TicketMaster Sucks!!

I am an avid concert go-er. I love going to see shows, I love seeing bands I live. But, I have been noticing how much ticket master is ripping us off!

They charge us sometimes almost 50% of the price of the ticket for a service charge. What exactly is ticket master doing for me personally? They are making it convenient for me to get a ticket before the event, in case the show sells out. I live about an hour from the city, so if they are a mile from my house at the local Tower Records, it’s easier for me to go there. But because of that reason, they are able to charge me an arm and leg for service charges??? They are not booking the event. We are paying for them to print the ticket out and the ink. Give me a break!!

Here is a list of the concerts I went to last year (or at least the ones I could find the stubs for) and how much ticket master charged.

Chimaira 11/23/2003 12.00 ticket price 5.10 service charge 43% on top of the ticket for service charge
Stillborn Fest 12/26/2003 16.00 ticket price 7.40 service charge 46% on top of the ticket for service charge
Sevendust 01/08/2004 20.00 ticket price 7.50 service charge 38% on top of the ticket for service charge
Life of Agony 01/21/2004 15.00 ticket price 5.00 service charge 33% on top of the ticket for service charge
Cannibal Corpse 03/07/2004 16.00 ticket price 5.45 service charge 34% on top of the ticket for service charge
Shadows Fall 04/01/2004 12.00 ticket price 3.85 service charge 32% on top of the ticket for service charge
Morbid Angel 04/20/2004 20.00 ticket price 5.80 service charge 29% on top of the ticket for service charge
Machine Head 04/28/2004 17.00 ticket price 5.50 service charge 15% on top of the ticket for service charge
SKA is Dead 05/02/2004 14.00 ticket price 5.40 service charge 39% on top of the ticket for service charge
Brides of Destruction 05/09/2004 17.50 ticket price 5.55 service charge 32% on top of the ticket for service charge
Tesla 05/10/2004 27.50 ticket price 8.00 service charge 29% on top of the ticket for service charge
GWAR 05/26/2004 16.00 ticket price 7.70 service charge 48% on top of the ticket for service charge
KISS 07/13/2004 29.50 ticket price 8.05 service charge 27% on top of the ticket for service charge
Fear Factory 07/27/2004 20.00 ticket price 5.65 service charge 28% on top of the ticket for service charge
Sebastian Bach 08/06/2004 20.00 ticket price 7.45 service charge 37% on top of the ticket for service charge
Sick of it All 08/22/2004 12.00 ticket price 5.65 service charge 47% on top of the ticket for service charge
Soulfly 09/14/2004 21.00 ticket price 6.45 service charge 31% on top of the ticket for service charge
Damage Plan 11/27/2004 20.00 ticket price 7.45 service charge 37% on top of the ticket for service charge
Motley Crue 03/4/2005 62.00 ticket price 7.70 service charge 12% on top of the ticket for service charge
Life of Agony 04/15/2005 12.00 ticket price 3.85 service charge 32% on top of the ticket for service charge
Twisted Sister 07/15/2005 30.00 ticket price 8.50 service charge 28% on top of the ticket for service charge
Rock Never Stops 2005 07/30/2005 43.00 ticket price 8.45 service charge 20% on top of the ticket for service charge
Life of Agony 9/22/2005 15.00 ticket price 6.20 service charge 41% on top of the ticket for service charge
Ill Nino 9/30/2005 14.00 ticket price 6.15 service charge 44% on top of the ticket for service charge
Rockfest 2005 11/05/2005 75.00 ticket price 8.85 service charge 12% on top of the ticket for service charge
Pretty Boy Floyd/ Bang Tango 2/21/2006 10.00 ticket price

4.75 service charge

 48% on top of the ticket for service charge - FUCK THAT, I got my tickets at the door and didn't pay the extra fee
Shadows Fall 3/3/2006 10.00 ticket price 4.25 service charge 42% on top of the ticket for service charge - FUCK THAT, I got my tickets at the door and didn't pay the extra fee
Poison 8/5/2006 45.00 ticket price 9.50 service charge 21% on top of the ticket for service charge

Ticket Amounts: 641.50
Service Charge: 181.15
28 % average we pay for Ticket Master Service Charge!!!!

How are they getting away with this???

Tell me what you are paying for your tickets and I’ll add them to the list. They have to be stopped!


Here is what some of my readers had to say:

From Deb: Ticketmaster sucks! I got NIN tix this morning and got through all good. I go to complete order, internal system error, bs! Then I call get good seats, the automated crap hangs up on me. these bastards must be stopped.

From Jacqueline: Have you gotten anywhere with your TicketBastard crusade? They piss me off, too, but I don't know what to do or who to go to, to declare war. It's really ridiculous. They shouldn't have rights to all the venues, but they do and that is why they can charge so much.

From Frank: You hate ticketmaster huh? Well let your voice be heard! Complain to the venues not to ticketmaster ask them to switch to www.seattix.com. They only charge the patron 10% of the face value of the ticket, and you don't get confused within the freaken ticketmaster maze. www.seattix.com they are off the chain!

From "Tickemaster Agent": Ok, just so you know...The conveniance charges are there for you to pay, for that is what is used to pay the agents that are helping you out in purchasing tickets. Don't complain about something you don't understand. From Me: I dont' give a shit who is making ticketmaster charge that extra amount, I don't care if it's a 3rd party, agent, the fucking Canadian government. It's bullshit that anyone would make their customers pay 48% of a ticket price for a fee.

From Andrew: Hi, don't know if anyones tried this but I've just emailed the monopolies commision about Ticketmaster, perhaps if everyone did same thing they'd kick some arse, been going to concerts for 30 years and it's getting worse.

From Jim: Yeah ticket master does suck. but the service fee you listed are a bargin! I was looking in to Van halen in Boston, your gonna love this!convenince fee per ticket=11.40venue fee per ticket =2.50we are up to 13.90 per ticket so farlowest cost ticket 149.00 none available, no problem! ticket master is auctioning them off bypassing the ticket scalpers, good deal. best bet here is to buy ticket master stock and skip the show! Where is Tom Petty ( 8.98) when you need him!Tom went bankrupt fighting the record lable over the price of an LP in the 80's. from wikipedia:Though he was already extremely successful, Petty ran into record company trouble again when he and the Heartbreakers prepared to release Hard Promises (1981), the follow-up album to Damn the Torpedoes. MCA wanted this to be released at a list price of $9.98, one dollar more than the standard industry price at the time. Petty refused to comply to their wishes, threatening to use his artistic control to change the album title to "$8.98." He withheld the album from the label and organized a fan protest. Rather than risk further negative publicity the record company compromised on a list price of $8.98.Thanks for listening to me getting pissed off, I am done with live rock, I''l take a dinner and a show for half the price!

From Dr. Don 77: Most times when you go, or at least when I go to the event box office, I still have to pay Ticket Master fees because they print out on their ticket paper and through their system. I think that SUCKS most of all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!