Ticketmaster is the largest ticket sales and distribution company in the United States. They sell tickets for concerts, sporting events, theater shows, and more. When purchasing tickets online or over the phone through Ticketmaster, they charge service and processing fees on top of the ticket price. This has led many people to wonder if they can avoid the fees by buying tickets directly at the venue’s box office. In this article, I’ll examine if Ticketmaster charges service fees at the box office and provide an overview of their fee structure.
What is Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster is a ticket sales and distribution outlet that was founded in 1976. They sell tickets for live entertainment events on behalf of the event organizers and venues. Ticketmaster has exclusive contracts with many major venues and artists to be the primary ticket vendor for their events. They sell tickets through their website, mobile app, phone lines, and at some venue box offices.
Some key facts about Ticketmaster:
- Operates in over 28 countries
- Sold over 485 million tickets in 2019
- Has more than 11,500 clients worldwide
- Owns or operates more than 130 event venues
- Processes over 500 million ticket transactions annually
In addition to ticket sales, Ticketmaster also provides marketing and analytics services to event organizers. They offer fan clubs, VIP programs, and loyalty programs through their website and app.
Ticketmaster’s Service and Processing Fees
Ticketmaster is notorious for adding on multiple fees to the base ticket price. These fees are how they generate their revenue since typically all of the base ticket price goes to the venue and performers.
Here are some of the common fees Ticketmaster charges:
- Service Fee – This ranges from 10-25% of the ticket price and is charged per ticket
- Order Processing Fee – A flat per-order fee that ranges from $5-$20+
- Facility Charge – Paid to the venue owner, usually $2-$10 per ticket
- Delivery Fee – For print-at-home and mail delivery, around $4-$12 per order
- Convenience Fees – Charged for phone, online, and mobile orders
For big shows, these fees can sometimes add up to more than 50% over the base ticket price. The fees generated big profits for Ticketmaster – over $2 billion in revenue just from fees in 2019. However, the fees also receive criticism from many fans and consumer groups for being excessively high.
Does Ticketmaster Charge Fees at the Box Office?
Whether Ticketmaster charges fees at the box office depends on the individual venue and event. In some cases, there are ways to avoid Ticketmaster fees by purchasing tickets directly at the venue’s box office:
- At venues owned and operated by Ticketmaster, they usually do charge their standard service fees at the box office.
- At venues that outsource ticketing to Ticketmaster, there may be box office fees or just the base ticket price without fees.
- For events or venues where Ticketmaster is not the exclusive ticketing vendor, the box office will likely not have Ticketmaster fees.
Here are some additional considerations when buying at the box office:
- Purchasing in person at the box office means no delivery fees.
- Box office payment is usually cash only, no fees that come with credit card purchases.
- The box office has a limited ticket inventory, so some events may be sold out.
- You miss out on pre-sales by not ordering online through Ticketmaster.
The only way to know for sure if a box office has Ticketmaster fees is to check with the specific venue box office. Let’s take a deeper look at some venue examples.
Venues Owned and Operated by Ticketmaster
One instance where Ticketmaster nearly always charges their standard fees, including at the box office, is for venues that they own and operate.
Ticketmaster owns, operates, or has exclusive ticketing rights with over 130 major venues and festival sites globally. This includes large stadiums, amphitheaters, performing arts centers, clubs, and more.
Here are some of the major venues owned or operated by Ticketmaster:
| Venue | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA | 17,500 |
| North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre | Chula Vista, CA | 20,000 |
| Toyota Amphitheatre | Wheatland, CA | 13,000 |
| The Forum | Inglewood, CA | 17,500 |
| TD Garden | Boston, MA | 19,580 |
| Madison Square Garden | New York City, NY | 20,789 |
For events at these Ticketmaster-owned venues, they will charge their standard service fees and processing fees both online and at the box office. There is no way to avoid the fees by buying directly at the box office.
For example, a $100 ticket to see a concert at Madison Square Garden would have around $25 in Ticketmaster fees added – bringing the total cost to around $125 whether ordering online or buying at the venue box office.
Venues that Outsource Ticketing to Ticketmaster
Many major event venues outsource their ticketing operations entirely to Ticketmaster under multi-year contracts. In these cases, Ticketmaster handles all ticket sales online, by phone, and at the venue’s box office.
Whether service fees are charged at the box office under these contracts depends on the agreement between the venue and Ticketmaster.
For some venues, Ticketmaster may only charge the base ticket price at the box office with no additional service fees. The rationale is to provide an incentive for fans to buy directly from the venue and avoid the fees charged for online and phone orders.
However, in other cases, the contract may allow Ticketmaster to charge their standard service fees and processing fees at the box office as well.
For these venues, there is no financial incentive to buy tickets directly at the box office versus ordering through Ticketmaster’s website or app.
Some examples where Ticketmaster handles ticketing but may or may not charge box office fees:
| Venue | Location | Box Office Fees? |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN | Sometimes |
| Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | No |
| Ak-Chin Pavilion | Phoenix, AZ | Yes |
| AmericanAirlines Arena | Miami, FL | No |
The only way to confirm is to check the box office policies directly with each venue. If Ticketmaster has their exclusive ticketing contract but does not charge service fees at the box office, it can represent notable savings on your ticket purchase.
Venues Not Using Ticketmaster
For venues and events that do not use Ticketmaster for ticket sales, box office purchases will not have any Ticketmaster fees at all.
Many professional sports teams and college athletic programs handle ticketing independently or use other vendors like AXS or eTix. Performing arts centers, small music clubs, local theaters, and other smaller venues often sell tickets online and at the box office without any third-party ticketing services.
When buying tickets directly through these venue’s box offices, the only cost is usually the printed ticket price without any extra service charges or processing fees. Any online or phone ticket orders would also not have Ticketmaster fees, although the venue or ticketing provider may charge small convenience or delivery fees.
Some examples of venues not using Ticketmaster:
| Venue | Location |
|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium | Arlington, TX |
| Kentucky’s Rupp Arena | Lexington, KY |
| Chicago Theater | Chicago, IL |
| House of Blues | Various Locations |
When buying tickets at the box office for venues like these, you can avoid all Ticketmaster fees and just pay the face value price printed on the ticket.
Strategies to Avoid Fees
Here are some tips if you are looking to avoid paying Ticketmaster’s service fees and surcharges:
- Checkout the box office policies and FAQs on the venue’s website to see if they charge extra fees.
- Call the box office directly and ask if there are additional charges added to box office ticket purchases.
- Buy early when box office inventory is highest before shows sell out.
- Be flexible on seat locations – box office selections may be limited compared to online.
- Pay with cash or debit card to avoid credit card processing fees.
- See if discounts are offered for buying direct at the box office.
- Consider venues that use other ticketing providers like AXS, who have lower fees in some cases.
Buying directly through the box office is not always feasible and you may miss out on pre-sales for hot shows. But when possible, it does represent a legal way to avoid some of Ticketmaster’s highest service charges.
Calls for Regulating Ticket Fees
While Ticketmaster maintains their fees are in line with other ticketing companies and provide added value through their services, many consumers argue the fees are exorbitant and need regulation.
Some opponents of Ticketmaster’s fees practices include:
- Music artists and managers – Seeing lower fan turnout due to high ticket costs.
- Venues – Forcing venues to reimburse fans on excessive fees.
- Fans – Outpricing many from attending events.
- Consumer groups – Calling for fee caps and increased transparency on breakouts.
- Politicians – Introducing legislation to regulate ticket sellers.
According to a recent poll, over 80% of Americans support laws regulating how much ticket resellers can charge in fees and surcharges. Already, some states like New York have passed laws capping secondary market fees at no more than 20% over face value.
While Ticketmaster is the largest player in the industry, this growing scrutiny suggests we could see increased regulation of ticket fees in the future. Having more affordable access to live events remains an important issue for many music and entertainment fans.
Conclusions
In summary, whether Ticketmaster charges service fees at the box office depends on the specific venue and event:
- Venues owned by Ticketmaster charge standard fees at the box office.
- Third-party venues may or may not charge box office fees under Ticketmaster contracts.
- Non-Ticketmaster venues do not charge Ticketmaster fees at the box office.
- Buying at the box office allows you to avoid delivery fees and credit card surcharges.
- Beware that box office tickets are limited and you may miss out on pre-sales.
Checking box office policies in advance and buying early are your best ways to minimize Ticketmaster’s service fees. With calls growing for more regulation of ticket sellers, we may see some changes to fee structures and pricing transparency in the future. But for now, paying at the venue box office remains one of the most reliable ways to avoid the harshest Ticketmaster surcharges on your event tickets.
