What Ticketmaster Doesn't Want You To Know: Concerts Were Cheap For Decades
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- Ticketmaster and Live Nation have destroyed the concert experience. But it didn't use to be this way. Today, Oasis and Taylor Swift tickets might go for thousands of dollars, but back in 1955, you could see Elvis Presley in concert for less than the modern-day equivalent of $20.
We investigated further and found ticket stubs from the biggest acts between 1970-1989, and they all cost around $45. Now you’re paying exorbitant service fees and indie venues are getting squeezed, all because two corporations gobbled up the industry.
So how did they do it? Watch our full deep dive into the history of concerts over the last 70 years and how corporate greed turned one of the most populist forms of entertainment into a luxury good.
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I’m tired of everything being a scam.
Same. Same….
Me too, kid...me too. 😞
That's just Capitalism! 🤗
That because you didn’t grow up in the 70’s and 80’s.
Stop falling for it and buying into it, and call out others that do. I've refused to pay more than $25-$50 for any show, and it's rare, especially if it's ticket master, which of course most are. And when your friend says, "well yea it sucks, but I really want to see this show", you call your friend a pathetic loser and shame him for being a sheep.
Ticketmaster being allowed to have their own secondary market to re-sell tickets and collect even more fees is insanity.
They probably got the business model from Cargill.
@@user-io3et6wf1wbingo. Vertical integration.
It benefited many corporate and political pockets so it got green lit 😫
@@girljinxed3331 so is selling children and
Legal Scalping. And the fees are so high to resell them, that you have to place the ticket you had to resell at a much higher price just to clear the new fees and tax they put on top of it. They provide a nice, convenient calculator to show you how much you will have to raise it to not eat shit. I remember I had to add like $50 to the ticket to clear it, rather than just a small processing fee. The fees are more than I paid for shows in the 90's.
Funny how ticket scalping is illegal, but Ticketmaster can do whatever it wants.
That's the benefit of having a monopoly. You can't shut down the Blatantly illegal business Because if you do, you crash the entire live music industry.
@@BlitzkriegOmega
By crash you mean release?
Scalping is only illegal in certain states.
Ticketmaster is legalized scalping.
@@emeral311 just like lobbying is legalized bribing and tax avoiding is legalized tax evading 😂 The monetary system is the biggest and longest lasting ponzi scheme in human history. A minority group gets the majority to do ALL the labor.
I used to wonder how my parents afforded all the concerts they would tell me about, cause they sure as hell didn't have money. Things make a lot more sense now.
For real! I always wondered and now it seems so unfair.
back then you had to be fast, instead of rich, to get hold of a ticket
Last live show I saw was RATM 2022 bc I was gifted tickets as faves. Back in the 80s and 90s me and my friends saw: LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Mc Lyte, Beastie Boys while teens in HS only jobs was mostly summer or maybe weekends. You could stand outside CBGB's and talk to average joe/jane people who just saw Blondie or The Ramones play. Sickens me that my 30something kids have to *save up* and sacrifice to see live music. SMH
I don’t remember paying more than $20 for a concert ticket in the 80’s. As a teen I made $3.35/hr, minimum wage then, so it was a couple days work to be able to go to one and get a shirt. The only way to get tickets where I grew up was to go to the box office at the arena and wait in line, often camping out the night before. And honestly, that experience was part of it, I made a lot of friends along the way and had a good time waiting for the box office to open.
Artists didn't have the expenditures they have now a days.
I didn't see pyro on Elvis's stage, or lighting, or a sound engineer, or back up dancers...
The two experiences aren't comparable so you can't expect the prices to be.
The bit where the CEO literally admitted their goal is to turn accessible life experiences into luxuries akin to designer bags made me sick to my stomach.
That is a good quote though, because everything, from the roof over our heads down seems to be going that way.
As per the typical MBA, it’s baked into the philosophy of the field they simultaneously denigrate.
Mostly because they need to deflect from how poorly thought out their philosophy like “win-win situation” is…
Look what Live Nation is doing to Bonnaroo... More "luxury" tents for hundreds even thousands of dollars with the promise of a once in a lifetime experience only for the customer to show up and see a field of tents packed against one another so tightly that everyone shares in one persons farts.
@@liam3284You will own nothing and be happy.
@@osurpless Here to fistbump over the MBA denigration...they are, by far, the dumbest university-educated cohort while simultaneously being the most potentially competent and knowledgeable (within the specific framework of corporate capitalism). They don't see intrinsic value to anything, they can't even comprehend hiring other university-educated people who graduated in traditional subjects like history (strong writing and analytical abilities) or English (strong creativity), because every single soft skill now has to have its own diploma (there's literally a BA in Creativity now); god forbid they use their brains and imagine individuals might have these skills inherently/implicitly.
I honestly can't think of one business that is not plagued by monopolizaton. It is a ferocious cancer that is literally destroying this country. 🤬🤬🤬
ive been thinking that watching these videos EVERY single industry is a monopoly
thats just capitalism i fear
Grocery stores? Cars? Phones? Computers?
Another reason why america sucks and Europe does it better again
You're absolutely right
Watching Ticketmaster destroy huge numbers of small live music scenes around the globe the past couple of decades has been really depressing.
That was the intent of the US government
Those venues can ban all online ticket sales but they dont want to. Those bands can go on strike. None of them do (they sing about it though) bands suck, this is all their fault. Real punk would be playing shows for dollar bills in a basement. Now it's selling out arenas with ticket master while they talk about voting for the most pentagon supporting candidates they can find.
To be fair Livenation has upped a lot of standards in venues wrt safety, security, and technical issues. Dealing with scumbag thieving promoters and shitty unsafe venues prior to 2010 was a nightmare. Now there is a consistent point of contact, with people above them if they try anything. Now your tech and hospitality riders will get read and followed. Now you can advance the shows without calling and emailing 20 times with no response. Don’t get me wrong, I hate LN, but they are a necessary middle management role in live production and those people all need to be paid too.
You're not angry yet? You aren't awake or you're willingly complacent to corporations and govt killing our children's futures. This isn't a service fee it's extortion and hostility and needs to be illegal. Monopolies of all kinds and unlimited hostile destructive capitalism turns corporate and government greed into a literal attack on all of us and we all pretend it's not going to destroy humanity and the planet before our lives are over. How much longer do I have to sit helplessly while everybody else keeps paying these thieving killers to poison our water food and minds to passively allow these monsters to steal from all of us and destroy the planet and destroy the future from us all? This needs to end and it never will if we keep allowing corporate entities to pay for their selfish destructive legislature. Pay attention to lobbyists of all kinds. If there's corruption in your local area, I promise you it's bought and paid for. We know where to look now let's act
@@christopherknowles It's amazing that I went to hundreds of shows in the 1980s and 90s with no issues with security or safety.
I sell building supplies to Live Nation and their response to everything is “cost is not important; only time.” They will pay insane amounts of money to ship practically nothing. It’s insane.
i hope you are charging a huge service fee
and yet those of us who work skilled labor jobs for live nation venues and productions fight tooth and nail just to have a union contract, and even then what we end up with typically the lowest paying work in the region.
@@slowgold20 define skilled labour
@@schuylerkrizay6192 riggers, stage carpentry, technicians, hands
@@schuylerkrizay6192 it really doesn't matter what he does. Live Nation is a middle man which are always unnecessary and are in position to manipulate both sides while doing the least amount of work. Grifts and cons arent skills either
I fucking despise Ticketmaster.
It's capitalism. But you won't say it. Americans are afraid to say it.
@@tzardelasuerteWrong, monopolies are FASCISM.
@@tzardelasuertenooooo!
You have no clue! 😂😂😂
@@tzardelasuerte Yes, it's capitalism, but also it's the gutted taxes for the ultra wealthy. Reagan alone gave them a 20% or so decrease and it's been going on since then. They've used occasional small tax reductions for everyone else as an excuse to keep wages fairly stagnant over that time too.
@@tzardelasuerte Correct. I won't say it. Because that's a pea-brained take.
My dad told me he was able to see guys like RHCP, Beastie Boys, Spin Doctors, Jane's Addiction, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc for like $20 in the 90s. Crazy to think about how these days that might not even get you a beer at a concert.
I got front row tickets for Aerosmith in 1993 for $18, all you had to do was be the first person in line at the CD store in the mall that sold the tickets
Here in Brazil, the prices of live shows and festivals are even more ridiculous, as our population have less acquisition power, so it's literally this scenario: or you go to an Iron Maiden concert for $400 or you buy food for the rest of your month.
Also this ridiculous inventions like "Premium" areas that excludes the real fans to the back of the venue, paid meet-and-greet, it's not just for the music anymore. You need to expend more and more money for "the experience" of being there. Also, this monopoly are crushing the smaller bands, because people will have no money to come to an smaller concert.
It's literally killing the music industry right from the bottom.
I saw Daft Punk in Keyspan Park (NYC) 2007 $47.50
$300 minimum to see any two bands in a 3000 capacity venue these days, its total bullshit, im a muso myself and wished it was never this bad for fans to enjoy live music..
Dude.. LaLuna(Portland) used to have $3 Tuesdays and $6 Thursdays(or something like that.?) just for new bands... I remember seeing Everclear, Presidents, Rev Horton Heat, Ad Rock brought a bed on stage and just mixed beats (who knows where the other guys were at?)... Moby, Counting Crows 7x, the "new alternative" for $13. Pond, Hazel, Crackerbash for $7... Mosh pits with no swastikas... The Dandy Warhols... What happened to the midsize venues that stopped development of the locals? Napster and Ticketmaster blew everything up. Scrounging up a few bucks for entry and a bowl of fries at 19 years old and couldn't get in the bar... looking for trouble... I'm still a dork, but that was so much fun!
I am dumbfounded that artists can literally be forced to use a service they want nothing to do with. Crazy
No one is forced to do anything.
They aren’t forced though. They have a choice, don’t play. Boycott. It.
@@allenlink8032 nO oNe Is FoRcEd To Do AnYtHiNg
Yes, we are all literally forced to work, or we die, which isn't a choice.
@@skyisreallyhigh3333 You do not understand what literally means.
@@allenlink8032no no, they’re correct. You just refuse to acknowledge facts.
My ex was a band manager. She’d call up the different venues and set up the shows with each venue to figure out the tour schedules. She was actually really good at being a manager. Several of the groups she managed were either starting out or she was with when they got signed and became a known band. Kind of like a B+, A- band in popularity at their peak with one or two records that sold enough to make the band members lives and their grand kids lives comfortable forever if they didn’t blow it all. She made sure the bands made money as well as the venues. A small band with a $500 budget starting out would get somewhere between $8-$15k after a summer tour after expenses. Pretty much the bands would be paid from a portion of ticket sales (could go from 60% to 20% of ticket sales depending on the venue) and then a larger portion of merchandise sales (usually 90%). Then promotion of the band tour at each venue also took up her time. The more well known venues helped and could get them air time on local radio stations. Ticketmaster and LiveNation really killed Indy venues and Indy bands being able to play around the country at your local venue. They either will block bands from being able to play at venues through contracts or won’t let bands play where they want, again through contracts. If things were to change mid sized to Indy venues need to get together and refuse to use Ticketmaster and Live Nation even the bands that are under their umbrella. Promote more Indy bands and mid sized to newly famous bands (that don’t have Ticketmaster). Sucks when those venues disappears. Really hits the neighborhoods and ruins the local music scenes.
I think i'm lucky man, because i met in my life and are friend of many local music bands. I watch their struggle. How hard it is for new band to play, to even cover costs. I have no idea how to make their life easier, but know for sure, there is UNLIMITED potencial in thousands of bands around every country. We are talking about entire new waves of music, new genres, new styles, new view. Because every decade or time have something new. And i used to love concerts. In my medium size city, we have few local venues, where even small indy bands could play, and it was special every time. And some of them become really popular with time. It is really good feeling every time "hey, you know what? I know them before they become famous".
agree 100%
Back in the 90s, some musicians I liked testified in front of Congress about the Ticketmaster monopoly. Government siding with corporations got us here.
100%
And it stifled innovation
Guess why Japanese and Korean media is gaining American market share? Even the Chinese are getting in on the fun.
Government abdicating its responsibilities to the people to prevent monopolies is what got us here, yes.
Pearl Jam spoke out against Ticketmaster cuz own record company likely told them to do so. They all could make more money if no monopoly.
So you're against a company making profit?! That was literally Congress's argument.
I bought a ticket to see Led Zeppelin in 1977 for $10. That was the year Robert Plant's son died, and they cancelled the tour. They refunded my ticket and gave me 25 cents for my trouble.
Saw Kiss in 1979 for 8$ in a massive arena, Rush in 1980 for 10$, absolutely insane !!!
My first concert was black sabbath in 78, and paid $12.50
Genuinely curious, how did they go about giving the refunds back then?
@@goobah1389 Cash. I went back to the box office and they gave me cash.
@@goobah1389most likely they hired men like Paul revere and one by one the men on horses with bags of money would mark off the ticket buyers name on the list.
that guy is a true american hero. if you think you're too good to hold a plunger, then you don't deserve to be in charge of anyone.
True
Well said 🙏
That's literally a lot of wall street and west point people. Lol
Pre 1971.
@@user-mm8vw1ow1xthe consumer isn't to blame when the industry is run by a monopoly. When there are no other choices, you have to buy from them.
Just bought a couple tickets on Ticketmaster, GA was $36, I needed two so $72. At checkout my total was $120 for “service fees” that’s INSANE
I saw Bowie for 22 bucks, Prince 20 bucks, U2 22.50, The Police 18.50. I will never pay 200-300 to see ANYONE...I'll stay home with my memories.
Me, too.
good for you boomer
YES! My first concert was Duran Duran in 1984. I remember me and my friends lining up in front of Tower Records at 5am. With tax my ticket was $12.50, and I still have it. Nowadays same band, and I missed them because resellers wanted $195 for nosebleed seats. My daughter loves Kpop, and a few years ago wanted me to pay $1850 so she could see her favorite group BTS. Of course I didn't. It's crossed my mind to buy one of those SNIPER bots just so I'd get half a chance to get tickets for myself and family. Not to resell, but just to see shows of bands we like. So sad it's come to that.
heard that.
@@flavorice11it's not just about boomers... Ticketmaster has even taken over smaller venues. There needs to be a revolt. I believe Pearl Jam refused to use ticket master for a bit
I played in a band when I was much younger. The only future I saw in that path was lots of traveling, late nights in smoke-filled rooms, people who want to fight with the band, and low pay. Now I support locally-owned venues, local talent, and low-cost options to hear and see our local musicians. We need to use our musical events to build local communities. It is just as important as voting.
Well said ❤
100% Support local musicians and everything else for that matter
More important than voting, as voting doesnt really change much. How you spend your dollar is a much more powerful vote
Too many people on the ground had a different attitude about local artists turning a profit and have for 2 decades. Plenty of fans supported the presale ticket model, blatantly not caring how exploited local musicians were by it.
@@gregoryporch8395 Thanks Greg. I don't blame the fans. When I was younger I was not tuned in to the dark side of live concerts. If the promoters/organizers could offer a live music event with world renowned performers I was interested. But I have not attended a large live concert in several decades. The crowds make me nervous. I would rather see locals getting that support.
I remember when Pearl Jam challenged Ticketmaster in congress. I didn't think anything of it because when I was a kid, that's what artists did. I think something of it now.
And now PJ tickets cost more than my car payments
Them, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, STP all my fave bands as a kid/teen growing up. Was so f**king pissed at ticketmaster because I didn't get to see Pearl Jam live until I was almost 30 years old. Best show ever at PNC Park opening for the Rolling Stones. Too bad at $80 it was expensive then but not nearly the outrageous $200-300 for worst seats available most shows are now 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Pearl Jam got nowhere against Ticketmaster, but Metallica shut down Napster MP3 sharing. Money always wins.
Pearl Jam did this because the record company (which is a corporation) that owns them told them to. That record company and probably other record companies wanted more money for themselves by breaking up Ticketmaster monopoly. They themselves likely can get more concert goers if tickets cheaper with more retail competition, or Ticketmaster was charging the band/record company fees for their services.
@@MbisonBalrogif this was true why were Pearl Jam the only band on the label who refused to play ticket master venues, why were Pearl jam the only band to arrange their own tours charging well below the average cost for tickets even at that time, also selling the band merch at discounted prices, it had nothing to do with the label an was a fight the band chose to take on. As for getting more people at gigs is also nonsense, a venue has a capacity an they were selling out huge venues and ended up having to play smaller venues as they were the only ones not controlled by ticketmaster, its well documented that the ticketmaster fight cost the band a lot of money.
I’m an artist currently living in London. A friend of mine from the US is touring Europe soon, and she’s booked no UK dates. I won’t name her, but she’s an independent artist who’s been performing for over 25 years. She’s always been pretty DIY and handled her own bookings, and she has a big enough fan base to have sold out small to mid-sized venues in London and other UK cities over the years. Apparently the mid-sized venues who used to book her now do everything through Live Nation, and she was told she wasn’t a big enough name to warrant the ticket prices they’d have to charge with LN’s markups. It really sucks. They’re ruining the live music industry.
So tired of all the greed, I use to love going to concerts but now can’t go see ANYONE that has broken the veil of obvious talent without having to throw down about $300+ for tix and a few drinks.
You’re going to the wrong shows then
@@poet_of_the_apocalypse9850Name 3 shows to go to then.
@@poet_of_the_apocalypse9850 bullshit. The only bands you can see for less are club bands. We want to see bands we're actually fans of. It used to be $25 - $45. Now it's stupidly ridiculous.
@jaywhitaker1147 I feel you!! I'm so sick of it! I guess being poor, or even middle class, means we're just excluded.
When it comes between paying rent/mortgage, electric bills, or going to a concert - once a year - we have no choice but to pay our bills and forget about the concert. A concert now is like paying for a whole vacation, 20+ years ago. Sickening.
It’s not always that expensive. There are plenty of great bands playing smaller venues that costs way less that you could go see
Ticketmaster is the ultimate scum of the earth and is ruined everything they've ever touched. I stopped going to any kind of venue of any sort that Ticketmaster was involved with because the nickel and dime you with fees every step of the way till the tickets are twice the price of what they should be.
Yeah they do. It's out of control.
As the old saying goes money talks and bs walks. If more people deprive them of money the ticket prices would be a lot cheaper.
Same dude. I've always been one to vote with my wallet. Unfortunately unlike every other time I've done it where i both had a viable alternative and eventually most of those companies rolled back whichever stupid decision made me switch away from them or at least made a notable amount less than they would've otherwise. With me refusing to use ticket master i feel like I'm still losing just losing less than if i did use them. Music is a huge part of my life and yet i haven't been to a concert in 7 years. i used to go to ones monthly but the enjoyment and magic has been trampled to death by Ticketmaster
@@logankrastel9609 I just buy concert Bluray discs at this point. Or watch videos that people post to TH-cam. I know it's not the same experience but screw it...I'm better off supporting local bands anyway!
I was in the guys house (Manson). His wife just died at the time. House was looking older. Looks like he spent all the money on her clothes.
"attending a concert has become a "luxury"..."...this is disgusting on every level, and shows how incredibly selfish some human beings actually are...(the pain in that small venue owner's face at the prospect of having to sell off his place of livelihood/passion was heart-breaking...)...
Agreed. Music is not a luxury; it's a necessity. It's deeply human.
You have to admit music is socially and culturally done. All great artists are dead or very old.
@@dragonmartijn that's missing the point, besides being incredibly biased and defeatist
@@dragonmartijngood point guess we better all lay down in the middle of the street. Go read a book
These concert venues, theme parks, movie theaters, etc need to realize that we are rapidly approaching a point where people cannot afford to go to them. Which sucks for a lot of reasons but also means that lots of workers at those businesses are getting laid off or reduced hours. This is hurting everyone but the CEOs and their c-suite.
Been praying for Ticketmaster's downfall for years.
American Justice Department just sued them a few months ago for monopoly practices so we might see something...
You beg a fairy tale character to destroy Ticketmaster, and yet, it's still here. One of the great mysteries of our time.
I'm a former musician. I've boycotted all concerts with Ticketmaster fees for 22 years. As long as others continue to support Ticketmaster with their consumer dollar they will continue to buy our politicians and thrive. The American public could put this evil corporation out of business in one year if they would simply all agree to a boycott.
I paid $25 to see bryan adams in 1994. Which wasn’t that long ago. That ticket today people would be paying at least $400. What a huge scam.
It served you well as you are a famous working musician
@@AndresSanchez-pp3ho to hell with fame and fuck anyone who values fame as some measure of a person's worth.
the problem is: How many people know? How many people care to know? How many people care?
Ditto. Can't remember the last time I went to see an artist live. Ticketmaster exists because people continue to give them money.
$99 for General admission + $199 in fees we'll make the billionaire overlords happy
I don't like concerts whatsoever but, that's another reason why not to buy tickets.
*today, they'll claim it's not enough tomorrow. Greed is the reason half the problems in the world exist.
Next year they’ll blame covid or interest rates or higher salaries. Never do they blame themselves. I don’t pay via Ticketmaster and all of us should not. Send them begging.
In capitalism, capitalist class rules. That is the very definition of it.
Apparently some of the fee is passed on the artist benefitting them and serving as a shield, thus many are complicit.
I used to walk up to ticket windows at venues all the time and buy same day tickets to games and shows with ease. Then Ticketmaster started taking over and venues with empty seats wouldn't let you buy tickets at their own booths. This never made sense to me. I'm glad they're getting taken to court.
What is funny, sometimes you can come to the venue booth, and they will still charge you service fee
@dmitripogosian5084 Yes!!! In the early 2000s, I used to go right to the box office when those fees started popping up. Saved a bunch of money. I can't remember when it changed but once I went to the box office and suddenly it was just as expensive as buying online. It was a sad day for my broke ass 😂
@@suzybearheart530 Yep, I remember when I first used Ticketmaster in the 90-s and saw service fee add-on, they at least would mail you the ticket by ordinary mail, so it was like, ok, maybe. Now It is just ridicuoulus. Month ago some circus came to my not very large town, put tents in a parking lot. Online (did not look like Ticketmaster, but obviously circus does not run its IT), tickets are like $40-$50 plust $10 service fee. I walked to the tents in the parking lot - tickets are $40-$50 ..... plus $10 service fee. What the heck, there is no middle man, the girl in the booth obviously from the circus itself. Since when by something comes with add-on fees ? Soon supermarkets will charge service fee.
Used to have to call for tickets. Then I moved up to the big city and could stop by the box office at the venue. And pay for the privilege in fees. Nuts.
@@suzybearheart530buy tickets at the box office. Bring contraband in to sell at the show. Take profits to fund next weekend's adventure, wash rinse repeat, that was my 2000s.
It's no coincidence that popular music in general has gone down the toilet since ticket master has dominated live shows.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation must be broken up as illegal monopolies. Their executives must pay fines and be banned from business.
Fck yeah!
Its been attempted. There competitors AXS and Comcast Tickets albeit much smaller then Ticketmaster do the same practices as ticketmaster if not worse. Its not illegal to be a monopoly, its illegal to become a monopoly using anti competitive practices. This is why they arent broken up.
🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 Hey look, scary flags for you to cry about hahahaha
I just made lesbian love to my wife
@@trustytrest it's funny when people voluntarily medicalize themselves! take your hormone pills, I love Cronenberg movies
I remember back in 2008 my girlfriend wanted to go and see Brad Paisley. I went online and Ticketmaster had seats for $42-$89.00, and a $39.00 surcharge for each ticket, which all goes straight to them.
Compare that to 1984 when I got front row seats to David Bowie for $28.00, which included a $2.00 surcharge for arena maintenance.
This is a monopoly and it needs to be broken up.
The fees are really offensive
In 2017, a new venue opened and ZZ Top tickets had the price that went to the band, around $45, printed on the tickets, but with the added fees, it was another $40. The bands like ZZ Top aren't greedy, but everyone else involved is.
*criminally charged with forced reparations
About $100 inflation-adjusted for front row tickets. Wow. That would be at least $2000 today.
Literally what's the point of anti-trust when they're the ones who APPROVED THIS MERGER
I mean our politicians are jokes. It's obvious who they work for and take money from.
Anti-trust means the biggest corporations get to eliminate their competition. /Murica
The point is to get them push through
@@YourCapyPal_3DPipes1999I would argue that.We're also jokes for allowing it to happen
Think for just a second and ask why anyone would want to be in politics?
To make MONEY dumba$$.
Wake up people!
Ticketmaster is pure evil. And DYNAMIC PRICING is absolutely ridiculous. It would be great if we could boycott Ticketmaster and livenation.
Ticketmaster is like the prescription benefits manager of the music industry.
Omg.....100% who2...
@@who2u333 this is the most accurate take I've ever read.
GOLDEN
🎯
Look up “blackrock industries and what they own”
The reselling is giant joke. Tickets that could be 30 bucks turn into 100s. It's like someone walking into a grocery store, buying all the milk, then putting them back on the shelves and now ppl have to pay 20 bucks for a gallon. How is that even legal. Resells should only be for the same price purchased.
THIS
reselling goes away if people stop agreeing to buy tickets from them. It's honestly that simple.
@@pwoeckener exactly. But the people who can afford it and only care about making sure they get to do what they want will continue to pay whatever they need to.. and then they get an ego boost by the exclusivity of being able to say they were there and could AFFORD to be there.
I can’t fathom people not turning on the U.S. government yet. It’s obviously all their fault, they let the rich do as they please and the rest get slapped around and say thank you. Y’all talk big but don’t walk big.
@@pwoeckener It's not that easy when they have a monopoly on the market so if people want tickets they have to go to them
It's very upsetting that we are at this place. When I was younger, concert tickets were cheap and easy to get. You got them directly from the venue. Pearl Jam tried to tame that monster: now we know why. The monopolies in the US make it cheaper to buy a concert ticket in Europe, fly there, and pay for a hotel, than it is to buy a ticket here. How has Europe avoided these greedy companies? Their countries' ticketing should be the model.
when the Cure toured the US this year, Robert Smith stated they will have their own ticketing price system to combat Livenation because the band knew the fans were being gouged.
Haven't you heard what happened with the Oasis concert tickets?
No, what happened? @@T--xk3hf
@@T--xk3hf I wasn't born during that era but yes. I heard plenty about them and other artists combating the ticket system. My uncle got us kids into listening to his music. I frickin' love the older rock bands over the faux-bands today. They don't even play instruments anymore and few of them are able to come to the front of the stage with the singer and sway and dance. They are hiding behind a curtain or the 'band" is prerecorded. Oasis, Led Zeppelin, Blur, amongst others were the real deal. I still own vinyls, cassette tapes and CDs; which were bought from the artists themselves. When they came to town, some of them, we'd wait out front for them to walk outside and we'd asked them kindly without screaming if they could sign our piece. Which they did happily. While other fans hawked and yelled all over the place. Seriously? They guys didn't have their headphones anymore to cover their ears from all that fanfare.
Great memories!
@@T--xk3hf Note: It's better to support the artist over the middleman.
I STOPPED going to Concerts a long, long time ago when this first started.
I DO NOT support this.
If MORE people turned their backs on these Groups and Acts, the FASTER it will change.
the issue is that these days for most musicians live shows are the only way to support them and are also a great experience. the burden should not be upon the consumer and the artist to curb a monopoly it should be the government
I’m a musician… been one for 35 years.. I will never pay to see any gig where live nation and ticket master are involved. If that means not seeing a live act again, so be it. I won’t compromise, I just simply won’t play ball. Fuck them completely.
I agree. I have literally never been to a venue where either one has put on a show and never will. I get tired of being the sucker who shells out money to these corporations. Only to a certain extent will I play the game but for the most part I rather just watch it all burn down. So much of the blame goes towards politicians allowing corporations to flourish. Ancient Rome suffered from some of the exact same problems. Greed will always be the greatest vice of humanity.
I haven't been to a live concert since I was a teen in the 80's. I just can't afford it anymore.
@@sle2470 I agree. Maybe for some, paying hundreds or thousands to see an artist is worth it. However, what those people seem not to understand is they are just feeding the monster and hurting the villagers.
I agree.
Just shows you how meaningless boycotts are. The still make billions without your support.
Think of all the products you don't even use that make billions.
“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.
There’s also a negative side.” - Hunter S Thompson
that quote's literally written on the wall outside the bathroom in crowbar lmao
oy vey what an anti semantic comment
@@iguess2739?
I finally got shed of the "music business" after over 50 years........but OH MY GOD...I'd forgotten about that quote from Thompson !
Not actually said by HST. Real quote: “The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason. Which is more or less true. For the most part, they are dirty little animals with huge brains and no pulse.” ~HST
in France concert tickets prices are capped. Guess what happens? Rich Americans buy plane tickets and come see the concert here because it’s CHEAPER to do that than seeing it in the USA. 😢 crazy.
Prices will go up up up and up
Same in Switzerland. When Taylor Swift gave her concert in Zürich, we had a lot of visitors from de US. It was cheaper to book a flight, stay overnight in a hotel in Switzerland and go to the concert than buying a ticket in the US. Crazy world😅😅
Americans are also going into debt to go overseas to see Taylor Swift because it’s still cheaper than in the USA
Just like with medical procedures
yeah then your african "newcomers" rob and violate them. vive la francais eh?
I'm surprised bands haven't took a stand against Ticketmaster, especially the up and coming ones that play local venues still
If you ever want to know why anything is expensive in America just look for the middle man. 9 times out of 10 there's probably some corporate leech causing the inflation of prices.
in this particular case [and many others] it was a couple of greedy ass Jews.
Ceos?
Just look at the insurance industry. Purely in the middle.
eh, musicians today are extremely greedy. Venues are also extremely guilty. Musicians largely determine the ticket price. The problem promoters are usually in control rather than the musician.
@@Dead_Goat By what metric are musicians greedy? Maybe if they are popular like Taylor Swift I'd agree. Most bands playing in local venues make all of their revenue from touring. They don't make money off of record sales anymore due to streaming services and record labels taking most of the profit. Most bands would operate at a loss otherwise and even then the majority of their income is from merch sales from the tours, not the venue payment itself.
7:50 "Do you think ticketmaster is entitled to a profit?"
When have companies EVER been "entitled to profit"? I must've somehow missed that bit of the bill of rights... What a crazy world we live in where food and water are luxuries, but profit is an entitlement.
I was going to say healthcare and housing, but really, we aren't even there yet. As an animal welfare zealot myself, I find it SHOCKING our species has no better welfare than the average shelter mutt.
On top of this, the whole point of the free market is that no business is "entitled" to anything; those with the services and acumen to earn a profit will succeed, and those without such fail. This is what allows the invisible hand to work, and in turn leads to a kind of 'survival of the fittest' which ensures consumers get (or at least can get, if they so choose) the best product for the lowest cost.
This entire attitude of companies being "entitled to profit" is what's killed all that. Specific companies literally are not allowed to fail, so why should they even bother trying not to? Why should Ticketmaster care about competition if said competition can fail and they literally cannot?
@@trianglemoebius what the hell are you talking about
Indeed. Read any text book about competitive market capitalism, and profit should not exist beyond the margins. But in today's economy, profit is the first to get paid and the last to be laid off.
@@trianglemoebius That's hilarious. Are you trying to refer to the regularly misrepresented Adam Smith? The one mention of an invisible hand in a book that was about so much more?
What actually allows markets to work is substantial regulation by an outside party.
Americans are beyond sick of this monopolized grift.
If they were they'd stop buying, instead all you see is over consumption and a flood of consumerism. Hell, every video on TikTok is trying to sell you some useless bs and people just eat it up.
You sure?
It's working pretty great as far as I can tell.
Then its time to start questioning capitalism!
This is just a direct consequence of the system.
@@thetelepath8245 I wouldn't go that far. Free capitalism maybe, but the us is still a controlled market. Monopolies can and have been broken up in the past. I hope the country finds back its bearing with respect to this and breaks up many of the current monopolies. I'm looking at you Google.
This is why I have only seen one concert since the 80s, and those tickets were a gift. Bob Segar, maybe 10 rows back/center. Almost $600 for each ticket.
as someone who spends every day at an indie venue, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PIECE! Every day is a labor of love.
I really miss the days where we’d skate down to our local record shop in town, grab some albums, some threads, maybe a poster or a few stickers and score tickets to shows all in one stop. I’d give anything to have those days back
@@aprilpheles3912 gotta love the inapplicable relation to race and corporate greed... do us all a favor and dont interact with anyone please
@@aprilpheles3912 me too, it was a better world
Wow, to think how much all that would cost nowadays is depressing. Most kids, even adults don't have that kind of money to throw around on stuff like that anymore :[
@jzubs HBD exists
@aprilpheles3912 kino playlist
I can't wait for the government to force ticketmaster to break up. $300 for a single ticket for a band that no ones really heard of is obscene.
If ticketmaster is broken up, one of two things will happen:
1) ticket prices will be lower but you won't be able to secure a ticket
2) ticket prices will not change, but the revenues from a ticket sale will be shared in a different manner between the entities involved
I wouldn't hold my breath. They have corporate interests in mind, clearly, not consumers'.
@@alquinn8576so that's the way it was done.
No one is forced to use ticketmaster. They choose to because they get mor money. These people are greedy all the way down to the musician.
@Dead_Goat
That subject is covered in the video above.
You just don't have the option to not use ticketmaster.
I remember seeing Pantera, Sepultura and Type O Negative at Hara Arena in Dayton, OH back in 1994. A general admission ticket was $8. You can't even go see a local band for $8 these days.
TON!🖤💚🖤💚
@@Earth_Rocker Hands down the best 8 bucks I ever spent. Saw a lot of what would become metal history that day.
I stopped going to live concerts when they started to become a “luxury item”. Who TF can afford paying hundreds or even $1000 for a ticket when they can’t pay their mortgage payment or rent payment, car payment, utilities, or put food on the table. Absolute insanity!
Part of the problem is that the younger generation born on the other side of the rift accept it as normal, having no idea how things were before the massive corporate takeover,
No concert today, is better than the live music concerts I went to in the 70's.
Yeah, I never bother with that sort of gig. They're not even the best experience.. Watch smaller bands in smaller venues.
Back in 1988, when I wasjust 23 years young someone told me "this country is going to implode. I'm an old lady, I'm not going to be around to see it, but you will because you're young." She went on to say "and you know what's going to be its downfall? Selfishness. Selfishness is going to destroy this country."
Everything I see and hear these days makes me believe that woman wasn't a mortal human being, but an angel prophesying the future.
You know what I would have told that lady to her face? I would have told her, “thanks captain obvious.”
@@Chad-Giga. It wasn't as obvious back in 1988.
Jevvvvs
To be fair though, the Bible has actually been saying this for about 2000 years, so she might have just read the Bible, maybe
Well considering she said that almost 40 years ago and this country hasn't collapsed, I don't know about that
We can't afford to have any fun. You're lucky to have all your bills paid. Why is our generation so miserable? We work to survive. That's depressing AF
We work too long without our dignity and rights protected in the workplace in many cases. And the cost of living far outstrips most wages today.
Something's gotta give.
it makes me feel like were really really hated for simply existing. I wanna pay bills, have fun and have a life. why is that hard?
Thats bs. We dont rely on big corporate for fun. Small bands, small venues, local events. If there was ever a reason to build up communities, this is it. Block parties, bbqs, improvised bike rides with boomboxes...
As those before us said, damn the man.
Yep!! Completely agree! Just turned 38 and I am already completely nostalgic about just 10 years ago and how much more fun life was. It’s not like I am 75. It’s so difficult to do the things we used to enjoy regularly these days.
Blame your parents’ 401k’s.
Tickets to see Prince were 60 bucks, and we had great seats! Sade 40 bucks, Madonna 45 bucks, The police 30 bucks, Journey 35 bucks, Elton John 65 bucks! I feel bad for kids these days! Tickets are way too expensive!
No way. Been going there for like 10 years now. Thanks for putting Tom in the spotlight. He and his venue are a real treasure.
Where is Tom's venue?
What's it called?
I'd like to support his efforts.
Musicians also used to make money off of album sales for decades and nobody buys albums anymore. They rely on ticket sales for tours now. It’s just unfortunate that the venue and ticketing agencies take the majority of the sale.
That's right! Thank Napster for that. Support artists. They are the soul of the nation.
This is why the best thing you could possibly do for any touring artist [especially independent ones] is buy their merch at the show. That's what actually puts gas in their tanks and food in their bellies.
@@johnwayneasgenghiskhan4699 at venues that take cash for merch i do
some larger festivals are prepaid chip only, and charge significant fees on the merch, not really interested in that
napster was one thing, but the streaming services are where the music is, but the money for artists isn't.
@@liam3284 Napster was the first site that encouraged stealing music in a nutshell. Guy went to jail and committed suicide I believe. Don't wish that on anyone. He did a hell of a lot of damage to the music industry however, artists in particular. Along comes www. Record companies were ripping us off originally and they lost their arse's when that happened. couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of a holes. In the beginning the industry was run by music savvy entrepreneurs. They sold for fortunes and retired in the early 80's. They realized you had to let the cream rise to the top, handful of very good artists got through. In the 80's Corp's took over. Their philosophy was if you could have 5 bands that made millions how about 500 bands that made billions. Resulting in bands like oh say Winger (sorry Kippie), who should have been a local band at best. The industry collapsed under the weight of mediocrity leaving the dogshit biproducts you see now. It was a lot more than Napster but fans expect free music now. They should expect free beer, pot and cars too? Fan's really are the one's who killed it. I hear all the time, they don't make songs like they used to. This is why!
Support independent venues and artists/ bands as much as you can, especially locally.
It's a community effort.
YES!!!!!!!
It's not corporate greed. Corporate greed has always been there. The problem is no competition and monopolies protected by government.
I hate that I missed out on decades of live music. It's one of life's greatest pleasures and it's basically been captured.
Where do you live? I live in a medium-sized city (about 450k people) and we have a wonderful network of small, independent venues because the community values them and supports them. It’s been done and it’s still being done. If you can find something like this in your area, not only are you having a good time for not a lot of money, you’re also supporting local artists and venues while upholding the remnants of our once great live music scene
It's also been captured by leftists, which is infinitely worse.
Recently a farmer in my small rural northern MN city told me about how his friend, another farmer, went to sell his grain and was getting paid LESS for the same thing now than in the 1970s. He had receipts from back then still and compared them. On top of being paid less, they're now being fined for noxious weeds in the bales... This is something most people don't know about, but really gets to the nitty gritty of why food costs have risen! Please do a story about farmers and how they're very necessary, but being left out to dry!
It's something like x20 the profit of the merchandisers compared to the people who actually grow the crops..
This is why I seek out independent venues, and small clubs to see local artists, and buy their music directly from them!! This is the best thing you can do to support artists everywhere!!
This goes hand in hand with spotify and lack of album sales. PLEASE PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON THAT!
“Live music has become a luxury good” Damn that’s cold.
That is a correct statement.
Cold isn't the first word that comes to mind. Sick is.
live music as always a luxury good if it was not some random band in a hole in the wall which is still possible to see today for free. The venues and musicians demanding record profits are the problem here.
Granted it’s gotten worse recently but this Ticketmaster mess has literally been going on for like 15 years. It’s clear that our monopoly laws do not work & it’s completely ridiculous at this point.
It’s not that they don’t work its that they are not being enforced. The justice department can easily breakup Ticketmaster if the will was there.
Yes, since I was in middle school, so my entire adult life concert prices have been exorbitant. I literally would go to Apple as a kid and wait on line to hear some artists I loved play a few songs
Recently, Taylor Swift played here in sweden. And one thing that was reported on over and over was that... American fans found that buying a concert ticket here in scandinavia, plus hotel and a transatlantic return flight and food, and everything... Was still way cheaper than going to see that same artist domestically in the US.
I mean. Taylor Swift is not my kind of music. But.. damn. This whole thing is a horror scenario that I really hope does not take the same stranglehold internationally. Otherwise. Only other option I see is to have the whole live music system collapse to the point where noone goes to see the shows and no artists doing live shows.
This. This is the reality of deregulated economies.
And the sadder part is few of those people will see the great sights there, just fly over for the show and then back afterward.
That is true. I did the math one day, idr which country I did in particular, but I looked up the prices for the tickets (floor seats), round trip flight, and hotel to stay for a few days and enjoy the different country. All of that was still a little be cheaper then for me to get a ticket for night at a venue a little under 2 hours from me.
"This is the reality of deregulated economies." -No. This is the reality of fans that have a lot of excess money, or no brains.
I wouldn't go that far. The economic model will fail sooner or later. It's inevitable. I agree with this part. Live music will never die because the solution is a lot more simple if people, myself included did something
when the Cure toured the US this year, Robert Smith stated they will have their own ticketing price system to combat Livenation because the band knew the fans were being gouged.
This is the exact reason I miss Prince so much!! Paisley Park would call me when he wanted to perform. Most times only 30-50 people there. 1M times better than ANY arena. I was in 4 of his videos. I bet there were millions of fan that wanted to do this. I miss P so much!
Just in case you were wondering why all of the bands you used to love growing up play tons of live shows overseas.
An easy equation for them, fans pay less, while bands get paid more. Less stockholders "clipping the ticket".
They aren't even close to the original bands in most cases.
Yep. The fees for the concert that I went to see were half the price of the ticket. So I bought two tickets and it was like buying three tickets.
SUCKER!!!
Then don’t buy it! Show your reaction!
Same!!
Getting to the checkout page is like a punch in the gut
Fly a drone in, record the concert, and pirate the venue for little cost
When legal means grow too expensive, it's time to sail the high seas
The fees for the recent Pearl Jam show in Seattle were 100-150% the price of the tickets themselves.
So two $100 tickets totaled out to over $500 with tax.
I didn't buy tickets.
Too many fees are now based on percentages, instead of a flat rate per ticket and it's completely out of control.
Fuck yeah. I'm 32 seconds in and Tom is my new favorite person! He's the kind of guy who deserves to be a boss. That's the attitude you should have if you own a business. Not these rich boomers who buy a business and are on vacation over half the year because they're retired and think that owning a business is a great way to get passive income.
It's the Landlordification of everything, and it needs to end. In fact, we should start with actual landlords!
The goal that is touted is to own assets so you don't have to work, but they never talk about the people doing the actual work to feed into that system letting the owning class lounge and consume. People taking others labor because the system lets them take all the resources is destroying this country.
And at one point in time you could find thousands of toms all over the country. Small business owners doing what they love and providing a service to their community. Now everything has been monopolized and our lawmakers allowed it to happen. You don’t have an alternative to anything.
@@ArchThaBosswrong... We the people allowed it to happen. We allowed corrupted election systems to happen. We allowed criminal politicians to go unchallenged.... Current America is the result.
And yet you buy Amazon LoL
I think I have an idea to help these small venues escape Ticket Master !
1. Have (tap) card readers at entrance...no swipes
2. If you ONLY have a debit card or whatever...pre seasoners have opportunity to get special (card) through reg mail that they can transfer money on to. (with tap option)
Basically I am saying we go back to the "old ways" pay at the door.
This way ticketmaster has no market available to use against you.
Break them up! I was shocked to see a decent seat to a 90s artist going for $350 this summer. VIP tickets were over $2000. I can’t afford to treat myself to that experience. At least a big screen tv will operate on my wall for more than one evening.
I really don't see how they sell seats. Most of the young fans can't afford $250 when they're working part time for low pay.
I prefer smaller venues, since many large-venue players are overhyped bullshit or has-beens from the 80s and 90s that have high demand due to nostalgia rather than current performing prowess. If you go to a concert like that, you mostly just see cell phones being held up anyway; people are there to show to their friends they were there on social media, rather than to simply _be_ there. The last concert I went to was Jenny Hval (Jenny is a genius) and cost just $20.
The best stadium show I went to was Lorde ($200 for third row center seats at Pepsi center), though the best stadium show is not going to be as good as decent show at a smaller venue imho.
@@thystaff742 Some people save up for months and months. Due to the internet finding somewhere to stay is thankfully easier than I imagine it was in the 90s
I think it’s part of why being “in the pit” is so popular among young fans. It’s the only affordable option.
@@thystaff742credit cards and payment plans. Do not underestimate a foolish person’s ability to waste money, especially if they don’t own it.
The reason why we chose to be entertained by local talent...
Right here.
How are you doing Shipmate? Hopefully, everything is going well for you and your family.
C.V.N. 75
Lucky to live in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World. But what used to cost, say, $3 or $5 is now $10 to $20, or higher in a premium venue. Concerts used to be secondary to record sales as a source of income, but in the age of streaming, live appearances are more than making up for the pittance artists earn from Spotify and the like.
All the local stuff is controlled by TM too
This is literally illegal around the world… we got Taylor swift tickets for like $100 bucks in Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
That's super fair. Sadly here, criminal mega corps control all.
That sucks 😢… you guys get so screwed on everything
Aussie or Murican?
Well, OZ has less people so less demand.
OZ has better anti-monopoly laws so less price-gouging.
You don't have to go back to Elvis in 1955 for cheap concert tix! In 1977 I saw _The Who_ in one of Canada's larger concert venues (more than 15K seats), 7th row on the floor. Keith Moon on drums, & the world's 1st Laser light show.
*COST:* $7 CDN, or about $5 USD, no extra fees at all. Just sales tax.
A few years later, I saw Van Halen at the same venue, DLR on vocals, 8th row on the floor. *COST* $8 CDN, ~$6 USD
Ireland & the EU are now launching a major investigation into TM after price gouging for Oasis concerts. TM & LN need to be broken up! As a life long musician n my 50's, I remember affordable prices, going to awesome indie venues and hearing my fav artists. This generation are figuratively getting 🪛, fans, venues, artists and everyone in the industry as a whole.
The EU really is our best. The EU is the only big government that still at times stops these mega corporations from exploiting people
People just had to hear that WonderWall and Champagne Supernova
I saw almost a of hundred shows of my world-famous favorite bands in the early 2000’s. Those shows were never over 20$ CAD. They usually were “cash only” admissions. I really miss those times.
This is why I refuse to go to any Ticketmaster concerts.
It's insane how expensive concerts have become, even in the past 10 years.
The only reason why this is happening because there is no regulation for this
There are. They just aren't being applied.
There are plenty of regulations. This is word for word illegal. Our government needs to be held accountable for not doing it's job.
@@TheSoulFallen I'm not sure what you mean. How can it be illegal? Why would the nobility be held to the same laws as the peasantry? Obviously, our benevolent and generous corporate overlords deserve better treatment in return for all the sacrifices they make to support us. We should be thankful to them, really.
Imagine being a libertarian
There need to be more and properly ENFORCED. Regulations save lives.
@@rampaginwalrusImagine thinking liberal means left wing
Ticketmaster and Live Nation also threaten artists with blacklisting if they book shows in venues not connected to their networks
A 400 person venue isnt really even that small honestly. Anyone that can fill venues that size consistently is very respectable
We only do local comedy and music shows now. Even then, not the bigger theater shows. Love a nice 20$ ticket and a normal priced beer, at a venue that takes 5 minutes for the crowd to exit.
It’s also nice to show love to the younger, up-and-coming artists (you know, the ones we need)
‘Made in the USA’ used to be a quality label. Nowadays it’s a guarantee many are duped for a few to profit.
made anywhere is just trash now. welcome to neofeudalism, here's you pickaxe.
Corporate greed is killing a lot of things that were once good. They are vultures.
Vultures at least so some good like clean up the world by eating carrion. Corporate greed is way worse than any vulture.😡😤
Maybe it's time for musicians, promoters, and venue owners to form a co-op and break up the monopoly.
They are being sued
@@HeadNtheCloudsreally? Who?
Grassroots is the answer. We need to all vote with our wallets or this is going to end in one of two ways. #1 everything is monopolized, capitalism dies, and we end up with a plutocracy. (this is the direction we are going in now). #2 people get fed up, say screw it, and we take a hard left turn to socialism, capitalism dies, and now the government controls most things. PICK YOUR POISON..
💯
@@PermanentWater the government is trying to break them up. I don’t know the details.
No CEO, absolutely no CEO, should ever earn $130 million. Or even a quarter of that.
Venues need to go back to having no pre bought tickets. Pay entry fee when you walk in. No middle man.
youll constantly have a hundred thousand + people crowding venues causing a ton of hazards and starting fights and riots when they don't get a ticket. the age of modern internet has crushed the whole concept of pay-at-the-door for anything that receives any kind of online promotion. things just arent how they used to be and we have to adapt
THIS! People lining up to buy tickets in person. When it's sold out, it's actually sold out!
cover charge was the norm in metro detroit area but lockdowns drove all venue owners to incorporate
@@herb4n7egend false
@@Blackatchaproduction ...care to explain how???
"It's been a corporate America since the Reagan Administration..."
THANK YOU
fool
@@user-hm5zb1qn6g If you have an argument, share it. Otherwise you just sound like you have nothing worth saying, which is even more foolish.
Yes, and the Supreme Court with Citizens United put the corporations in charge of the government.
Ronald Reagan strikes again.
I’m finding out Regan has ruined almost EVERYTHING… even in death, his decisions STILL control a lot of things now…😕
It's not only the US. Venues are in hell here in Mexico too because Ticketmaster is allowed to be a monopoly. All kinds of venues: concerts, orchestras, ballet, theatre, festivals, car races, expos...
It needs to be broken worldwide.
Venues do not have to use ticketmaster. They choose to because they make more money that way.
As long as fans are willing to pay outrageous ticket prices, this will continue.
I don't want to support big mainstream bands with overpriced tickets.
I'd rather go to club concerts by underground bands.
I also don't want to pay more than 40€ for a concert.
In Germany, the prices for club concerts are completely ok.
Turnstile - 33€
Dry Cleaning - 27€
The Bronx - 30€
Off! - 30€
Sleaford Mods - 38€
Ghostwoman - 25€
Mudhoney - 35€
A Place To Bury Strangers - 28€
Metz - 25€
DIIV - 34€
Yeah that's about what I pay in Canada for smaller bands
Thats even high for me. 25 bucks is an expensive show
The last couple Meshuggah shows were smaller venues. I didn't pay over $75. Some of THEE BEST shows I've been to.
@falconman407 I'd be happy to throw my local musicians $50. It's not cheap to promote and put on a show on your own.
Noch !!! NOCH !!!
Gotta love how CEOs are always the most morally bankrupt people, like wtf hasn't that dude been to a concert and experienced joy seeing his favorite band live?
sad thing is he probably has, that's probably how he came up with the idea that he can price gouge everyone else for that experience.
Even in the 1990s, concert tickets were cheap. They were getting more expensive but you'd expect to pay $25 to $50 with the service fee.
Yeah even in the late 90s early 2000s for a big concert I would pay 50-75. That same concert for the same seats would be +250 per ticket.
@@StallionStudios1234 I honestly think Ticketmaster is only part of the problem. Another reason concert tickets are so expensive is the same reason sports tickets are so expensive; corporations have driven up prices. Corporations don't mind paying $10,000 to for Taylor Swift tickets...because the person they're gonna give those tickets to could invest millions in their company. It's no different that taking the potential investor on a $10K fishing trip or a pricey trip to Vegas
@@baltimoreluke Yeah you are totally right. Big corporations are a big problem as well. At the end of the day the price of something is what consumers are willing to pay and of course big business can pay a lot!
@@baltimorelukelet's not forget a small subset of artists as well.
"The biggest windfall is headed straight to Swift, who stands to make as much as $4.1 billion from the Eras Tour"
It's cute that she treats her staff well. But that money ultimately comes from people way down the chain that spend their entire years saving on seeing that show.
It was around $30 for the average concert. Bigger tours with double headliners were around $50-$60.
I'm impressed with Tom's work ethic and passion in running the Crowbar. Today, all around us all, in so many ways, the problem is " corruptorations ". It's unbridled greed. It's important to contemplate the one sentence in the Bible which reads, The love of money is the root of all evil. This is clear in the greed of all today's " corruptorations ".
Thank you for covering this. I'm in the industry as an independent promoter and music/arts nonprofit owner. I do this for free (I'm very lucky i have a good paying second career) because I'm desperate to keep the live music scene alive. There are so many of us fighting but every week it feels like there is this looming, insurmountable threat and I fear we're losing the fight. My heart broke when i heard that venue owners voice crack a little when talking about not renewing his lease. I feel that every time a band doesn't make enough money at the door to fill their gas tank to get to the next show...
Ticketmaster is a huge problem, but the economy as a whole sucks and when people can't afford groceries they're not going to go spend the cash for even a $10 cover and cheap beers. Venue owners I've talked to in my city say attendence is down nearly 40% from this time last year and everyone is laying off staff, meanwhile their rent and overhead is skyrocketing. There are just so many things stacked against independent venues and artists. What I'm most afraid of is losing out on the future evolution of music and art because nobody but the wealthy can afford to get into this industry, be it small business owners or musicians, leading to an even more homogeneous arts culture.
The Technocratic Feudal lords have deemed all of us destitute and no longer being worthy of living as we were promised growing up as kids. The only option for such a totalitarian company, is an even heavier handed Judicial response. I can dream. I'm in my mid 30s and all I have seen is government and people bending over for these sycophant, immoral unicorn math economy. I hate it. This is NOT the world I was told I would find after school.
I lived in Austin for years. The city used to be live music capital of the world. I worked at Austin City Limits and SXSW setting up stages. Even stage staff was not allowed to watch the venues as they charged hundreds of dollars for a wristband. You worked your ass off setting up the venue but not allowed to enjoy it. Austin became a city for the cool rich kids from California.
Guess we gotta bring back garage shows for a decade... ppl will always make music and gather. Its just gonna go underground for a bit...
@@sortasurvival5482I keep seeing this everywhere and it’s a terrible response. Becoming mole people is what people tried for decades. It didn’t help and the weeds have taken over the yard. We must rise up together and fight (I said *FIGHT* not VOTE)
@@donnyramay2635 What the hell staff being kicket out of the building before the show starts is so completely idiotic I don't even know where to start.
Essentially Ticketmaster/Live Nation have done the same thing that agribusiness has one to farmers. This shit has to stop.
What is amazing is the government gets bent out of shape when people work as independent contractors instead of employees and make definitions what an employee is, but allow companies to be monopolies by design.
Most governments, North America included, are working with companies in detriment of people. Lobbying = Corruption. Companies grew too big. Too much greed, too much hoarding of resources. We're all playing this game too, there's no escape unless you become a hermit. Most of us are proud of working hard and well, so the least you can do is try to work for a company you like and agree with the leadership's philosophy. Or start your own and try to stay afloat while rowing against the current (good luck with that).
I never got to see any of the concerts i wanted to as a kid because my parents refused to pay over 20$ for concert tickets.
Very interesting to see the history behind this, thank you for the background!
This is so infuriating and has been going on for far too long. If a band as big as Pearl Jam doesn't have the capacity to play without Ticketmaster (which they tried and failed to do), then what hope does anyone else have? This is a Department of Justice issue. It's an extreme case of monopolization destroying an industry. Selling tickets is not building rocket ships. No one can really solve this problem without an anti-trust suit from the Dept of Justice.
But it's not destroying the industry. They're reporting record profits. People are dumb and are actually paying for these 400-2000 dollars tickets lol
I LOVE Crowbar, Tom is the nicest dude! He is always looking out for the talent and making sure everyone has a great time, I'm sad to hear that the venue will close in 2 years :( Thank you for the memories Tom!
Yeah Tom is amazing! Hearing that hearts my heart.
I saw Elvis in 76 for $15. I saw Paul McCartney in 76 for $10. I saw The Blues Brothers in 80 for $15. I saw Elton John in 80 for $12. I saw Muhammad Ali fight in 1980 for $12. And I could go on and on. And guess what? If you were willing to line up early, (camp out overnight and be one of the first people in line to buy tickets, you could get front row seats! All that is over now. All those good seats are scalped by the corporations to cost thousands of dollars now. My days of going to big concerts is over now. I refuse to pay what they are asking and that doesn’t even include the service fees. Concerts at Red Rocks (where I live) were affordable up until about 2012 and then the prices went crazy and 2012 is the last time I was at Red Rocks.
In July 2024 Taylor Swift played two concerts here in Hamburg, Germany. I met several Americans who had flown to our city to see her and spend a week in our city. I asked them why they didn't attend a concert in the US. They replied tickets were between US$ 1,300 and 2,500 in the States but US$ 200 in Germany so they actually saved some money while going on vacation.