckily (I suppose), I'm old enough to have seen most of the older bands I have wanted to see over the years already. Newer bands playing smaller venues is where most of my concert going (and I go to a lot) has shifted over the last several years.

This is just the Ticketmaster (not including all those side sites) view of people reselling tickets just from the presale this morning.

Decker

Not a ton of resale seats for my Portland show, but I had to laugh as just about everyone near my two seats (circled in red) are trying to sell theirs.

John Galt

Verified Fan is great for giving fans a shot at tickets. The downside to it is it limits the supply that ends up on the secondary market (more fans buying tickets, less brokers are able to). With a more limited supply, prices shoot up. The result is that Ticketmaster can then charge more through their dynamic pricing model, they get a larger cut when the tickets sell a second time on TM+, and they have more of a justification to raise prices for future shows as people adjust to the new norm of “market” prices.

Decker

That’s an interesting take, one that had never occurred to me. I have a hard time thinking that ticket brokers would be better for the secondary market. Maybe there’s something to it. But still I’d rather more fans have a crack at getting tickets when they go on sale. My personal experience has usually been Good for AmEx presale opportunities but terrible for general public sales as they just get snapped up so fast. Like I said, this Fan Verified program does require an extra step and you have to be aware of it ahead of time. But then it’s been a pretty good solution for me and the shows I want to get tickets for. Never dreamed I’d be able to get seats this good for Bruce Springsteen, without paying through the nose on the secondary market. Now I’m paying through the nose for face value , but they were actually available to fans without a bank of computers trying to snatch them all up.
I still think on balance, that’s a good thing.

I don’t know what the perfect solution is. The most innovative one I ever saw to circumvent scalping was when Garth Brooks came out of a decade-long hiatus and started a residency at the Wynn. His tickets were dirt cheap, $125 for a 4000 seat theater. The tickets were scalp-proof : you had them tied to the purchaser. Everyone who was going (up to 4 tickets), had to come with the purchaser and walk quite literally a half mile through the attached convention center before the show to get to the ticket distribution center. There the purchaser would show his ID and be given his tickets and all attending concertgoers would get a wrist band slapped on their arm. Then they would walk back and get admitted into the venue. It was crazy and labor-intensive. But that’s your only alternative to scalping. That or when Pearl Jam disabled resale of tickets for more than face value. Both methods take a ton of work to implement.

John Galt

Yeah, it’s inelastic demand. Prior to Verified Fan, out of the 60-70% of tickets that get released during the presales and public sale, brokers could usually end up with over a 50% share. With Verified Fan, brokers are getting a much smaller percentage of tickets. As you said, more tickets to actual fans at face value. But when there’s still more fans than tickets, that leaves less tickets that are going to go to the people willing to pay more.

The media loves to publish stories about the secondary markup for Bruce Springsteen and Adele but they never mention the thousands of tickets that brokers buy to Tegan and Sara or Brad Paisley that go unsold and they can’t even sell for a $50 loss on the day of the show.

Whether brokers are good or bad really depends on what you’re trying to see. A family of four can go to an Angels game for less than $5 right now when the team still wants you to pay $20/ticket. But yeah, the big events are going to be much more expensive. The internet has brought on a whole lot more visibility and data analytics. Where you used to have artists like Springsteen and the Grateful Dead that wanted to sell tickets well below market value to not price out the common man, they now know how many of those tickets end up getting bought and resold and figure they might as well have the money for themselves.

dex14

There are pretty strong rumors that Bruce is going to be releasing a double album of soul covers before the end of the year... around the holidays. There will be a handful of shows to promote it.

ViewAskewbian

Tickets for the show will only be $5 but you need to purchase the double album at $2000 a disc.

ViewAskewbian

Joking aside, given some of the tunes that get covered live in the genre, the album should be pretty great.

Norm de Plume

I have to disagree, View. That sounds highly avoidable to me.

ViewAskewbian

To each their own. His live renditions of soul/motown tunes have been fantastic but I get it. I liken it to, say, his experiment with the Sessions band but that is something I loved (Live in Dublin remains one of my favorite of his live albums) so I'll give this a whirl.