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kingdragonfly

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#302381 19-Nov-2022 09:31
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Here in New Zealand, in case you don't know, TicketMaster has "dynamic pricing” prices and Live Nation calls it "In Demand” prices.

New York Post: Fans livid over Ticketmaster selling $5K Bruce Springsteen tickets

Bruce Springsteen fans miss the glory days of reasonably priced tickets.

Floor seats to see the king on his 2023 US tour are ranging from $4,000 to $5,000 on Ticketmaster because of the service’s “dynamic pricing” system that allows for extreme inflation from high demand.

Even nosebleeds are going for more than $1K as “platinum tickets,” which are simply considered seats sold throughout all sections of a venue, per the outlet.
...
Stuff: Why I'm being charged less than you, and what you can do about it

...Increasing prices above levels charged previously isn’t illegal in New Zealand. There’s also no law here against price discrimination, which is sometimes characterised as maximum willingness to pay, says Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy​.

...In the modern digital economy where there’s no generally accepted price for a product, because what you’re charged could be different to what I paid, it’s a challenge for the Fair Trading Act which prohibits misleading representations about the price of something.

“What you’re charged might be different to what I’m charged because of the time I’ve come to the website, or what the website knows about me, so that’s a really interesting evolution of pricing. Our laws aren’t necessarily keeping up with that evolution,” says Duffy.

NPR: Taylor Swift says her team was assured ticket demands would be met for her Eras tour

...The frenzy has brought renewed scrutiny to the giant Ticketmaster, which critics have long accused of abusing its market power at the expense of consumers. Would-be concertgoers have complained vocally about recent incidents with near-instant sellouts and skyrocketing prices, and artists like Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen have feuded with it over the decades.

One common complaint is that there doesn't seem to be a clear alternative or competitor to Ticketmaster, especially after it merged with concert provider Live Nation in 2010 (a controversial move that required conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Justice).

Now Tennessee's attorney general, a Republican, is opening a consumer protection investigation into the incident. North Carolina's attorney general announced on Thursday that his office is investigating Ticketmaster for allegedly violating consumers' rights and antitrust laws. And multiple Democratic lawmakers are asking questions about the company's dominance — not for the first time.
...

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Geektastic
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  #2998306 19-Nov-2022 09:52
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Pretty much everything from taxi fares to Air B&B rentals is the same. I’ve even read of sites that charge more if you visit them using Apple devices because they assume you have more money.







Mehrts
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  #2998328 19-Nov-2022 11:27
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Geektastic: Pretty much everything from taxi fares to Air B&B rentals is the same. I’ve even read of sites that charge more if you visit them using Apple devices because they assume you have more money.


The dating app Tinder has a premium pricing model which increases based on your age. If you're older then the amount charged is a lot more than younger people. Refer to this article for an example.

Apparently the real reasoning for this is that older people are assumed to have more disposable income, and the more desperate they are to find a partner, therefore they're more likely to opt for the "premium" options.


nzkc
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  #2998331 19-Nov-2022 11:37
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[rant]

 

I detest Ticketmaster. Every time I have to use their site to buy tickets I get angry.  They seem to be able to make the experience so poor! The site is just not nice to use - slow with constant spinning wheels (even when not for a popular event).

Current example; the Auckland Tuatara have an offer where you can get an adult + child ticket for the price of an adult ticket (through our son's baseball club). Simple enough. You would think. When you enter in the code you then get these options and no information on what to select at all!

 

 

I assume I have to select both. But why!? It would be so easy to just be a single ticket for Adult + Child.

 

And their fees structure just makes me angry.  Select Mobile as "no extra charge" and then there's $5.92 in charges for the tickets. $5 order processing fee + 2 x $0.46 payment processing fee. I'm not paying twice, I'm paying once, why do I get 2 payment processing fees?

 

I accept Ticketmaster need to make money. All I want is their fees rolled into the ticket price. I don't care what they are - I just want to know the total.

 

I'm not upset I see New York are investigating them for abusing their monopoly.   About time.

 

They must be so ripe for disruption, and yet have not been. I can only assume the kickbacks/offers they give promoters and/or event centers make others less attractive.

 

[/rant]




nzkc
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  #2998335 19-Nov-2022 11:45
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Mehrts:

 

The dating app Tinder has a premium pricing model which increases based on your age. If you're older then the amount charged is a lot more than younger people. Refer to this article for an example.

Apparently the real reasoning for this is that older people are assumed to have more disposable income, and the more desperate they are to find a partner, therefore they're more likely to opt for the "premium" options.

 

 

This had me thinking; when does this become discriminating based on age? But then life insurance companies charge higher premiums as you age and that is accepted as entirely logical. 🤔

 

Disclaimer: I am not a user of Tinder (or any dating apps)


Geektastic
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  #2998455 19-Nov-2022 15:01
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Mehrts:

Geektastic: Pretty much everything from taxi fares to Air B&B rentals is the same. I’ve even read of sites that charge more if you visit them using Apple devices because they assume you have more money.


The dating app Tinder has a premium pricing model which increases based on your age. If you're older then the amount charged is a lot more than younger people. Refer to this article for an example.

Apparently the real reasoning for this is that older people are assumed to have more disposable income, and the more desperate they are to find a partner, therefore they're more likely to opt for the "premium" options.



The very idea of Tinder makes me want to take a shower.





eracode
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  #2998460 19-Nov-2022 15:58
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Geektastic: Pretty much everything from taxi fares to Air B&B rentals is the same….

 

…. including Air New Zealand.





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kiwifidget
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  #2998462 19-Nov-2022 16:02
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There is a car park in Palmerston North where the parking rate goes up as the number of available of parks goes down. 





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loceff13
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  #2998483 19-Nov-2022 16:58
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One of the lesser-reported revelations of last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings on the proposed merger of the two corporate behemoths of the concert business, Ticketmaster and LiveNation, came during a conversation with Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff about service fees. The bespectacled power broker, whose Front Line Management has tended to the careers of everyone from the Eagles, Guns N’ Roses and REO Speedwagon to Christina Aguilera and Morrissey, was made CEO of Ticketmaster last year, after Front Line was acquired by the ticketing company.

 

Enduring a stern grilling by Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and New York Democrat Charles Schumer, Azoff, seated next to LiveNation kingpin Michael Rapino, uttered a statement only a few outlets, including Nashville industry blog Coolfer, reported: “I would also like to get on the record that when people hear what Ticketmaster’s service charge is, Ticketmaster was set up as a system where they took the heat for everybody. Ticketmaster gets a minority percentage of that service charge. In that service charge are the credit-card fees, the rebates to the buildings, rebates sometimes to artists, sometimes rebates to promoters.”

 

https://www.laweekly.com/ticketmaster-and-servants-bands-get-cut-of-service-fee/

 

 

 

You have to remember artists can choose to not have dynamic pricing etc and stay with fixed prices, even on Ticketmasters resale platform to stop scalpers. They make a choice to get both premium ticket prices and double dip on their additional cut of the service charges while Ticketmaster plays the bad guy role.


rscole86
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  #2998485 19-Nov-2022 17:09
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I had the opposite booking accommodation with booking dot com.
Booked, but wanted one extra night, despite advertising you can add extra nights it wouldn't allow it, the apartment was already booked (by me).
Tried via phone app and website, eventually cancelled and rebooked via website, with one extra night, all for less than the original booking!

Mehrts
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  #2998489 19-Nov-2022 17:30
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kiwifidget:

 

There is a car park in Palmerston North where the parking rate goes up as the number of available of parks goes down.



@kiwifidget which one is that?


kiwifidget
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  #2998496 19-Nov-2022 18:14
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@Mehrts , no idea sorry, was only a fleeting visit a few years ago.

 

It was a car park building though, and the locals were warning us to park somewhere else.





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sir1963
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  #2998516 19-Nov-2022 20:20
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kiwifidget:

 

@Mehrts , no idea sorry, was only a fleeting visit a few years ago.

 

It was a car park building though, and the locals were warning us to park somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

None that I know of, their prices are clearly displayed.


insane
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  #2998639 19-Nov-2022 23:35
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It's all basic economics - supply vs demand.

If everyone refused to purchase at the inflated prices, the prices would drop. Unfortunately there are too many people with too much money, or too much credit & no self-control.




JimmyH
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  #2998849 20-Nov-2022 18:21
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As per the above, basic economics. The price is set at the level necessary to balance supply and demand. If they didn't do this then they would have to set the price and take a punt on empty seats (price set too high), or lost revenue and angry fans who couldn't get a ticket (price too low). They can set whatever price they want. Definitionally, the price that balances supply and demand is the correct one.

 

Except in the case of monopolistic power, where its has long been accepted by most economists and policy makers that there can be a case for intervention and regulation. It's a pretty long bow to make an argument that a particular promoter or musician has a monopoly on the supply of live music or musical entertainment. There is, however, a case to be argued that prima facie Ticketmaster has a dominant market position as an intermediary for live venues. I would quite like the Commerce Commission to take a closer look at that one.

 

 


Handsomedan
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  #2999048 21-Nov-2022 09:22
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Hate TM with a passion. 
Feel that their fees are high for the "service" they provide. 

 

They hold monopolies over venues and completely dominate the market. 

 

They get to choose whether I go to see my favourite artists. I should be able to work out whether I can afford a ticket in advance. A moving feast seems immoral and disingenuous. 

 

Demand pricing should be outlawed. Pick a ticket price - stick with it. 





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