[Closed] Service charges on gig tickets

It's just a tax scam isn't it? So the ticket is 43 quid, but they call a bit of that a charge or whatever to avoid a bit of tax?

I thought it was more the agencies grabbing a cut off the ticket proceeds. 8 quid is bonkers though, that's about the price I normally pay for the actual ticket!

Will the ticket agencies just keep increasing the fee till people stop going

Just the contrary point of view. You set up a website that can handle secure ticketing, secure payment processing etc and then build the contacts with venues and tour promoters. Handle customer complaints, have the relevant insurances in place against cyber crime, run bank accounts potentially holding many thousands of pounds and handling large money transfers again to venues etc.

Then marketing costs, wages etc and then dare I say it, turn a profit.

It is a lot more expensive to operate than you might imagine.

Good job someone clever came along to tell us dummies where it's at

You're not really that naive are you danny?

Ticketing agencies are an absolute racket and have been up to all sorts of dodgy practices for years.

It's rife for reform but I guess gig-goers don't vote Tory.

8 quid is bonkers though, that’s about the price I normally pay for the actual ticket!

Hope you've been OK getting petrol for that DeLorean.

It's also non-refundable if the gig gets cancelled. I think that's really the main reason for splitting the cost into fee/ face value rather than being paid a cut by the venue.

Ok cheers I didn't realise the service fee bit was theirs to keep. 8 quid on a 35 quid ticket is too much so I am out, it was the charlatans and 43 quid is too much. I paid 38 quid for James and the lightening seeds this summer.

I try where possible to book direct with the venue then all the money goes to the venue.

Cheers all, back to work..

Just the contrary point of view. You set up a website that can handle secure ticketing, secure payment processing etc and then build the contacts with venues and tour promoters. Handle customer complaints, have the relevant insurances in place against cyber crime, run bank accounts potentially holding many thousands of pounds and handling large money transfers again to venues etc.

Then marketing costs, wages etc and then dare I say it, turn a profit.

It is a lot more expensive to operate than you might imagine.

Okay, so if that is the case how do you then justify £2.75 delivery charge (on top of service charge) to deliver e-tickets!

I bought x2 £21.50 tickets for my daughter to see Clairo, service charge was £6.80, delivery £2.75. I can almost justify service charge but really really struggling with delivery charge for e tickets. That is taking the p1ss.

8 quid on a 35 quid ticket is too much so I am out, it was the charlatans

You're not wrong.

Just the contrary point of view. You set up a website that can handle secure ticketing, secure payment processing etc and then build the contacts with venues and tour promoters. Handle customer complaints, have the relevant insurances in place against cyber crime, run bank accounts potentially holding many thousands of pounds and handling large money transfers again to venues etc.

Then marketing costs, wages etc and then dare I say it, turn a profit.

It is a lot more expensive to operate than you might imagine.

Okay, so if that is the case how do you then justify £2.75 delivery charge (on top of service charge) to deliver e-tickets!

Or a service fee when you are buying direct from the venue not through a ticket agency, and the gig itself is actually just 20 people in a pub?

More seriously,

Okay, so if that is the case how do you then justify £2.75 delivery charge (on top of service charge) to deliver e-tickets!

I bought x2 £21.50 tickets for my daughter to see Clairo, service charge was £6.80, delivery £2.75. I can almost justify service charge but really really struggling with delivery charge for e tickets. That is taking the p1ss.

This. Ticketbastard and their ilk have been at it for years, I don't mind a modest processing fee but a service charge per ticket is taking the piss for a start-off and then on top of that they have the gall to charge you for the privilege of printing out your own goddamn tickets!

The joys of a captive market, what choice do you have? Pay up or shut up.

I've always found this strange - ignoring the likely tax declaration reasons for doing it, the psychology of it is curious.

For a 22 quid ticket with assorted service/delivery charges of 8 quid, it feels galling to be told that's where the money's going.

If the ticket was a flat 30 quid, would it feel as bad?

Everyone over a certain age will bristle at ticket prices (me included, I've missed out on loads of gigs by people I like because I'm not willing to pay that much) but that's where artist income is made.

Also, I reckon the higher the face value, the less of a toss is given about add-on fees.

that’s where artist income is made.

I'd hazard that they're near the bottom of the payout list.

True, but I meant live shows in general rather than record sales.

Government regulated airlines years ago didn’t they, mind when Ryanair advertised &9.99 but then forced to be more transparent on all the add ons. Similar needed here I think. Got to be questions about what feels like a monopoly situation too.

dannybgoode
Full Member

Just the contrary point of view. You set up a website that can handle secure ticketing, secure payment processing etc and then build the contacts with venues and tour promoters. Handle customer complaints, have the relevant insurances in place against cyber crime, run bank accounts potentially holding many thousands of pounds and handling large money transfers again to venues etc.

Then marketing costs, wages etc and then dare I say it, turn a profit.

Ah, it's one of those things that the Spanish can do but the British couldn't possibly?

There are plenty of great bands playing in venues where you can just pay £5 on the door and walk in. Bristol Fleece Oct 21st would be my tip.

There are plenty of great bands playing in venues where you can just pay £5 on the door and walk in. Bristol Fleece Oct 21st would be my tip.

Thank goodness, I was beginning to worry the days of going to see random bands live cheaply were dead. Some of the flyers in Manchester have daft prices for gigs

Back in the 70s, used to cycle to the venues and buy the tickets from the box office as soon as the gig was announced if it was likely to sell out, or just turn up early on the day if no advance tickets available. Always tried to avoid ticket agencies - licensed ****ing touts!

This. Ticketbastard and their ilk have been at it for years, I don’t mind a modest processing fee but a service charge per ticket is taking the piss for a start-off and then on top of that they have the gall to charge you for the privilege of printing out your own goddamn tickets!

X3

Utter shitebags.

When you have acts charging upwards of £200 per ticket

I don't believe it's ever the act setting the prices, unless you're talking something like Fugazi insisting tickets shouldn't be more than a certain amount. There was an interesting interview with Mastodon not so long ago where the band pointed out that venues even insist on a substantial cut of their merch sales at each gig. It's a wonder we have a live music scene any more, and it's nigh on impossible for a small band to gig their way to wider recognition without hushed financial backing. And don't let me get started on the number of bands playing "live" to a backing track or releasing "live" clips to youtube that have been overdubbed.

There are plenty of great bands playing in venues where you can just pay £5 on the door and walk in

A fiver?! I remember going to the Stick of Rock in Bethnal Green in the 80s and paying £2.[grumbles in old man]

I don’t believe it’s ever the act setting the prices, unless you’re talking something like Fugazi insisting tickets shouldn’t be more than a certain amount

I think a few bands have done this - would be good if more did so in my view. I think Panic! at the Disco have done this before, and so do Trans-Siberian Orchestra (slight tangent, but their founder used to hand out wads of cash to all the backing band members at each city to donate to local charities etc as well).

and yes - delivery fees for e-tickets definitely feels like a scam

and paying £2

Yeah but I bet it was £8 a pint... *misses gooder old days*

how do you then justify £2.75 delivery charge (on top of service charge) to deliver e-tickets!

Yeah, that is truly taking the piss! However, if the alternative is boycotting the gigs, then what will that do fit the artists? And the venues?

And don’t let me get started on the number of bands playing “live” to a backing track or releasing “live” clips to youtube that have been overdubbed.

Who would those be? Citation needed, enquiring minds want to know. Especially mine, because I’ve been to a significant number of gigs over the years, and never seen any sign of it.
Having said that, I’ve never been to any performance by a recent ‘pop phenomenon’ which is producer-created with some random bods rapping away and auto-tuned out of existence. Most of Radio One, Kiss FM, etc’s programming, in fact.

Who would those be? Citation needed, enquiring minds want to know.

To clarify, I'm referring to bands that do play live but a portion of what you hear is pre-recorded and the audience are made to think the people onstage are doing it all themselves. Simply miming to a backing track clearly happens but that's more the popstar realm of putting on a show. I'm loath to mention names but there are rock trios who employ a backroom of midi technicians to produce a stadium-filling sound from three instruments, metal bands who trigger pre-recorded vocals rather than risk it sounding shonky between pyro blasts, and certain wealthier bands have off-stage musicians helping out that far exceed the largely accepted hidden keyboard to fill out the sound during the quiet bits. Smaller bands are doing it also as the tech becomes more affordable. A clue is whether the drummer is wearing headphones or not, maybe it's a click or an in-ear monitor, sometimes it's to ensure the live playing syncs with the pre-recorded parts. It's not clear cut, I understand each member of Meshuggah (including the lighting guy) has a custom click track for each tune which I'm sure incorporates cues, given their music is so complex and precise personally I don't consider that cheating, though some musicians do.

Showbusiness, innit. Although now I'm whittering about hidden extra musicians and tech I seem to suddenly be justifying the extraordinary inflation of ticket prices, it costs money to create the impression of playing implausibly well.

Joshua v Usyk fight last week
2no tickets £140 each
Booking fee £82.25
Handling fee £5.08
VAT £16.45
Then when I got the e tickets it said seat price on the ticket at £60
Absolute rip off