People should be able to buy concert tickets from venues instead of relying on Ticketmaster, an expert has said. This comes as high demand is expected for Oasis tickets at Croke Park, which go on sale at 8am tomorrow.
The tickets for the two gigs next summer will be available an hour before tickets for their UK dates. Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland (MEAI) Spokesperson Rebecca Cappuccini told Lunchtime Live the monopoly Ticketmaster has isn't good for customers.
Ticketmaster's Grip on the Concert Industry
Cappuccini believes that allowing venues to directly sell tickets would create a more equitable system. "I'm very old school in my demeanour so I always thought that being able to go to a physical locality to pre-order tickets and have a system that is people to people [is best]," she said. "There can't be glitches, there can't be exorbitant queues - it's just the right people going to the right place at the right time. When we're relying so heavily on technology for things like this, it does cause problems and there's very few fixes available".
The Downsides of Ticketmaster's Monopoly
Cappuccini highlighted several issues with Ticketmaster's dominance. "Potentially, if it wasn't monopolised, [it would be fairer]," she said. "There would be lesser problems with technology glitching because everyone would have their own server. If you're bringing everything to the one company and relying heavily on the one company in order to get tickets out there, that can cause a gridlock of the system".
VAT on Tickets: A Burden on Music Lovers
Cappuccini also raised concerns about the 13.5% VAT on tickets. "That's at 13.5% and obviously, that's completely absorbed by the customer," she said. "MEAI were in with the Minister of Finance last week trying to get that ratified down to 9% in order to support customers and musicians alike".
A Concert Subscription Model
Lunchtime Live caller Robin suggested an alternative solution: venues selling yearly memberships. "If you were to use the Olympia in Dublin as an example if you were able to buy a year membership and be able to go to one gig a month, depending on how much you want to pay," she said. "There's an airline who've just done the same thing for flights, where you buy membership to have flights for a year. [A yearly concert subscription would] enable people who are proper music heads to be able to get to the gigs without the panic and stress."
De-Monopolisation: The Way Forward
Robin also emphasized the need to break Ticketmaster's monopoly. "It could work out to be more expensive if you're trying to get an annual membership to Croke Park gigs, for example, but it's about the de-monopolisation. If we're able to give the venue some of the power to sell their own tickets [it would be better]. Whelan's sells their own tickets, for example, and I'm always trying to get their tickets. It just feels better than trying to rely on Ticketmaster all of the time and they're not very good at their one job".
Ticketmaster's Technological Shortcomings
Host of the For Techs Sake podcast Elaine Burke echoed these concerns, stating that Ticketmaster isn't adept at handling high demand. "I'm a big fan of being able to buy direct from the venue," she said. "I do find Ticketmaster to be unwieldy to use; it can be troublesome - especially when you've got high-demand ticketing systems like what we're going to have with Oasis over the weekend. Even the fact that there's this presale ballot, lottery thing going on as well. It's very convoluted and very complicated... and people don't even know what time specifically they're going to get the link to access the pre-sale. I think the purpose of doing it this way was to try and weed out people who aren't in it for big fandom. The problem is it won't weed out the scammers who are intent on getting their hands on these tickets."
A Predictable Ticketmaster Glitch?
Burke expressed skepticism about Ticketmaster's ability to manage the upcoming Oasis ticket sales. "Chances are things are going to go wrong, Ticketmaster actually has precedent with this. Those fees that we are all charged on top of the tickets, you think that would all be invested in better infrastructure, but most of Ticketmaster's technological investment seems to go to making it hard for you to pass on tickets yourself."
Legal Action Against Ticketmaster
Earlier this year, the US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster, accusing the company of "monopolisation and other unlawful conduct that thwarts competition". This lawsuit further highlights the concerns surrounding Ticketmaster's dominance in the ticketing industry.
The Future of Ticket Sales
The debate over Ticketmaster's role in concert ticketing is likely to continue. With growing discontent among both fans and industry experts, it remains to be seen whether venues will gain more control over ticket sales and whether Ticketmaster will be able to address the concerns surrounding its practices. Whether you're a die-hard music fan or simply looking for a better ticketing experience, this issue deserves careful consideration as the future of concert ticket sales hangs in the balance.
