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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are bands just greedy these days?

104 replies

Bustop20 · 27/09/2023 18:05

Presale for take that today. People bought the album in the belief they could get tickets this morning using the special code, many found the ticket site crashed or couldn’t cope with demand.

The tickets from the presale this morning are already being advertised in places online for three times their face value.

It’s the same story for every major band

Are bands like Take That just greedy and using the idea of a presale to boost album sales?

AIBU to wonder why we can’t ban the resale of concert tickets? Instead, introduce the concept of taking out insurance incase you miss the gig? You can’t resell your aeroplane tickets nor your train tickets, why can you sell on your concert tickets?! Obviously this wouldn’t work in the favour of big ticket resellers online or the bands getting extra publicity and album sales from fans going to any length to get tickets but it make sense to me.

OP posts:
Greedybilly · 27/09/2023 18:43

Sad that you don't get a real paper ticket anymore too. Still got my Stone Rose's ticket from 96.x

Throughabushbackwards · 27/09/2023 18:43

£120 is nothing! I know a family who paid £600 a head for some kind of VIP Taylor Swift tickets. If they sell out the concerts at that price why wouldn't they hike it up? It's kind of how capitalism works.

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:43

It’s entirely possible for bands to protect fans by only allowing reselling of gig tickets on Twickets. Most bands choose not to do this so yes, greed.

Takoneko · 27/09/2023 18:44

Bustop20 · 27/09/2023 18:05

Presale for take that today. People bought the album in the belief they could get tickets this morning using the special code, many found the ticket site crashed or couldn’t cope with demand.

The tickets from the presale this morning are already being advertised in places online for three times their face value.

It’s the same story for every major band

Are bands like Take That just greedy and using the idea of a presale to boost album sales?

AIBU to wonder why we can’t ban the resale of concert tickets? Instead, introduce the concept of taking out insurance incase you miss the gig? You can’t resell your aeroplane tickets nor your train tickets, why can you sell on your concert tickets?! Obviously this wouldn’t work in the favour of big ticket resellers online or the bands getting extra publicity and album sales from fans going to any length to get tickets but it make sense to me.

I find it really confusing that you think this is the band being greedy.

They priced their tickets low enough that the website crashed because so many people wanted to buy them. If touts can resell them for three times the face value then they are priced well below “market” rate.

The fact is that there are a finite number of tickets which are not enough to meet demand. When demand far outstrips supply you end up with upwards pressure on ticket prices and it will be hugely profitable to resell tickets.

This is just what streaming and ticketmaster have done to the music industry.

OnAFrolicOfMyOwn · 27/09/2023 18:44

at least a law put in so they can't be resold for more than the initial purchase price.

That's all that would be needed in theory although they'd still be sold for higher amounts under the table.

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:45

Twickets sells gig tickets at face value.

StopStartStop · 27/09/2023 18:45

It's really hard to make money as a musician nowadays.

Pollyannamex · 27/09/2023 18:46

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:43

It’s entirely possible for bands to protect fans by only allowing reselling of gig tickets on Twickets. Most bands choose not to do this so yes, greed.

This is entirely false. Bands are not able to stop people reselling on secondary markets. They have no control once the ticket has been sold.

do you think they get any more money for it being sold twice? Because they don’t…

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:47

Pollyannamex · 27/09/2023 18:46

This is entirely false. Bands are not able to stop people reselling on secondary markets. They have no control once the ticket has been sold.

do you think they get any more money for it being sold twice? Because they don’t…

Show quote history

Wrong . Pixies made a condition of ticket sales when they played at the Roundhouse that reselling would only be allowed on Twickets.

Pollyannamex · 27/09/2023 18:47

StopStartStop · 27/09/2023 18:45

It's really hard to make money as a musician nowadays.

This is the truest comment on this thread 😂

maybe I should do an AMA on live music ticketing

kitsuneghost · 27/09/2023 18:48

Sirzy · 27/09/2023 18:43

If you bring in insurance for people who can’t make it your just going to push the ticket prices up even higher though to cover that so I don’t think it’s the magic answer your hoping for.

Ticketbastard do ticket insurance already. It's about 3 quid.

ButWhatAboutTheBees · 27/09/2023 18:48

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:43

It’s entirely possible for bands to protect fans by only allowing reselling of gig tickets on Twickets. Most bands choose not to do this so yes, greed.

It is entirely NOT possible

Touts will resell the tickets, sometimes more than once, which causes issues for the venue when they can't let everyone in

See Peter Kay recently

Sirzy · 27/09/2023 18:49

realistically if people are willing to pay over the odds for tickets then the touts will find a way.

BodegaSushi · 27/09/2023 18:49

The issue is the fools fans falling for that shit.

I agree with you about resales, I think rules are quite strict for TS tour, can only resell through the specific app, and can only mark-up but a small percentage.

But again, if people want to go around it and try to purchase from an unauthorised seller, more fool them.

kitsuneghost · 27/09/2023 18:50

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:47

Wrong . Pixies made a condition of ticket sales when they played at the Roundhouse that reselling would only be allowed on Twickets.

Show quote history

How did the doorstaff know where you bought your resale ticket?
How do you know they were enforcing it?

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:50

ButWhatAboutTheBees · 27/09/2023 18:48

It is entirely NOT possible

Touts will resell the tickets, sometimes more than once, which causes issues for the venue when they can't let everyone in

See Peter Kay recently

Show quote history

Nope. The Roundhouse were incredibly strict checking ID against tickets , or checking the new ticket holder against a Twicket purchase . Obviously this is time consuming and more difficult at a bigger gig but it shows it is possible to protect fans from greed.

Grumpyold · 27/09/2023 18:51

Surely the fact that tickets will sell at several times face value means bands aren't greedy, but could be selling tickets for a lot more?

Sirzy · 27/09/2023 18:51

kitsuneghost · 27/09/2023 18:48

Ticketbastard do ticket insurance already. It's about 3 quid.

Show quote history

yes but the way OP is talking she wants it to be an automatic for everyone who can’t go for whatever reason.

i have claimed before from a Theatre insurance having paid the extra (I think it was atg but can’t remember) and rightly had to provide evidence as to why we couldn’t go - medical reasons etc. It was all done by a third party company not the ticket seller.

kitsuneghost · 27/09/2023 18:52

Sirzy · 27/09/2023 18:49

realistically if people are willing to pay over the odds for tickets then the touts will find a way.

Absolutely this.
Everyone buying them over the odds seem to have an ah but...me attitude. They complain, buy and don't see that they are the problem.

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:52

kitsuneghost · 27/09/2023 18:50

How did the doorstaff know where you bought your resale ticket?
How do you know they were enforcing it?

Show quote history

Because I bought my ticket from Twicket and had to prove it at the door.

BodegaSushi · 27/09/2023 18:53

Meanwhile I paid £90 to see backstreet boys last year in pretty decent seats. I wouldn't pay more than that. Hoping they 'N Sync does a reunion tour and has similar pricing.

Pollyannamex · 27/09/2023 18:53

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:47

Wrong . Pixies made a condition of ticket sales when they played at the Roundhouse that reselling would only be allowed on Twickets.

Show quote history

Yes they can say that that site is their ‘official partner’, and they can advise fans to only use Twickets

but how, in reality can they stop them going on other sites? They can certainly cancel the tickets that they can see on other sites (when
people are stupid enough to upload identifying information) and they can ask those sites to remove them (spoiler alert: they don’t)

but they have no power to stop them as it’s not illegal to do so. unless you are Rammstein with unlimited money and lawyers to take them on, which not many bands have

(25 years experience in live music ticketing speaking here btw)

Pollyannamex · 27/09/2023 18:54

kitsuneghost · 27/09/2023 18:50

How did the doorstaff know where you bought your resale ticket?
How do you know they were enforcing it?

Show quote history

They didn’t and they weren’t…they can cancel tickets that they find online if they can trace them. But that’s about it.

HappiestSleeping · 27/09/2023 18:54

megletthesecond · 27/09/2023 18:19

They don't make money from music anymore though. Years ago when we bought music (I was happy to continue paying £1 per download) the tickets were cheap. Now we can't buy tracks tours are expensive.

This 👆

In the old days, the bands toured to promote the album sales as that was how they made their money. With piracy and streaming, they no longer sell albums so they tour for money.

Also, the technology required is huge, which has its associated cost. Roadies are all technicians now, not roadies, and the shows are a great deal more elaborate.

It's a shame, but it's a consequence of streaming services who give virtually nothing to the artists.

Sunnyeggyp · 27/09/2023 18:55

Pollyannamex · 27/09/2023 18:53

Yes they can say that that site is their ‘official partner’, and they can advise fans to only use Twickets

but how, in reality can they stop them going on other sites? They can certainly cancel the tickets that they can see on other sites (when
people are stupid enough to upload identifying information) and they can ask those sites to remove them (spoiler alert: they don’t)

but they have no power to stop them as it’s not illegal to do so. unless you are Rammstein with unlimited money and lawyers to take them on, which not many bands have

(25 years experience in live music ticketing speaking here btw)

Show quote history

I suppose it then falls to the integrity of the venue to check the ticket purchase.