Ticket sellers under pressure from frustrated customers

Are third-party ticketing agencies here to stay, or are customers about to find other ways to purchase their event tickets? Staff writer Ezra Platt dives into the frantic mess of entertainment ticketing and rising market prices.

Earlier this year, Ticketek experienced multiple site breakdowns, glitches, and even tickets spontaneously removing themselves from people’s accounts amidst the Taylor Swift ticket craze. A record of more than four million people tried to secure tickets across five shows during February 2024. This mass of people eagerly awaiting a chance to see her live resulted in system failures and long wait times. Near the end of January, official figures revealed Australians had lost around $135,000 on fraudulent Tay Tay tickets.

Young people have taken to social media to voice their concerns, from paying hundreds for falsely advertised ‘non-restricted’ seats, to paying more or equal to floor tickets for seats positioned further away from the stage. Many concertgoers are left irritated when sellers heavily discount tickets after they fail to sell out at an already advertised sold-out show.

Influencer Nat McLennan took to TikTok to express her frustration, as management at the Jonas Brothers tour put two shows in both Sydney and Melbourne, and neither sold out with little to no advertising.

“It is the week of the concerts, and all these tickets are on sale – some were even free minutes before the show started. The ticket I brought for $250 GA standing is now $80.”

I agree; I only learned about the Jonas Brothers concert via people on TikTok. In retrospect, their marketing team could have spread the news more considering it was their first time in Australia. I also spent around $250 on tickets. I was amazed about how close we were as I expected to be further back, though hearing about the cheaper tickets and even the free tickets that later filled up the stadium, I’d be upset if someone had a better view for free, despite that it was a fantastic time and an incredible show.

With the cost of living rising, creators are coming forward to express their dissatisfaction with ticketing agencies, commenting on their experiences, and leading us to ask: how much is too much?

How much would you pay for a concert ticket?

In the past few years, prices have significantly skyrocketed; in the early 2000s, Australians attended concerts and festivals for under $50; but today, the average cost is 250 plus.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show pricing will continue to soar where there is high demand; this is the same behaviour tied to the surge in airline prices, Uber and groceries.

Feature image via Wikimedia commons. In-text image by Ezra Platt.