Ticketmaster: Better as an indie?

The ticket-seller is about to become a free-standing company, unleashed by its parent company, IAC. It's also going to lose its biggest customer, Live Nation, which is going to do its own (and others) ticketing.

In response, Ticketmaster is going after ticket brokers, like StubHub. The LA Times summarizes here. What's it mean to us? From the "Believe It When I See It Dept.," a quote from the company's CEO, Sean Moriarty: "The fee structure is too complex. We're hopeful that over the next couple of years we'll make it much more fan-friendly."

Comments

[onthemark]

More fan-friendly? Good lord, we are already getting bent over by ridiculous 'convenience charges' as it is. I shudder at the thought of what lies ahead. Best description I have heard is 'Ticketbastards'...

[Glow]

Reduce fees from Ticketmaster? I'll believe it when I see it. They will be more accountable to shareholders now who will be looking to keep that 34% increase in profits growing. Ticketmaster and fan-friendly are just words that will never go together.

[concertchris]

i'm not sure if there is an easier company to hate than ticketmaster. seriously, they are thieves. they'll probably move all operations to india and solely work with ticket scalpers.

you'd think at a time when the economy suffers they'd lay off a little bit making it easier for folks to get to a show.

pearl jam was right | chris

[Steve]

Do you think Live Nation will charge less then Ticketmaster? I don't.

[bob]

"i'm not sure if there is an easier company to hate than ticketmaster."

Live Nation?

[kevink]

TicketMaster has long had a monopoly on the ticket selling. But recently, I've been seeing an increase in local ticket brokers handling sales, perhaps because venues don't like working with TicketMaster, either.

With more competition on the market, and larger players like LiveNation now among the sellers, perhaps TicketMaster actually will be forced to change for the better.

[kcneon]

I filled out a survey for TM recently. When you mentioned Stub Hub above that reminded me of it.

They made it sound like a 'new' Ticketmaster would be unveiled...including...wait for it....social networking!

I don't recall if there were any questions about the cost or fees on tickets.

[mankvill]

Ticketmaster can take over or split from anyone as long as they lower or get rid of those ridiculous service charges.

Click my name for my KC-based Heavy Metal blog!

[Sports Travel]

That why folks should simply use small ticket shops which focus on customer service.

Big companies don't know you and don't care about where you sit or what kind of experience you have at the event.

Concierge companies do.

Thanks

Sports Travel

[bob]

"That why folks should simply use small ticket shops which focus on customer service."

You mean the ones that jack the price of the face value? Please.

[NEW]

Ticketbastard represents all that is evil in the universe.

As for Live Nation, I beleive they are owned by Clear Channel....oh goodie! More evilness!

[smartman]

One thing that no one has mentioned is the interest that Ticketmaster earns on the ticket money that is held in escrow between the time a ticket is purchased and when the performer gets paid. It's not unusual for Ticketmaster to be sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars for 60 to 90 days. In many cases Ticketmaster shares some of that revenue with the promoters and the bands. That's one of the reasons that Live Nation is setting up its' own ticketing operation. Over the course of a year with thousands of shows being ticketed the interest earnings alone are quite impressive. In most areas when technology is applied to a business it should reduce the operating costs. That hasn't been the case in the ticket business. It's just another example of how business has become more important than music. Profit margins at Ticketmaster are far greater than they are at Exxon Mobil or any of the other refiners. Ticketing is one industry where there will never be true competition since there is no practical way to allow multiple ticketing companies to sell tickets to the same show at the same venue. If you want to put an end to excessive ticketing charges in KC write to your council-person and state representative. They do have the power to do something about this.