One of my favorite hobbies is going to concerts. I thrive just looking at my Apple Wallet and seeing how many days I must wait until my next event. I have sat through many Ticketmaster queues, and I have won many and lost many of them. I recently just experienced buying tickets for Harry Styles. I was stunned by the cost difference between the Madison Square Garden dates and the European dates. I purchased two tickets for two separate events. My MSG ticket was $1,000 face value and I am sitting in the 100s bowl. For Amsterdam, it was €120 for a GA floor ticket. Immediately after buying the tickets, I was super excited that I was finally going to be able to see Harry Styles (someone who I have loved since I was seven years old). But then I saw the outrage online about the greed that Ticketmaster is known for and how some artists choose not to use dynamic pricing.
Concerts are becoming more expensive
Shows within the United States have become practically a luxury service. The average person is no longer able to see their favorite artist for a relatively mediocre price. I believe this upward trend in ticket pricing really started right after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerts have also become a more “show-off” type event. You get to spend money to see a popular artist, take photos, and show everyone that you were there. The younger age demographic was never taught concert etiquette. People are becoming more greedy with concerts as well. I see people all the time say they are going to several dates on the same tour. I think it is okay to see the artist once or twice on the same tour, but after that, it becomes so greedy. I saw someone say they are going to 25 of the 30 nights of Harry Styles tour. I think that is absolutely absurd, and that person should definitely let others have that opportunity.
Now that dynamic pricing is super popular on Ticketmaster, these shows are becoming excessive. The average price of a face value ticket to Harry Styles was around $1000. All artists should turn off dynamic pricing. It is ridiculous how expensive concerts have become.
TIPS FOR THE TICKETMASTER PRESALES
*spoiler alert* presale is not presale anymore. It is practically a general sale for everyone and anyone who signs up. This is one of the things I wish Ticketmaster changed. Presale sign up should just be first come first serve. There is no reason for 100,000 people to be in a queue during presale.
Presale is just pure luck if I am being honest. But there are ways to make it go smoother.
STEP 1: look at the different presales
- Some artists work with a credit card company, and those sales are always first!
- This is how I got several tickets to Tyler, the Creator and Harry Styles. I am an AMEX credit card holder, and those presales were first.
- Look at the times of presales and make sure you sign up (and add it to your calendar)
- Use several emails. I have three Ticketmaster accounts I use. One is my main and then two are my parents’ accounts.
STEP 2: BEFORE THE SALE
- Sign on to Ticketmaster 15-30 minutes before the sale
- Reload the screen when the waiting room opens. Join the waiting room as fast as possible.
- THIS IS THE ONE TIME YOU WILL RELOAD…DO NOT RELOAD ANY OTHER TIME.
- Once the sale starts, Ticketmaster will put you in your spot in line. I REPEAT DO NOT RELOAD.
- If you reload, you will be sent to the back of the line.
STEP 3: BUY YOUR TICKETS
- Once you can buy tickets, make sure to turn on filters (just check the “Standard” ticket filter)
- I have heard this filters out the dynamic pricing, but I do not know if this is true. Either way, usually the “standard tickets” are the cheapest tickets in the venue.
STEP 4: What if it’s sold out
- Well, there are many things you can do. You can buy tickets through a resold site.
- I trust StubHub. They have a money back guarantee so if you get scammed by the scalper, StubHub will provide you with another ticket or make sure you get your money back.
- REMINDER, resellers are not obligated to provide proof of ticket. They can list without even having a ticket. If I purchase a resold ticket, I try to get one that is listed as “immediate ticket transfer.” That means that the reseller has provided proof and that the ticket is going to automatically transfer to your account.
- Ticket prices too expensive on the resold sites –> wait until a week or a couple days before the event
- Sometimes ticket prices will go down the days leading up to the event. This is for a plethora of reasons.
- Buy at the box office
- Sometimes on the morning of the event, the box office will have a few tickets available to purchase. If you are going to do this, I would call the box office ahead to make sure they are doing this. Get to the box office before it opens. There will be a long line if people know they are offering this option.
Tickets are always going to be resold
Even if an artist turns off the transferability of a ticket, scalpers are still going to find a way to resell. It still doesn’t stop the reselling, and I am so tired of seeing people applaud artists for putting minimal effort towards ticket sales. There is not going to be a change in the concert ticket phenomenon if there are not actual laws put in place. Lots of places in Europe have made it against the law to resell tickets over face value. If laws like this were put in place in the United States it would make concerts and events more feasible for the average person.
If you are going to a concert soon, I hope you have a magnificent time! Please use this article as a way to guide you through the ticketing process. Hopefully with time, the Ticketmaster crisis will heal and ticketing for events won’t be a luxury service anymore.