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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/13/ticketmaster-getmein-seatwave-fans-secondary-resale
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Good riddance to GetMeIn and Seatwave. But fans should still beware | Good riddance to GetMeIn and Seatwave. But fans should still beware |
| (30 days later) | |
| Regular gig-goers will welcome Ticketmaster’s decision to scrap its two “secondary” resale sites, GetMeIn and Seatwave, both of which have become havens for armchair ticket touts looking to fleece fans. Ticket brokers – as the biggest touts prefer to be known – deploy a variety of nefarious techniques to harvest tickets in bulk as soon as they go on sale, before flogging them at eye-watering mark-ups on secondary platforms. The websites take their cut too, meaning everybody wins but the people who actually have an emotional connection with the music that generates the money. | Regular gig-goers will welcome Ticketmaster’s decision to scrap its two “secondary” resale sites, GetMeIn and Seatwave, both of which have become havens for armchair ticket touts looking to fleece fans. Ticket brokers – as the biggest touts prefer to be known – deploy a variety of nefarious techniques to harvest tickets in bulk as soon as they go on sale, before flogging them at eye-watering mark-ups on secondary platforms. The websites take their cut too, meaning everybody wins but the people who actually have an emotional connection with the music that generates the money. |
| It’s a broken market that has been allowed to spread unchecked, so the disappearance of two of the big four resale sites – leaving just StubHub and Viagogo still plying their trade – is surely good news. But the reception should be the ripple of polite applause from music fans that greets an esoteric new track, rather than the rapturous whooping reserved for a well-known banger from everyone’s favourite album. | It’s a broken market that has been allowed to spread unchecked, so the disappearance of two of the big four resale sites – leaving just StubHub and Viagogo still plying their trade – is surely good news. But the reception should be the ripple of polite applause from music fans that greets an esoteric new track, rather than the rapturous whooping reserved for a well-known banger from everyone’s favourite album. |
| Bravo Ed Sheeran for taking on the rip-off 'secondary ticketing' touts | Adam Webb | Bravo Ed Sheeran for taking on the rip-off 'secondary ticketing' touts | Adam Webb |
| For a start, GetMeIn and Seatwave represent the more responsible end of the resale market. Unlike Viagogo, both bowed to pressure from politicians, the competition authorities and the music industry to comply with consumer protection laws. This gave fans more information about what they were buying and made it easier to identify professional touts holding more tickets than they could feasibly have purchased via legitimate channels. The fact that both sites are owned by Ticketmaster – itself owned by global promoter and venue operator Live Nation – also meant they were more likely to agree an armistice on resale when big acts with global clout required it. For instance, both honoured Ed Sheeran’s ban on resale for his recent tour. Viagogo ignored the singer-songwriter’s request and thousands of disappointed Sheeranites saw their tickets cancelled. | For a start, GetMeIn and Seatwave represent the more responsible end of the resale market. Unlike Viagogo, both bowed to pressure from politicians, the competition authorities and the music industry to comply with consumer protection laws. This gave fans more information about what they were buying and made it easier to identify professional touts holding more tickets than they could feasibly have purchased via legitimate channels. The fact that both sites are owned by Ticketmaster – itself owned by global promoter and venue operator Live Nation – also meant they were more likely to agree an armistice on resale when big acts with global clout required it. For instance, both honoured Ed Sheeran’s ban on resale for his recent tour. Viagogo ignored the singer-songwriter’s request and thousands of disappointed Sheeranites saw their tickets cancelled. |
| With two of the biggest players out of the way, StubHub and the industry’s bad boy, Viagogo, could now pick up business from touts with a shrinking range of options. There remains a question mark over Ticketmaster’s long-term strategy, too. Its immediate plan is to launch a fan-to-fan ticket exchange that only sells seats at face value or below, much like existing services such as Twickets. But Ticketmaster has long felt that by keeping ticket prices at affordable levels, the world’s biggest artists are leaving money on the table. The company’s contention is that touts end up collecting that cash by exploiting resale platforms. | With two of the biggest players out of the way, StubHub and the industry’s bad boy, Viagogo, could now pick up business from touts with a shrinking range of options. There remains a question mark over Ticketmaster’s long-term strategy, too. Its immediate plan is to launch a fan-to-fan ticket exchange that only sells seats at face value or below, much like existing services such as Twickets. But Ticketmaster has long felt that by keeping ticket prices at affordable levels, the world’s biggest artists are leaving money on the table. The company’s contention is that touts end up collecting that cash by exploiting resale platforms. |
| There is merit in that argument – but it doesn’t mean Ticketmaster wants fans to keep hold of that excess cash. Like any corporate entity, their job is to maximise revenue. There are several ways of doing this. One is Ticketmaster Platinum, a controversial “premium” service that drip-feeds tickets into the market for hundreds of pounds after fans have been told that gigs are sold out. In fact, Ticketmaster has kept some seats back, exploiting the resulting desperation among fans to jack up prices. | There is merit in that argument – but it doesn’t mean Ticketmaster wants fans to keep hold of that excess cash. Like any corporate entity, their job is to maximise revenue. There are several ways of doing this. One is Ticketmaster Platinum, a controversial “premium” service that drip-feeds tickets into the market for hundreds of pounds after fans have been told that gigs are sold out. In fact, Ticketmaster has kept some seats back, exploiting the resulting desperation among fans to jack up prices. |
| These seats are usually among the best in the house, to be fair. But when approached by the Guardian, Ticketmaster refused to say whether buyers could end up sitting next to somebody who paid ordinary face value when tickets first went on sale. Platinum is ripe for expansion and could well fill some of the void vacated by GetMeIn and Seatwave. | These seats are usually among the best in the house, to be fair. But when approached by the Guardian, Ticketmaster refused to say whether buyers could end up sitting next to somebody who paid ordinary face value when tickets first went on sale. Platinum is ripe for expansion and could well fill some of the void vacated by GetMeIn and Seatwave. |
| Ticketmaster to shut Seatwave and GetMeIn resale sites | Ticketmaster to shut Seatwave and GetMeIn resale sites |
| And then there’s dynamic pricing, which Ticketmaster has long been testing in the US. Under this system, prices fluctuate depending on demand. Theoretically, that could mean great bargains when gigs don’t sell out. But for the most in-demand shows, the laws of supply and demand could herald sky-high prices as fans scrabble for seats, ratcheting up the average price-per-head at venues, often operated by Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation. Many fans will feel that dynamic pricing is touting by another name, albeit with greater consumer guarantees. | And then there’s dynamic pricing, which Ticketmaster has long been testing in the US. Under this system, prices fluctuate depending on demand. Theoretically, that could mean great bargains when gigs don’t sell out. But for the most in-demand shows, the laws of supply and demand could herald sky-high prices as fans scrabble for seats, ratcheting up the average price-per-head at venues, often operated by Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation. Many fans will feel that dynamic pricing is touting by another name, albeit with greater consumer guarantees. |
| Some acts will want to ensure prices stay relatively low for altruistic reasons, not to mention the long-term commercial incentive of keeping fans sweet. That will mean relying on new ticket technology to limit touting and ensure fans get tickets on a balloted, or first-come-first-served basis. Others will look to squeeze whatever they can out of the consumer. If venues fill up with indifferent audiences dipping into corporate entertainment budgets for a night out, the music scene is sure to suffer. | Some acts will want to ensure prices stay relatively low for altruistic reasons, not to mention the long-term commercial incentive of keeping fans sweet. That will mean relying on new ticket technology to limit touting and ensure fans get tickets on a balloted, or first-come-first-served basis. Others will look to squeeze whatever they can out of the consumer. If venues fill up with indifferent audiences dipping into corporate entertainment budgets for a night out, the music scene is sure to suffer. |
| Rob Davies is a reporter on the Guardian business desk | Rob Davies is a reporter on the Guardian business desk |
| Rob Davies is a reporter on the Guardian business desk | Rob Davies is a reporter on the Guardian business desk |
| Ticket prices | Ticket prices |
| Opinion | Opinion |
| Consumer affairs | Consumer affairs |
| Corporate governance | Corporate governance |
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