As I recall, they have the venue tack on an extra service fee charged to the promoter. That fee is then split by some petcentage with Live Nation. It allows Ticketmaster to claim low margins on tickets, while basically collecting a bunch of money right up front, before any tickets are even priced.
I do give them credit for running a creative scam this long while staying technically on the right side of the law, but I gave up on going to shows about 8 years ago now.
Between the crazy cost and dealing with rude fans at the shows, I just pass on going now.
As I recall, they have the venue tack on an extra service fee charged to the promoter. That fee is then split by some petcentage with Live Nation. It allows Ticketmaster to claim low margins on tickets, while basically collecting a bunch of money right up front, before any tickets are even priced.
I do give them credit for running a creative scam this long while staying technically on the right side of the law, but I gave up on going to shows about 8 years ago now.
Between the crazy cost and dealing with rude fans at the shows, I just pass on going now.