Editor’s Be aware: This story initially appeared on The Penny Hoarder.
Folks have been complaining about ticket-selling platforms like Ticketmaster for a while now.
Who can blame them? Sellers typically stack on dozens, if not lots of, of {dollars} in charges on high of a ticket’s worth. In 2022, Ticketmaster had a mean of practically 116 million month-to-month customers. That type of base makes it onerous for rivals to interrupt by way of.
Lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and others are calling for Ticketmaster’s head, saying the corporate has an excessive amount of energy and it fees an excessive amount of cash as a result of it has no actual competitors.
“Each day reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, its merger with LiveNation ought to by no means have been permitted, and so they should be reined in,” AOC tweeted. “Break them up.”
Why Is It Like This?
There’s nothing extra disappointing than lacking out on seeing your favourite artist dwell in live performance. Sadly, it may be actually onerous for the typical Joe or Jane to attain tickets to see big-name artists with out paying an arm and a leg.
Live performance tickets get so costly as a result of skilled brokers gobble up massive chunks of them in the course of the presale and normal sale, typically enlisting unlawful bots to make bulk purchases.
Then the tickets get scalped — sorry, they get “legally resold” — on secondary market websites like StubHub, Vivid Seat or Ticketmaster, with wherever from a 50% to five,000% markup. It’s all completely authorized, regardless that it’s all a complete rip-off. We name this “fashionable life in America.”
Skip the Scalpers, Bypass the Bots
Why the excessive costs? Provide and demand.
Resale costs rise with excessive demand and as soon as the pandemic was over, demand skyrocketed.
Listed here are a number of ideas and methods on easy methods to get low-cost live performance tickets to your subsequent unforgettable present.
Get In On the Presale
Shopping for live performance tickets at face worth — particularly to high-profile stadium reveals like Beyoncé or lesser mortals who aren’t Beyoncé — is not any simple feat.
The presale interval may be the most effective time to snag low-cost tickets earlier than the sale is opened to most people.
Listed here are a number of methods to get in on that presale motion.
Develop into a (Tremendous) Fan
Becoming a member of an artist’s fan membership can get you early entry to their ticket gross sales.
You possibly can be part of a fan membership (examine the artist’s web site for particulars), join electronic mail lists or observe the social media accounts of your favourite artists to obtain early-access presale codes.
Some musicians even have road groups of volunteers. In change for spreading the phrase about your favourite band by placing up posters and posting about them on social media, you might be able to rating low cost tickets or at the least a presale code.
Whip Out Your Credit score Card
Whilst you at all times need to be cautious signing up for (and utilizing) a bank card, that small however mighty piece of plastic can generally be your ticket to the presale realm.
Ticketmaster, the primary web site for live performance ticket gross sales, typically affords unique presale alternatives to Chase, Citibank and American Categorical cardholders.
A rising variety of bank card firms additionally allow you to redeem your cash-back factors for dwell occasion tickets.
Capital One Leisure, for instance, permits cardholders to buy or redeem rewards for tickets to lots of of 1000’s of occasions worldwide, together with sporting occasions and dwell music.
Whether or not you carry one among Capital One’s journey playing cards or a easy cash-back card, you will get entry to presale occasions together with curated “unique” packages that may embrace issues like meet-and-greets not out there to most people.
Search On-line for Presale Codes
As a last-ditch effort to get your arms on a presale entry code, you may merely take to the web with a Google or Twitter search. “Artists identify” + “presale” will typically get you the place you need to be.
Purchase Tickets the Day They Drop
To buy live performance tickets to your dream present in the course of the normal sale interval, you must be fast — and are available ready.
Create an Account
Previous to the day tickets go on sale, create a person account on whichever web site you’ll be utilizing to buy your live performance tickets.
Nothing slows you down extra in these frantic moments between loading your cart and testing than having to create an account and fill out your whole data.
Make a Plan
Set your self up for achievement by making a plan. Have a look at a map of the venue to see how the completely different sections are labeled and resolve which space you’d prefer to be in.
That manner, on the day of the sale, you received’t find yourself panic-picking seats you’re not completely thrilled about.
Watch the Clock
Don’t simply set an alarm for the precise second the tickets are speculated to drop. Some gross sales roll out in phases, and the primary bunch could drop a couple of minutes earlier than the designated time (though there’s no telling when).
Both manner, you’ll need time to log into your account and prepare, so be sure to set a reminder for quarter-hour earlier than the precise on-sale time.
Velocity Counts
Get on-line utilizing the quickest Wi-Fi or wired web connection you may. A gradual web connection might severely impede your probabilities whenever you’re competing towards 1000’s of different followers (and machines).
Seize Your Ticket on the Go
Most ticket sale websites have a cell web site or telephone app, so that you don’t need to miss a sale simply because you may’t be tied to your house pc.
Relying on the pace of your system, it would even make sense to purchase live performance tickets in your telephone as a substitute of your common pc in case your cell system will get the job executed quicker.
Up Your Probabilities
In the event you plan on going to the present with a pal, have that particular person attempt to purchase tickets on the identical time on a distinct system.
This can up your odds of getting live performance tickets on the primary strive.
In the event you each (magically) find yourself shopping for two tickets, you may promote the extras by way of a verified resale web site. (Simply bear in mind to be a very good groupie and resist the urge to tear off different followers by jacking up the value.)
Energy in (Smaller) Numbers
In the event you’re going with an enormous group, you might need to separate up.
Shopping for a big chunk of tickets is tough, since even one already-bought seat might make the location cancel your total order. Determine forward of time who will sit with whom and plan on shopping for tickets in pairs as a substitute.
In the event you’re actually on a price range, you too can lower your expenses by sitting solo.
Blocks of seats are extra in style (and costlier) than single seats, so venues and ticket brokers typically promote remoted single seats at a reduced fee.
Search for Final-Minute Tickets
In the identical manner that waves of tickets could also be launched a bit early, some tickets could also be held till hours, days or even weeks later. Test again infrequently to see whether or not there are any extra tickets out there.
When scalpers and resellers fail to promote all their further tickets, they provide low-cost costs on the final minute to allow them to recoup a few of their preliminary prices.
The day earlier than or the day of an occasion is the most effective time to search out low-cost live performance tickets for those who missed the presale window.
It may be robust to attend till the final minute to safe your tickets, particularly for those who’re touring to the present and want to rearrange lodging.
However for those who dwell close to the venue and may preserve your calendar clear that night time, ready till the final minute is usually a nice alternative to get low-cost tickets.
Simply make sure that to purchase tickets from verified, third-party websites like StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats.
You’ll nonetheless pay charges however they’re typically cheaper than Ticketmaster’s bevy of fees.
It’s also possible to strive aggregator websites, like Ticketwood, which scans the online for the most effective offers from a number of resale websites directly.
Even for those who didn’t beat the bots, there are different methods to get low-cost live performance tickets — for those who’re prepared to get inventive.
Go for the Low-cost Seats in Low-cost Cities
Be prepared to compromise for nosebleeds if seeing Taylor Swift dwell is admittedly necessary to you. You’ll at all times pay extra for seats near the stage.
And bear in mind: Some tour dates and venues are cheaper than others. In the event you dwell inside driving distance of two main cities, examine ticket costs for each websites. You would possibly discover tickets are cheaper in Louisville, Kentucky, for instance, than in Nashville.
Strive the Field Workplace
You possibly can at all times shave a bit off the ticket worth by going on to the venue’s field workplace. Most theaters and arenas have a field workplace the place you should purchase live performance tickets instantly, avoiding ticket vendor service charges. Field workplace hours are restricted so make sure that to examine what hours they’re open earlier than you go to.
Work the Occasion
Contact the venue to see if occasion workers or safety get free tickets or reductions. You received’t get to hang around and chill out like a typical concertgoer, however you may save a ton of cash on tickets or get entry to a sold-out present.
Win a Ticket
Typically bands, music venues and radio stations supply free live performance tickets. Chances are you’ll should be caller quantity X to get a pair of free tickets on the radio. Observe your native radio stations or favourite bands on social media so you may find out about giveaways and contests.
Strive Groupon
Groupon affords nice offers on plenty of native occasions and actions — together with sports activities tickets and concert events.
You possibly can rating discounted tickets on Groupon, particularly for reveals lower than two months away. For instance, garden seats for Prepare and Jewel in live performance in Tampa, Florida, had been out there for $20 on Groupon — however went for $35 on Ticketmaster. The seats most likely may not have been nice, but it surely’s a manner to economize.
