The Cure’s Robert Smith said Ticketmaster would partially refund fans affected by service fees that cost more than their seats for the upcoming English band’s North American tour.
“Following further discussions, Ticketmaster agreed that many of the fees charged are unreasonably high and, as a gesture of goodwill, offered all verified fan accounts a $10 per ticket refund for Lowest Ticket Price (‘LTP’) transactions. ” Smith tweeted late Thursday.
blacksmith Continued in a second tweet that an additional “$5 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for all other ticket price transactions for all Cure shows at all venues would also be introduced. “If you have already purchased a ticket, you will receive an automatic refund; Any tickets sold tomorrow will incur lower fees.”
blacksmith Earlier this week, Ticketmaster struck, owned by Live Nation, after the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band arranged low prices for the tour, which begins May 10 in New Orleans. Seats were only $20, and sales were limited to verified fans to avoid reseller issues.
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But when they bought tickets, the fees charged by Ticketmaster added up to more than double the cost of the seats in some cases.
The frontman said the band disagrees with “dynamic pricing” or “price increases” or the “platinum ticket thing… because it’s a bit of a scam itself?” In a separate post, Smith said the band “have the final say on all of our ticket prices for this upcoming tour.”
The widely maligned Ticketmaster has come under intense scrutiny over the past year for its steep fees and technological debacle linked to acts like Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift.
Last month it was her Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Comedy Tour this has the fans in an uproar. In November, Swift said she was considering it to bring the ticket sales process in-house for future tours because of the problems with Ticketmaster and to “improve the quality of my fans’ experience”.
Both Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation now face the challenge federal investigations about the increasing number of problems fans face when trying to buy tickets for their favorite acts.
Fans of The Cure praised Smith for his efforts in replying to his tweet. “Damn. Maybe you should work in politics on the side, Robert.” said oneadding, “(AFTER THE ALBUM COMES OUT).”
Others saw the potential for broader changes as more artists follow suit. “Of course it’s not much, but it’s a start,” said another. Nick Pollard. “It shows it can be done and other big acts have no excuse not to follow suit. After all, Ticketmasters are penetrable and must stay that way.”
Source : www.yahoo.com