The Cure is an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Crawley, England. The band originally consisted of Robert Smith (vocals, guitar), Michael Dempsey (bass), and Lol Tolhurst (drums). Over the years, The Cure has gone through several lineup changes with frontman Robert Smith being the only constant member. Some of their most popular songs include “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Friday I’m In Love,” and “Just Like Heaven.” The Cure is known for creating songs in the gothic rock and new wave genres and Smith’s unique singing voice. They have released 13 studio albums and are critically acclaimed for their atmospheric, melancholy sound. The Cure was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Ticketmaster is a ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California. It merged with Live Nation in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment, the largest live entertainment company in the world. Ticketmaster sells tickets for concerts, sports games, theater shows, and other live events. It dominates the ticket sales market, with over 80% market share in the United States. The company has exclusive contracts with many major venues and artists. Ticketmaster has faced criticism over the years for its fees and service charges, which can add more than 25% to the base ticket price. There have also been complaints about its monopoly in the industry.
In late 2022, The Cure announced a 2023 North American tour after not touring in the region since 2016. The announcement sparked excitement among longtime fans who were eager to see the legendary band perform live again. However, controversy arose when tickets went on sale on Ticketmaster in October 2022. Ticket prices were unaffordable for many fans, with tickets costing several hundred dollars each even before fees. Fans were outraged at what they perceived as price gouging by Ticketmaster.
High Ticket Prices
Ticket prices for The Cure’s 2023 tour ranged from $99 to $399 before fees, with most shows having an average ticket price of around $200. For comparison, tickets for The Cure’s 2016 tour had an average price of $67. When dynamic pricing and Ticketmaster’s service fees were added, tickets for the 2023 tour came out to $150 to $600 each.
Many venues on The Cure’s tour utilized Ticketmaster’s “Official Platinum Seats” pricing, which uses an algorithm to adjust prices based on demand. The platinum tickets at some shows were over $1000 each before fees. Fans accused Ticketmaster of drastically inflating prices and making the tickets unaffordable for average fans. A ticket that originally cost $99 could end up being $350+ after all the additions.
The Cure did not escape criticism either. Some fans blamed the band for allowing the high ticket prices since Ticketmaster is the exclusive ticket sales partner for all the venues on the tour. The band did not make any statements about Ticketmaster’s pricing during the on-sale period.
High Fees
In addition to the high upfront cost, Ticketmaster added substantial service fees and order processing fees onto every ticket purchase. Fees ranged from 25% to 40% of the base ticket price.
Ticketmaster has received ongoing backlash for its excessive fees, which can frequently double or triple the initial ticket price. The company charges the following fees:
– Service fee – Charged on every ticket and ranges from 10% to 25% of the base price. This is Ticketmaster’s main profit source.
– Order processing fee – A fixed charge around $5-15 per ticket order.
– Facility charge – A fee passed to the client by the venue, usually $2-10 per ticket.
– Shipping/delivery fee – For printed or mobile tickets. Can be $5-$25 per order.
These fees generated over $2 billion in revenue for Ticketmaster in 2021. However, fans viewed the fees as a greedy cash grab by Ticketmaster that only existed due to its monopolized position in ticket sales.
Ticket Price | Fees | Total Cost |
---|---|---|
$99 | $35 | $134 |
$199 | $65 | $264 |
$299 | $90 | $389 |
This table shows sample fees for The Cure ticket purchases.
Limited Ticket Availability
Many venues on The Cure’s tour sold out immediately when tickets went on sale. Fans reported having tickets snatched away from them mid-transaction as inventory ran out.
After the initial sell-out, more tickets trickled out over the following days and weeks leading up to the shows. These were likely held back for presales or released from the venues. However, prices for the newly released tickets were often higher due to Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing system.
Fans suspected that Ticketmaster artificially limited inventory to create a scarcity effect and drive up demand. This tactic frustrated fans who couldn’t get tickets even when refreshing and waiting in online queues right at the sale start time. Many accused Ticketmaster of holding back tickets to sell on the secondary market for higher prices.
Lack of Transparency
Beyond just the high prices, fans were upset over a lack of transparency in Ticketmaster’s fees and ticket distribution tactics.
Ticketmaster does not break down exactly what its various service and processing fees actually cover. The company claims the fees help offset its technology investments and overhead costs. But many view the vagueness of the fees as a way for Ticketmaster to obscure how much it’s profiting from each ticket sale.
There is also no visibility into how tickets are allocated. Ticketmaster claims it reserves the majority of tickets for public on-sales. But fans suspect the company prioritizes presales, holds back inventory, and uses other methods to manipulate supply. Without transparency into how many tickets are actually released at what prices, the public has no way to verify Ticketmaster’s inventory practices.
The lack of transparency bred distrust and frustration that Ticketmaster was not dealing honestly or ethically with fans.
Barriers to Entry for Competition
Ticketmaster maintains its dominant position in part by making it difficult for meaningful competition to emerge. The company signs exclusive ticketing deals with major venues and artists that shut out competitors. Some of these exclusive contracts extend 5-10 years. Ticketmaster then implements barriers that discourage venues and teams from using other platforms:
– **Exclusive contracting:** Requires clients to use Ticketmaster as their sole ticket provider. This shuts out competitors from huge portions of the live event industry.
– **Revenue guarantees:** Provides minimum earning guarantees to clients that competitors can’t match.
– **Bundling deals:** Discounts and incentives for venues that use Ticketmaster for multiple services (ticketing, merchandise, marketing). Makes it harder for newcomers to get business.
– **Technical hurdles:** Proprietary systems and integration requirements make it hard for venues to switch ticketing platforms. Provides inertia in Ticketmaster’s favor.
These tactics make it extremely difficult for any real challengers to gain a foothold in the industry. Thus, Ticketmaster maintains little incentive to improve its pricing policies or customer experience. Without the fear of losing business, the company can get away with unpopular practices like high fees and secretive inventory allotments.
Venue Dependence on Ticketmaster
In many cases, venues are willing or compulsory participants in Ticketmaster’s pricing schemes. Due to exclusive deals, venues have no other way to sell primary tickets besides Ticketmaster platforms.
By contract, venues must turn over a majority of tickets to Ticketmaster to distribute. This forces venues to comply with whatever prices, fees, and sales tactics Ticketmaster employs. Even if some venues want to make tickets more affordable, they have limited control once the tickets are on Ticketmaster systems.
Venues also became dependent on the revenue guarantees and bundled services Ticketmaster provides. As funding from corporate sponsorships and other sources dried up in recent decades, Ticketmaster’s income guarantees and data-driven offerings became vital for venues’ bottom lines.
While venues provide the space and operational costs for live events, many rely heavily on the income from Ticketmaster ticketing deals to stay solvent and profitable. This gives Ticketmaster additional leverage over venues when it comes to determining ticket distribution and pricing.
Bot and Scalper Activity
In addition to Ticketmaster’s own practices, The Cure tour became a prime target for ticket scalping bots and resellers. Due to pent up demand from the band not touring since 2016, the shows offered scalpers an opportunity for huge profits.
Scalping bots target high-demand events and snap up large blocks of tickets the moment sales open to the public. The bots then immediately list the tickets on secondary resale sites at inflated prices. Ticketmaster has been criticized for inadequate bot detection and mitigation on its sales platforms.
Professional ticket brokers also acquired inventory through presales and other sources to resell at big markups. For The Cure shows, resale tickets were going for 2-5x face value within minutes of the public on-sales.
Ticketmaster itself also profited from the dynamic pricing on resold tickets via its secondary ticketing service, TradeDesk. TradeDesk enables the company to collect fees again whenever a ticket is resold through its platform.
While Ticketmaster technically prohibits ticket scalping, the company still benefited financially from the hyper-inflated secondary ticket market around The Cure’s tour.
Public Backlash
As the high ticket costs, hidden fees, and lack of ticket availability became apparent, The Cure fans voiced their outrage and displeasure:
– Social media platforms were flooded with angry comments directed at the band, Ticketmaster, and the venues. Fans accused them of greed and intentionally excluding the average fan.
– Several petitions were started urging The Cure to take action on ticket prices. One Change.org petition accumulated over 75,000 signatures.
– Fans called on Attorney Generals to investigate Ticketmaster for predatory practices and antitrust violations. Numerous complaints were filed with consumer protection agencies.
– Boycott threats and hashtags like #BoycottTicketmaster circulated, urging fans to skip The Cure’s tour or buy strictly from resellers.
– Media coverage highlighted outraged fan reactions and called the tour a “debacle” for The Cure’s legacy. The band faced pressure to respond.
– Some fans lined up at venues on concert days in hopes of buying cheaper last-minute tickets. Venues were mocked for not selling many tickets this way.
The public outcry signaled growing discontent with Ticketmaster’s business practices. Even legacy artists like The Cure faced backlash for aligning themselves with the company. However, meaningful change is difficult to achieve given Ticketmaster’s entrenched position in the industry.
The Cure’s Reaction
After receiving extensive criticism, The Cure issued a statement about 10 days after the North American tour on-sale dates. The band said they were unaware of Ticketmaster’s specific pricing strategies and “as shocked and disappointed as their fans” about the inflated ticket costs.
The Cure claimed their tour contract with venues gave them no control or visibility into Ticketmaster’s additional fees, dynamic pricing, or inventory allocations. They said they could not intervene directly in Ticketmaster’s practices.
However, the band said they contacted their business partners and Ticketmaster directly to address fan grievances. The Cure vowed to ensure more affordable options would be made available for future tours.
Specific actions they took included:
– Negotiating with venues to release more $99 price tier tickets for each show. Additional discounted tickets were gradually released via “developer presales” in the weeks after the initial on-sales.
– Absorbing some of Ticketmaster’s fees so they did not get passed onto fans. This resulted in small reductions in some of the fees.
– Strongly encouraging Ticketmaster to improve sales practices and fee transparency for future tours. No visible changes were immediately apparent, but the band said they intended to be more selective about ticketing partners moving forward.
While The Cure took steps to release more accessible ticket inventory, prices largely remained high in the resale market. With the tour dates fast approaching, there was limited ability to drastically impact prices or Ticketmaster’s practices for this particular tour.
However, the fan complaints appeared effective in bringing the issue to the band’s attention and getting them more involved in the ticketing process. Increased artist and fan pressure could potentially reshape unfair ticketing practices in the longer term. But given Ticketmaster’s level of industry control, major changes seem unlikely in the near future without intervention from legal authorities. The Cure’s clashes with Ticketmaster demonstrated how even huge bands often have little power to counteract Ticketmaster’s shadowy pricing and sales tactics.
Conclusion
The Cure’s 2023 North American tour prompted intense criticism against Ticketmaster for exorbitantly high ticket prices that excluded many longtime fans. Scrutiny fell on Ticketmaster’s inflated service fees, opaque ticket distribution practices, and unchecked dynamic pricing.
The Cure faced backlash for partnering with Ticketmaster but claimed they were unaware of the company’s specific pricing and sales policies. After fans’ vociferous complaints, The Cure did work behind the scenes to release more affordable tickets and lower some fees for this tour. However, Ticketmaster’s monopolistic tactics remain largely intact, against the band’s wishes.
The incident illuminated the extensive control Ticketmaster exerts over tour ticketing even when artists speak out against their practices. Until structural changes open up competition in the industry, Ticketmaster retains the leverage to continue overcharging fans by The Cure and countless other artists. Artists must actively challenge accepted norms around partnerships, exclusivity, and vendor control if they want to make ticket prices fair and accessible again.