Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sellers and distribution companies in the world. Founded in 1976, it sells tickets for concert, sports, and theater events in the United States and internationally. Some key questions when examining Ticketmaster’s market share and position include:
What does Ticketmaster sell?
Ticketmaster sells tickets for live entertainment events both online through their website and mobile apps as well as through box office outlets. They sell tickets for:
– Concerts – Rock, pop, hip hop, country, jazz, and more across large arenas, amphitheaters, clubs, theaters, and festivals.
– Sports – Major pro sports leagues including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB as well as college sports, tennis, racing, and more.
– Theater – Musicals, plays, and other theatrical productions.
– Family events – Disney on Ice, monster trucks, the circus, and more.
– Comedy shows, speakers, and comedians.
In addition to tickets, they also facilitate ticket resales through partnerships with secondary marketplaces. They offer access to special VIP packages as well.
How does Ticketmaster sell tickets?
Ticketmaster utilizes multiple channels to sell event tickets:
– Website – Customers can search events and purchase tickets online at ticketmaster.com as well as affiliated resale marketplaces.
– Mobile app – iOS and Android apps allow for convenient ticket purchases on mobile devices.
– Phone – A toll-free number is provided for phone orders.
– Box office outlets – Tickets can be purchased at major arenas/stadium box offices.
– Retail locations – Select tickets are available at retail outlets like Walmart and Kroger stores.
– Facebook – Some event tickets are sold directly via Facebook social media post ads.
– Fan clubs – Ticketmaster powers fan club presales for many touring acts and artists.
– Corporate partnerships – Credit card companies, wireless providers, fast food chains, etc often provide presale ticket access.
Ticketmaster’s Market Share
Determining Ticketmaster’s exact market share is difficult as the ticketing industry is global, fragmented, and blends primary and secondary ticket sales. However, Ticketmaster is widely considered one of the top two primary ticket sellers alongside AXS and is recognized as a market leader. Some estimates of their share include:
– In the United States, 70-80% of major venue ticketing is controlled by Ticketmaster. This includes partnerships with arenas like Madison Square Garden and professional sports leagues like the NFL.
– For concert tickets sold online in the US, Ticketmaster has an estimated 80% market share.
– Globally, Ticketmaster sells tickets in over 30 countries and has an estimated 15% market share of worldwide ticketing revenue.
– Ticketmaster sells more than 500 million tickets per year which rivals all of its competitors.
So while exact figures are hard to confirm, Ticketmaster does appear to be the largest primary ticket seller in the world based on venue partnerships, online sales, and overall ticket volume moved. Its global footprint and promotion partnerships make it a dominant force in ticketing.
Who are Ticketmaster’s competitors?
While Ticketmaster is the dominant player, other large ticketing companies provide competition:
– AXS – Created by AEG, AXS sells tickets for many top venues, sports teams, and theaters. It is Ticketmaster’s chief rival in ticket sales.
– SeatGeek – Originally a ticket resale search engine, SeatGeek now tickets some venues directly competing with Ticketmaster.
– StubHub – Serves as one of the largest secondary ticket marketplaces with some primary sales. Owned by Viagogo.
– VividSeats – Ticket resale marketplace with increasing primary sales presence.
– Tix.com – Provides small-scale primary ticketing services.
– Altitude Tickets – Ticket seller for college sports teams and smaller venues.
– Paciolan – Primary ticketing for college athletics.
– Tickets.com – Provides primary ticketing systems for smaller venues.
| Company | Estimated Market Share |
|---|---|
| Ticketmaster | 70-80% |
| AXS | 10-15% |
| StubHub | 5% |
| SeatGeek | 1-2% |
| Others | 5-10% |
Ticketmaster Company Overview
Some key facts and figures about the scale and operations of Ticketmaster:
– Founded: 1976 in Phoenix, AZ
– Headquarters: Beverly Hills, CA
– Parent company: Live Nation Entertainment (since 2010 merger)
– Employees: 6,500+
– 2021 revenue: $1.4 billion
– Ticketing platforms power: 500+ venues, 130 professional sports teams, hundreds of music artists
– Tickets sold annually: 500+ million
– Websites: Ticketmaster.com, TM+, Live Nation, TicketWeb
– Mobile ticket share: 60% via apps
– Marketplace resale partners: NFL Ticket Exchange, NBATickets.com, NHL Ticket Exchange
– President: Amy Howe (replaced retiring co-founder Jared Smith in 2022)
Ticketmaster has grown from a computerized ticketing startup into an industry titan by consolidating venue partnerships and continually modernizing ticketing technology. The 2010 merger with concert promoter Live Nation created a vertically integrated empire controlling venues, events, ticket sales, resales, and more.
Key acquisitions
Ticketmaster has strengthened its position through major strategic acquisitions over the years:
– 1982: Acquired Ticketron, its chief early competitor
– 1991: Acquired TicketWeb, an early online ticketing service
– 1996: Partnered with the NFL to sell Super Bowl tickets
– 2008: Acquired TicketsNow, a secondary ticket marketplace
– 2008: Acquired Paciolan, a leader in college sports ticketing
– 2010: Merged with Live Nation to become Live Nation Entertainment
– 2011: Acquired Tickeyek, a Spanish ticketing company
– 2011: Partnered with Live Nation to launch secondary ticketing site TM+
– 2014: Acquired Front Gate Tickets, expanding festival/event ticketing
These key moves allowed Ticketmaster to expand its geographic reach, enter new ticketing segments, and control more of the vertical supply chain via the Live Nation merger.
How Ticketmaster Changed the Ticketing Industry
Ticketmaster transformed ticketing in several key ways since the 1970s:
Computerized ticketing
In the 1970s, most venue ticketing was manual, relying on printed manifests and cash registers. Ticketmaster developed the first computerized ticketing system with barcoded tickets and inventory control. This modernized ticket sales and distribution, reduced fraud, and streamlined box office operations.
Online ticketing
Ticketmaster.com launched in 1997, enabling customers to buy tickets online for the first time. Online sales now account for over half of all ticket transactions as web and mobile technology has evolved. Ticketmaster has continuously innovated online ticketing capabilities.
Service fees
Ticketmaster pioneered attached service fees to tickets to cover operational costs. This shifted pricing models to make fees transparent and normalized add-on costs. Service fees remain controversial but are now the industry standard.
Secondary ticketing
Ticketmaster has powered the secondary market by partnering with resellers and launching its own resale exchanges. This has helped expand avenues for ticket resales despite ongoing criticism over pricing.
Vertical integration
The 2010 Live Nation merger created a dominant vertically integrated company controlling ticketing platforms, major venues, concert promotion, artist management, and secondary exchanges all within one ecosystem. This has drawn anti-trust scrutiny.
Data analytics
As one of the largest ticketing platforms, Ticketmaster now utilizes data mining to optimize dynamic and surge pricing algorithms and uncover buyer trends. This increasingly influences ticketing strategy.
Ticketmaster revolutionized ticketing services and technology over the past 50 years through ongoing innovation, controversial fee models, strategic deals, and vertical integration. It has maintained a dominant position despite frequent customer dissatisfaction, competition, and industry criticism of its market power.
Recent Controversies and Criticism
Despite its market leading position, Ticketmaster has faced consistent criticism over its practices and fees from customers, watchdogs, and artists. Some recent controversies include:
Dynamic pricing backlash
In 2022, Ticketmaster came under fire for soaring concert ticket costs attributed to dynamic demand-based pricing. Fans accused the company of price gouging by imposing premiums up to 70% above list based on demand. Ticketmaster defended the practice as rational price differentiation. Multiple anti-trust probes into Live Nation were triggered as a result.
Excessive service fees
Customers and politicians have frequently decried Ticketmaster’s additional service fees that can add 25-40% to listed ticket face prices. Critics claim this amounts to misleading advertising and profit-seeking on captive audiences. Class action lawsuits have challenged this fee model.
Beyonce presale meltdown
In November 2022, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during presale for Beyonce’s upcoming world tour due to extreme demand. No tickets were sold for multiple dates as the system went down, resulting in uproar from disappointed fans. The company cited bot traffic causing unprecedented demand.
Taylor Swift ticket access debacle
When Taylor Swift tickets went on sale in November 2022, Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system was overwhelmed. Many fans waited hours but went home empty-handed due to insufficient ticket inventory. Swift cited “a lot of problems” and condemned Ticketmaster for the poor experience of her supporters.
Resale restrictions
Ticketmaster has also faced artist criticism for prohibited ticket resale restrictions seen as anti-consumer. In 2022, The Who forced Ticketmaster to lift all resale bans on their tour tickets, citing harm to ordinary fans. The practice remains controversial.
Antitrust scrutiny
Critics allege Ticketmaster and its 2010 merger with Live Nation violate antitrust laws through monopolistic control that stifles competition and harms consumers. Numerous legal challenges and probes into anti-competitive practices have plagued the company for years.
Despite its dominance, Ticketmaster has struggled to reconcile its profit motives with maintaining positive customer experiences. Tactics like surge pricing and service fees remain unpopular with consumers. Recent backlash has renewed calls for greater regulation and oversight of the company’s far-reaching ticketing empire.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ticketmaster is undoubtedly the largest primary ticket seller in the world based on venue/promoter partnerships, annual ticket sales, and its global ticketing footprint. While its exact market share is unclear, experts estimate Ticketmaster controls 70-80% of major venue ticketing and 80% of online concert ticket sales in North America through its entrenched position. It faces some rising competition but continues to dominate through aggressive acquisitions, new technology, and lucrative vertical alignment with promoter Live Nation.
Ticketmaster pioneered innovations like online ticketing and service fees but remains controversial for its market power, restrictive policies, and perceived profiteering. Despite frequent criticism, the company sells over 500 million tickets a year and its dominance persists given strong venue alliances and fan club presale exclusivity. While challengers like AXS, SeatGeek and resale players have made inroads, Ticketmaster retains its leadership status as the world’s top ticket seller for concerts, sports, theater and more. But anti-trust action may loom if critics successfully argue the ticketing giant’s practices stifle competition and consumer choice.
