Ticketmaster has ruined what it means to be a fan of live music

‘Short n Sweet’.

That’s the title of Sabrina Carpenter’s latest tour but, sadly, it also describes the experience many fans had trying – and failing – to track down tickets for her shows.

She’s just the latest act to leave potential concert-goers disappointed when it’s revealed that tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster. 

When an artist I adore announces that, to see them in the flesh, I’ll have to go through that cursed website, a pit forms in my stomach.

Any excitement is rapidly washed away and replaced with terror as I prepare to venture into the trenches to fulfil my love of live music – something I shouldn’t have to do.

For me, Ticketmaster has, in many ways, spoiled what it means to be a fan of live music, either by seeming to prioritise profit for themselves over allowing fans to buy at reasonable prices or making the purchasing process so stressful that it sucks all the joy from it. 

From dynamic pricing that pressures fans into paying way over face value for popular events, to the technical difficulties that can plague in-demand shows, it is clear the world’s biggest ticket seller doesn’t seem to be very good at selling tickets.

So when Sabrina’s tickets went live, it was grim to see them advertised by Ticketmaster.

Longing to scream, ‘That’s that me espresso’ in a venue of thousands, I tried desperately, but the ordeal was hellish – and I was one of the lucky ones.

Not that I’ll be writing a letter of gratitude. 

The purchasing process was anything but smooth, as fellow fans reported crashing servers, being thrown out of virtual queues, reaching the end of said queues to find zero tickets left, and seeing payments declined. 

I texted a friend to say: ‘That was the worst ticket-buying experience I have ever had – and I’ve bought a lot of tickets.’

In the end, I paid £90 for nosebleed seats – seats that once upon a time would’ve set me back no more than £30 – with any hopes of a closer spot quickly dashed when I clocked the pricing system.

Dynamic pricing, or ‘platinum’ as it is known in this instance, is the mortal enemy of any concert-goer, as it hands Ticketmaster the authority to charge whatever it pleases based on demand.

Consequently, social media users reported that upper tier Sabrina tickets were showing to be £234, some standing tickets even exceeding the £400 mark. 

No, these didn’t include a meet and greet, not even exclusive merchandise, but rather a nasty reminder that Ticketmaster executives do not see you as a music fan – you are merely a customer. A transaction. A number.

My eyes popped from my head last year when I saw 500,000 people in front of me to purchase tickets for Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, and they did the same when I realised Ticketmaster wanted to charge me more to see Sabrina than I paid for a VIP Taylor Swift package.

I don’t claim to know the technical ins and outs and I do understand that, sometimes, things just go wrong. 

However, when your ticket-distributing platform pockets millions from music lovers every year, surely the least that fans can expect is a website that can handle traffic. 

Ticketmaster appears reluctant to put in the work when the world’s biggest stars place their trust in them to do one job. 

Buying tickets for shows used to be electrifying, almost like a game. You may not have secured access to the show, but at least you felt you were in with a chance. 

It may have been chaotic and I’ve always gone into a sale hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. 

However, it was never soul-crushing. It was never humiliating. It was never a ‘we’re going to charge you £300 for a standard ticket because we can’ situation.  

That’s why, in 2024, not getting tickets is more devastating – because it’s all out of your control. 

The website goes down and all you can do is refresh. The prices are too high and all you can do is let the tickets go. 

The queue is moving too slowly and all you can do is wait, cursing the fact that even signing up for a verified fan presale doesn’t guarantee you a ticket. 

It’s just another way that, in my opinion, Ticketmaster has ensured that concerts are no longer accessible. 

Of course, they’re always accessible if you have the funds to pay over the odds. 

The distributor has, understandably, come under fire for the system, which has been used for some of the world’s biggest artists. 

Ticketmaster has previously claimed that methods such as dynamic pricing prevent touts from bagging the tickets and selling them on for extortionate fees.

But resale sites always have tickets listed at a higher amount. It’s never an ‘if’, but a ‘when’ they will appear.

One thing that provides me with hope amidst this carnage, though, is that fans are fighting back. 

In December 2022, a group of Taylor Swift fans filed a lawsuit in the US against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation after a disastrous sale for her Eras Tour. 

Have you been let down by Ticketmaster? Have your say in the comments belowComment Now

Meanwhile, the likes of Ed Sheeran have committed to thwarting resales at inflated prices, implementing strict policies and offering a reminder that, yes, companies such as Ticketmaster are often at great fault, but artists can be and are complicit.

I’m pleased fans are taking matters into their own hands, even by tweeting relentlessly about their struggles in buying tickets to ensure their voices are heard. I also hope more artists take inspiration from the likes of Ed Sheeran to force change.

But it shouldn’t have come to this. 

Going to live shows is one of the greatest pleasures in life. For me, nothing beats the euphoria of an artist walking out onto the stage for the first time and a packed stadium erupting.

Hearing thousands of fans belting out lyrics is my favourite sound in the world, and I get goosebumps every time a stadium lights up with torches for a ballad. 

Sadly, those precious moments have become so few and far between for too many of us, as the opportunity to buy tickets in the first place is no longer an even playing field. 

Music doesn’t discriminate and we all deserve a chance to bask in the joy of Beyoncè’s killer high notes, Harry Styles’s energetic dance moves, Billie Eilish’s haunting vocals, or Coldplay’s romantic lyricism.

It’s just so deflating that the likes of Ticketmaster have ruined live entertainment for me and many others.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]. 

Share your views in the comments below.

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