Editing Ticketmaster (section)

== Products and services ==
[[File:Ticketmaster paper ticket.jpg|right|thumb|A Ticketmaster paper ticket]]
Ticketmaster sells tickets that its clients make available to it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/07/11/online-ticket-sale-fees/|title=How To Avoid Online Ticket Sale Fees|date=2017-07-11|access-date=2019-04-22}}</ref> In 2009, Ticketmaster released a digital ticketing system that required customers to prove their identity prior to purchase. The company believed this would help circumvent brokers and scalpers.<ref name="MSNBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32898804|title=Ticketmaster tries to cut out scalpers again – Business – Retail – NBCNews.com|website=[[NBC News]]|date=2009-09-17|access-date=2013-10-10}}</ref>

In 2016, Ticketmaster released a statement in favor of the [[Better Online Tickets Sales Act|Better Online Ticket Sales Act]] (BOTS Act), which banned the use of ticket bots to buy large amounts of tickets online and resell them at inflated prices.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7625257/president-obama-signs-bots-act-law|title=President Obama Signs Anti-Scalping Bill Into Law|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2019-06-13}}</ref> The following year, the company filed a lawsuit against the ticket broker Prestige Entertainment after the company used bots to buy more than 30,000 tickets to the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play "[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/ticketmaster-hamilton-prestige-entertainment-renaissance-ventures-1202578292/|title=Ticketmaster Says Bot Army Bought 30,000 'Hamilton' Tickets|last1=Maddaus|first1=Gene|date=2017-10-02|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2019-06-13}}</ref>

The company reported nearly 500 million tickets sold for 400,000 events in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=28 February 2019 |title=Live Nation Posts Another Record Year, Revenue Up 11% |url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/live-nation-earnings-another-record-year-1203152480/ |url-status=live |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |location= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218100132/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/live-nation-earnings-another-record-year-1203152480/ |archive-date=18 February 2021 |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref>

In November 2020, Ticketmaster announced it will check the [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] [[COVID-19 vaccine|vaccination]] status of ticket buyers before issuing passes when live events return in 2021. Fans that either failed to verify their vaccination status or tested positive would be denied access to the event.<ref>{{cite web |date=2020-11-12 |title=Ticketmaster To Verify COVID Vaccination Status Of Fans Before Issuing Concert Passes |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/11/12/ticketmaster-concert-covid-vaccine-coronavirus-testing-tickets/ |author=CBSLA Staff |website=losangeles.cbslocal.com |access-date=2020-11-13 |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415175146/https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/11/12/ticketmaster-concert-covid-vaccine-coronavirus-testing-tickets/ |archive-date=2021-04-15}}</ref>

=== Pricing ===
The face value of Ticketmaster tickets is determined by the artist or client.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.laweekly.com/music/ticketmaster-and-servants-bands-get-cut-of-service-fee-2158605|title=Ticketmaster and Servants: Bands Get Cut of Service Fee|last=Roberts|first=Randall|date=2009-03-04|access-date=2019-04-12}}</ref> In addition to the face value price, venues and Ticketmaster add fees to pay for their services.<ref name="npr1">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/09/podcast_the_economics_of_ticke.html|title=The Economics Of Ticketmaster : Planet Money|last=Conaway|first=Laura|date=2009-09-02|publisher=NPR|access-date=2013-10-10}}</ref>

Typically, fees added to a ticket's face value have included:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/08/Ticketmaster-a-new-era-of-transperancy-or-smoke-mirrors-.html|title=Ticketmaster's new blog: 'We get it -- you don't like service fees'|date=2010-08-23|access-date=2019-04-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/arts/music/string-cheese-incident-takes-on-ticketmaster.html|title=String Cheese Incident Takes On Ticketmaster|last=Sisario|date=2012-05-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-12}}</ref><ref name="tmHelp">Ticketmaster Help, "How are ticket prices and fees determined?". 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210718080256/https://help%2Eticketmaster%2Ecom/s/article/How-are-ticket-prices-and-fees-determined%3Flanguage%3Den_US%20 Archived.]</ref>

*'''Facility charge''' – Charge added by the venue.
*'''Delivery fee''' – Charges added dependent on the ticket delivery method and credit card processing fees.
*'''Service fee''' – Sum of charges added based on the "agreement with each client (artists)" and the order processing fee. Ticketmaster "may earn a profit on the order processing fee".<ref name="tmHelp" />

As the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' has explained, "the 'service fee' is intentionally kept separate from the list price for two reasons: to make the base price of a ticket appear more affordable, and to create the impression that only Ticketmaster pockets that fee."<ref name="Brown">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=August |title=Hating Ticketmaster long predates the Taylor Swift fiasco |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-01-23/ticketmaster-live-nation-taylor-swift-pearl-jam |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 23, 2023}}</ref>  In other words, "Ticketmaster is effectively paid to be a punching bag" for consumer frustration with opaque add-on fees, and then some of the fees find their way back to the artist or venue.<ref name="Brown" /> Utilizing such subterfuge to extract additional revenue from fans without arousing direct backlash towards themselves has become increasingly important for artists. The collapse of record album sales after the year 2000 means that as of the 2020s, 95 percent of artist income comes from [[concert tour]]s.<ref name="Tkacik">{{cite news |last1=Tkacik |first1=Maureen |last2=Brown |first2=Krista |title=Ticketmaster's Dark History: A 40-year saga of kickbacks, threats, political maneuvering, and the humiliation of Pearl Jam |url=https://prospect.org/power/ticketmasters-dark-history/ |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=The American Prospect |date=December 21, 2022}}</ref>

Fee amounts vary between events and are dependent on the venue, available delivery methods, and preferences of the artist.<ref name=":3" /> Some economists and activist groups have claimed that high ticket prices are due to a lack of competition within the music industry.<ref name="npr1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/02/11/ticketmaster-live-nation-tickets-concerts-business-media_0211_tickets.html#6d05626a6300|title=Angry About Tickets? Here's Who To Blame|last=Randall|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[jam band]] [[The String Cheese Incident]] gave fans money to purchase 400 tickets to one of its shows in order to resell them on its own site with fewer fees. The band said they were protesting Ticketmaster's ticket fees, while Ticketmaster argued that the band was taking revenue from venues and promoters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/arts/music/string-cheese-incident-takes-on-ticketmaster.html|title=String Cheese Incident Takes On Ticketmaster|last=Sisario|first=Ben|date=2012-05-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-13|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5936870/incident_fight_ticketmaster|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228012512/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5936870/incident_fight_ticketmaster|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-02-28|title=News|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2013-10-10}}</ref>

As of 2016, ticket resale was Ticketmaster's fastest growing business.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/d37c634c-e777-11e5-a09b-1f8b0d268c39 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/d37c634c-e777-11e5-a09b-1f8b0d268c39 |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Live Nation calls for more aggressive ticket pricing from artists|first=Robert|last=Cookson|newspaper=Financial Times|date=13 March 2016}}</ref>

In 2022, Ticketmaster was experimenting with a demand-based, dynamic pricing which would vary the ticket price based upon demand. The new system is touted to give artists a higher share of the revenues that would otherwise be coming through resale ticket sales.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ticketmaster announces major change which could see tickets prices soar |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ticketmaster-major-change-ticket-prices-131507105.html |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=uk.news.yahoo.com |date=October 10, 2022 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In May 2025, Ticketmaster announced it would start showing how much buyers paid for tickets — fees included — before checkout. The company announced the “All In Prices” initiative as part of its efforts to comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on junk fees, which goes into effect on May 12th 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-12 |title=Ticketmaster proudly announces it will follow the law and show prices up-front |url=https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/ticketmaster-proudly-announces-it-will-follow-the-law-and-show-prices-up-front-194624489.html |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}}</ref>