Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
121–130 of 250 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#122Many of the other commenters have explained how the ownership structure of Ticketmaster gives them near monopoly control because they also own the radio stations and the venues and the promoters. (I'm using "they" and "own" very liberally in this paragraph.) The simple fact that there's an ownership link between Ticketmaster and the scalper I mean totally legit resale sites is so wildly corrupt that, well, it's textb…
OASIS did that one when they announced their return tour. "We have no control over the ticket prices"
Yeah you do, there's no show without you...
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#123Many of the other commenters have explained how the ownership structure of Ticketmaster gives them near monopoly control because they also own the radio stations and the venues and the promoters. (I'm using "they" and "own" very liberally in this paragraph.) The simple fact that there's an ownership link between Ticketmaster and the scalper I mean totally legit resale sites is so wildly corrupt that, well, it's textb…
OASIS did that one when they announced their return tour. "We have no control over the ticket prices" Yeah you do, there's no show without you...
[dead]
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#124Ticketmaster obviously sucks, and their monopolistic business practices deserve a close look by regulators. But the core of it is that an unregulated ticket market actually supports these prices. Fans keep showing that they're willing to dig deep and outbid each other to attend these events in person. Ticketmaster realizes this, and have set up a business model that extracts accordingly. I think this is where us Amer…
Looking at the world cup ticket prices gives me a mini heart attack. I don't know who is responsible for such high prices (maybe a combination of FIFA and Ticketmaster?), but goddamn these prices are insane. It is going to price out most people. Either that, or people are going to get into debt, just to see a couple of matches to see their favorite teams play.
FIFA has switched to "variable pricing" under Infantino. Ticketmaster's just riding his coattails.
> It is going to price out most people.
Pretty much. I guess FIFA just figured they'd make more money milking the already rich. They must've seen the Superbowl finals performance and figured that broligarchs will pay those rates.
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Looking at the world cup ticket prices gives me a mini heart attack. I don't know who is responsible for such high prices (maybe a combination of FIFA and Ticketmaster?), but goddamn these prices are insane. It is going to price out most people. Either that, or people are going to get into debt, just to see a couple of matches to see their favorite teams play.
Stadiums are still going to be full, that’s why it will keep happening. People voting with their wallets goes both ways.
> "Every match is already sold out," Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in February. "We keep some tickets back for some last-minute sales, of course, but every match is sold out."
> Like most things about this World Cup, the reality appears to be different.
> Fifa should not have a problem selling out the games featuring the marquee teams - Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany and Spain, to name a few.
> We should be able to say the same about the host nations, but Fifa has priced these games so highly that only two of the nine matches featuring Canada, Mexico or the United States are officially sold out.
> on Saturday there were close to 74,000 tickets available across 86 of the 104 matches.
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#126There's a lot of good responses here, which I agree with. Namely: it works for them and anti-trust law (enforcement) is weak. Competing with a such a well-engineered, deep (vertical integration, etc.) monopoly is extremely difficult and the smart business strategy for a ~startup in the space is to sell out to Ticketmaster. Attempting to challenge them on their turf is more or less impossible at least as a relatively small entity.
But I'm interested in the framing of the question. You say "yet", "still" ... when there was. There was a healthy (at least healthier) market that was cynically, systematically corrupted over years/decades to get to the state its in today. During that period, there were warning signs. There was a lack of an effective counter to the behaviour. It's easy to say that "nobody cared" which isn't quite true, of course. Nobody in a position of power cared. The venues were in a precarious position by default -- easy to squeeze. The acts aren't your friend, they're businesses. Regular people that speak up about this sort of thing get silenced because "businesses exist to make money".
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#127The older I get, the less interested I am in seeing big bands. I'm lucky to live in an area with a great local music scene, plenty of independent venues. I can't think of a single band I'd pay these extortionate prices for, I'd much rather support a local band and local venue.
Are you suggesting that others should share your musical taste in order to punish Ticketmaster?
Regardless of taste, it's mostly up to consumers to keep prices in check, by saying No at some point
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#128FWIW the most popular and renowned venue in my town doesn't use Ticketmaster — it uses a domestic alternative, as do a lot of venues where I am.
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#129Many of the other commenters have explained how the ownership structure of Ticketmaster gives them near monopoly control because they also own the radio stations and the venues and the promoters. (I'm using "they" and "own" very liberally in this paragraph.) The simple fact that there's an ownership link between Ticketmaster and the scalper I mean totally legit resale sites is so wildly corrupt that, well, it's textb…
OASIS did that one when they announced their return tour. "We have no control over the ticket prices" Yeah you do, there's no show without you...
What incentive would Oasis have to help bring down the prices for their own shows anyway?
Re: Ask HN: Why hasn't there been a real competitor to Ticketmaster yet?
#130>With all the hate Ticketmaster has gotten [...], I'm surprised Ticketmaster still has a hold of pretty much the entire market. How are they doing this? This question is a common mystery because you're using the perspective of the fans . E.g. "I hate Tickemaster ridiculous fees because it's price gouging, etc" But the mystery of Ticketmaster being dominant is solved once you understand it from the perspective of the…
so wait, the problem isn't actually TM, but its the big-name artists? (not disputing what you wrote, just surprised I guess)
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