Ticketmaster Defends $4,500 Bruce Springsteen Pricing
Ticketmaster took the unusual step of releasing details of Bruce Springsteen sales after fans lashed out at the corporation’s “dynamic pricing” policy.
When trading commenced for the Boss’s upcoming North American tour last week, “platinum” tickets were offered for over $4,500. The policy means that the top-priced tickets will retail at a different cost in each market. “Prices and formats are consistent with industry standards for top performers,” Ticketmaster said in a statement (via Variety), reporting that the policy was designed to lock out secondary sellers, resellers and pay artists and promoters more.
According to the figures, only 11.2% of sales involved the “dynamic” tickets, with only 1.3% of those sold for over $1,000, while 56% were sold for under $200 including 18% for under $99.
But Variety reported that “fans quickly figured out that the first ones to get through the queue each day were able to buy in the $60-400 range … only to have those immediately snapped up, leaving the more exorbitantly priced ducats — with values inflated as much as 10 times the original value — as what most would-be buyers see when they log in.”
The “platinum” tickets appeared to have settled at around $2,000 instead of the initial higher price, presumably in response to demand slowing down after the initial excitement of sales started. Ticketmaster reported in its pricing policy documentation that “some events on our platform may have tickets that are ‘market-priced,’ so ticket and fee prices may adjust over time based on demand. This is similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold.”
More Springsteen tickets go on sale this week. Neither he nor his management has responded to requests for comment.