Photo credit: www.rollingstone.com
Neil Young has announced his intention to abolish high-priced “platinum” tickets from his forthcoming tours, a decision revealed on Saturday.
In a statement on his NY Archives website, Young expressed that he had been inspired by Robert Smith of The Cure. Smith has been an outspoken opponent of Ticketmaster’s controversial “dynamic pricing” and “platinum” ticket offerings, labeling such practices as a “scam” fueled by greed, and he has campaigned successfully against exorbitant service fees on ticket purchases.
Young’s upcoming Love Earth Tour initially included “Platinum” pricing as a strategy to hinder scalpers from acquiring premium tickets only to resell them at inflated prices in secondary markets—a practice benefiting scalpers instead of artists. However, the musician has since classified “Platinum” tickets as “a bad thing” and confirmed they will not be a feature of his future tours.
Young articulated his perspective, stating, “My management and agent have always tried to cover my back on the road, getting me the best deals they could. They have tried to protect me and the fans from scalpers who buy the best tickets and resell them at huge increases for their own profits.”
He further elaborated, “Ticketmaster’s high-priced Platinum tickets were introduced to the areas where scalpers were buying the most tickets for resale. The money went to me. That did not feel right. Very soon, Platinum tickets will no longer be available for my shows.”
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While Smith and The Cure have effectively tackled scalping by making their tickets non-transferable, Young has not indicated a similar strategy will be implemented. Nonetheless, like The Cure, Young’s tickets will still be available for resale at face value via Ticketmaster, although they might fetch higher prices on secondary marketplaces.
“I have decided to let the people work this out,” Young concluded. “Buy aggressively when the tickets come out or tickets will cost a lot more in a secondary market.”
Source
www.rollingstone.com