Editor’s Word: 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 usually stack on dozens, if not tons of, of {dollars} in charges on prime of a ticket’s value. In 2022, Ticketmaster had a median of practically 116 million month-to-month customers. That form 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 expenses an excessive amount of cash as a result of it has no actual competitors.
“Every day reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, its merger with LiveNation ought to by no means have been accredited, and so they must 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 common 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 huge chunks of them throughout the presale and common sale, usually 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 anyplace from a 50% to five,000% markup. It’s all completely authorized, despite the fact that it’s all a complete rip-off. We name this “trendy 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 below are a number of suggestions and tips on how one can 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 exhibits like Beyoncé or lesser mortals who aren’t Beyoncé — is not any straightforward feat.
The presale interval is perhaps the very best time to snag low cost tickets earlier than the sale is opened to most people.
Listed below are a number of methods to get in on that presale motion.
Turn out to be a (Tremendous) Fan
Becoming a member of an artist’s fan membership can get you early entry to their ticket gross sales.
You’ll be able to be a part of a fan membership (verify 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 avenue groups of volunteers. In trade 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 very least a presale code.
Whip Out Your Credit score Card
Whilst you all the time need to be cautious signing up for (and utilizing) a bank card, that small however mighty piece of plastic can typically be your ticket to the presale realm.
Ticketmaster, the principle website for live performance ticket gross sales, usually presents unique presale alternatives to Chase, Citibank and American Specific cardholders.
A rising variety of bank card corporations 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 hundreds of thousands of events worldwide, together with sporting occasions and dwell music.
Whether or not you carry one in all 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 embody 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 fingers on a presale entry code, you possibly can merely take to the web with a Google or Twitter search. “Artists identify” + “presale” will usually get you the place you need to be.
Purchase Tickets the Day They Drop
To buy live performance tickets to your dream present throughout the common sale interval, it’s essential to be fast — and are available ready.
Create an Account
Previous to the day tickets go on sale, create a consumer 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 trying out than having to create an account and fill out all your info.
Make a Plan
Set your self up for fulfillment by making a plan. Have a look at a map of the venue to see how the totally different sections are labeled and determine which space you’d prefer to be in.
That manner, on the day of the sale, you gained’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 you 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 possibly can. A sluggish web connection might critically impede your probabilities if you’re competing towards hundreds of different followers (and machines).
Seize Your Ticket on the Go
Most ticket sale websites have a cellular website or telephone app, so that you don’t need to miss a sale simply because you possibly can’t be tied to your house laptop.
Relying on the velocity of your machine, it would even make sense to purchase live performance tickets in your telephone as an alternative of your common laptop in case your cellular machine will get the job performed quicker.
Up Your Possibilities
For those who plan on going to the present with a buddy, have that particular person attempt to purchase tickets on the identical time on a unique machine.
This can up your odds of getting live performance tickets on the primary strive.
For those who each (magically) find yourself shopping for two tickets, you possibly can promote the extras by way of a verified resale website. (Simply bear in mind to be a superb groupie and resist the urge to tear off different followers by jacking up the value.)
Power in (Smaller) Numbers
For those who’re going with a giant group, you may need to separate up.
Shopping for a big chunk of tickets is troublesome, since even one already-bought seat might make the positioning cancel your total order. Determine forward of time who will sit with whom and plan on shopping for tickets in pairs as an alternative.
For those who’re actually on a price range, you too can get monetary savings by sitting solo.
Blocks of seats are extra in style (and dearer) than single seats, so venues and ticket brokers usually promote remoted single seats at a reduced charge.
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 perhaps weeks later. Test again from time to time to see whether or not there are any extra tickets out there.
When scalpers and resellers fail to promote all their additional 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 very best time to seek out low cost live performance tickets should you missed the presale window.
It is perhaps robust to attend till the final minute to safe your tickets, particularly should you’re touring to the present and want to rearrange lodging.
However should you dwell close to the venue and might maintain your calendar clear that evening, ready till the final minute could be a nice alternative to get low cost tickets.
Simply be certain that to purchase tickets from verified, third-party websites like StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats.
You’ll nonetheless pay charges however they’re usually cheaper than Ticketmaster’s bevy of expenses.
You can too strive aggregator websites, like Ticketwood, which scans the online for the very best offers from a number of resale websites without delay.
Even should you didn’t beat the bots, there are different methods to get low cost live performance tickets — should you’re keen to get artistic.
Go for the Low-cost Seats in Low-cost Cities
Be keen to compromise for nosebleeds if seeing Taylor Swift dwell is actually necessary to you. You’ll all the time pay extra for seats near the stage.
And bear in mind: Some tour dates and venues are cheaper than others. For those who dwell inside driving distance of two main cities, verify 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’ll be able to all the time shave just a little off the ticket value by going on to the venue’s field workplace. Most theaters and arenas have a field workplace the place you should buy live performance tickets immediately, avoiding ticket vendor service charges. Field workplace hours are restricted so be certain that to verify what hours they’re open earlier than you go to.
Work the Occasion
Contact the venue to see if occasion employees or safety get free tickets or reductions. You gained’t get to hang around and calm down like an ordinary concertgoer, however you may save a ton of cash on tickets or get entry to a sold-out present.
Win a Ticket
Generally bands, music venues and radio stations provide free live performance tickets. You could must be caller quantity X to get a pair of free tickets on the radio. Comply with your native radio stations or favourite bands on social media so you possibly can study giveaways and contests.
Strive Groupon
Groupon presents nice offers on numerous native occasions and actions — together with sports activities tickets and concert events.
You’ll be able to rating discounted tickets on Groupon, particularly for exhibits lower than two months away. For instance, garden seats for Prepare and Jewel in live performance in Tampa, Florida, have been out there for $20 on Groupon — however went for $35 on Ticketmaster. The seats in all probability won’t have been nice, but it surely’s a manner to save cash.
