I wanted to go see a concert tonight for the first time ever. The venue offered tickets online through ticketmaster (henceforth referred to as ticketbastard) with a note that any remaining tickets are available at the box office once the show starts. Checking their website more, I found that they sell tickets in-person during posted hours, so I figured I could just go buy a real ticket and avoid the ticketbastard garbage.
Two hours later I’m realizing that A) The in-person ticket is like 25% cheaper than if I bought it online B) It’s still through ticketbastard despite me showing up in person C) I can still only get in by getting a barcode through the fucking ticketbastard app. They have no web portal. D) They offer no refunds.
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yep, welcome to the horrible conversation. It’s a full on monopoly. They control the venues, the ticketing, the marketing, the selling, everything. Unfortunately as a consumer/concertgoer you have two options: Deal with it or never go. Artists who refuse to use them get blacklisted from them and that means they don’t get the large venues, or the good locations, so that’s about it
Pretty sure the last sentence you said was just banned, at least in some locations.
Well luckily the FTC sued them for being a monopoly and then the Trump administration settled for a slap on the wrist, so they have no reason to change.
Excuse me, but !actually_infuriating@lemmy.world is a different community.
Why bother with big concerts? Unless you’re rich you’re sitting a half mile away watching them on a jumbo screen next to the stage. I prefer small stage venues. You can get close to the action and often talk to the band at the merch table. Go often enough and you’ll see familiar faces. Those are scene-sters that make the rounds and know the up and coming bands worth seeing, local bands too. You might even catch acts before they get big, everybody starts somewhere. Not everyone show is a winner but you won’t spend a week’s pay
I’m sorry to tell you but Ticketmaster controls many of the smaller venues as well.
Yep. Here the tickets for the smaller venues are often still Ticketmaster. I don’t do arena or stadium shows, ever. They have their fingers in everything.
Occasionally the tickets are sold through Eventbrite or the very small local ticketing alternative, and there are a couple who handle their own box office but more often than you think, it’s fucking Ticketmaster.
It’s more about the artist than the venue. Some artists don’t go to small venues if they’ve blown up too much
“You know, José Feliciano, ya got no complaints”
Not every concert is in a football stadium
Yeah, I just won’t go to the one or two venues in my metro area that use it anymore.
If it’s something that I really want to see, there’s a couple of other cities nearby that have decent large venues (they operate their own actual box office) so I just have to hope that they play at one of those and I can get off work early enough.
I normally just go to small places where you can pay on the door though - fortunately I’m not too bothered about most of the people in those tb-only, venues.
Missed Jethro Tull recently though because of tb, sucks, more than ‘mildly’ for me though.
Jethro Tull are still going? Bloody hell.
Back in the 90’s, I saw them play and Ian Anderson was rolling around in a wheel chair on stage with a broken leg. I’m convinced the man won’t stop playing until his death
I’m not sure even death will stop him.
I think the voice is a bit weaker now, but the flute’s still decent and he gives it all he’s got. I saw them at a festival a few years ago. They’ve released a few new albums recently.
Looks like about 40 dates across Europe over the rest of 2026.
lol, 40 dates and 40 albums at the age of 102. Way to go Ian!
