The Real Cost of Sitting in the Front Row

Ticketmaster has recently announced plans to close its two resale sites GetMeIn and Seatwave, in an attempt to combat touts who exploit the sites to sell tickets at inflated prices. The closure of these secondary ticketing sites, which will come into effect from next month, is certainly a positive step forward for music fans, with the added benefit that, in place of the secondary sites, Ticketmaster will be introducing a fan-to-fan exchange platform that will allow tickets to be sold at face value plus 15%, or below. However, it appears that Ticketmaster will still continue to operate its Platinum Tickets scheme, whereby premium seats for live music events are sold directly from the artist via Ticketmaster for amounts considerably higher than face value, which – according to Ticketmaster – provides fans with “fair and safe access to in demand areas at market driven prices”.

The concept that fans can have safer access to some of the best seats in a venue, without having to resort to purchasing tickets from touts, is strong in theory, but it’s questionable as to whether the often hugely inflated prices of most of the tickets being offered through the Platinum scheme – some of which are sold for up to four times the face value – offer the average music-loving fan a fair ticket purchasing experience. As an example, third row seats for John Mayer’s 2017 O2 gigs – where tickets had an initial face value of £50.00 – were being sold through Ticketmaster Platinum at a hefty £270.00 per ticket, while more recently, after an unsuccessful attempt at purchasing tickets for Jason Mraz’s upcoming (and supposedly) sold-out Royal Albert Hall gig, I was disappointed to then see Platinum tickets appear for up to £170.00 each – a steep increase on the face value, which was around £40.00-£50.00 per ticket.

In light of this, purchasing decent tickets for major artists has never been so frustrating. From a music fan’s perspective, it is easy to place the blame solely with Ticketmaster. However, while Platinum’s direct-to-fan approach enables the company to generate a much healthier profit, it also aids in reducing the amount of touts in the process, and from that angle, it’s a smart – and inevitable – business move for a company that specialises in ticket distribution. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the decision to opt into Platinum lies with the artists themselves, of whom also hugely benefit from the hiked ticket prices that are sold through the scheme. Ticketmaster claim that it is the promoters, organisers and venues that set the ticket prices, and that ticket costs are adjusted according to supply and demand. With this in mind, it is probable that any unsold Platinum tickets are subsequently sold on at face value, meaning that a Platinum consumer could potentially be sat next to someone who has purchased an equally good seat at a fraction of the cost – though, surely, if this is indeed the case, it contradicts Ticketmaster’s reasoning that Platinum provides fans with “fair and safe access” to premium tickets.

With most of the Platinum packages offered through Ticketmaster being for highly successful mainstream artists, the question then turns to why such artists – who are clearly established enough to be playing venues at arena level – are so heavily affiliating themselves with the Platinum scheme, and allowing Ticketmaster to sell these select tickets at such a large increase, at the potential risk of alienating long-time fans. The early impact that the digital age had on the music industry is a likely factor, as the rise of legal and illegal downloading resulted in a decline of physical album sales. In more recent years, streaming subscription services have taken prominence, though, like legal downloads, streaming generates a much smaller income for rights owners compared to that of CD sales. The ever-increasing popularity of digital distribution has therefore shifted the relevancy of a revenue stream which was formerly the largest generator of income, and in turn, live music and the potentially lucrative sources associated with live music, such as exclusive ticket packages and merchandise, has positioned itself as a leading source of income, especially for these established, major label artists.

One thing is for sure; the excitement of potentially getting a seat in the first few rows is pretty much gone since the introduction of Ticketmaster Platinum, when, not only are fans having to compete with touts, but with the actual ticket distributor. But with so many major artists associated with Platinum, what is the solution going forward? While Ticketmaster’s upcoming fan-to-fan exchange looks promising, in addition to similar functioning platforms such as Twickets, the initial responsibility essentially lies with the artists and their management to offer fans greater access to premium seats, even if it is just a selected allocation. This could be achieved through a stronger emphasis on fan presales – a method of which is totally feasible in the digital age’s sea of social media platforms, or, alternatively – though less likely – artists could distance themselves altogether from the dynamic pricing of Platinum and take lead from artists like the Arctic Monkeys, whose concert tickets are set at one price range throughout a venue.

Realistically though, Ticketmaster Platinum probably isn’t going away any time soon, and understandably, artists want to maximise their revenue, but surely there must be a middle ground in which fans aren’t totally being ripped off in the process.