Industry News

Ticketmaster slated for Platinum prices

Ticketmaster has been criticised for listing so-called Platinum tickets for Paul McCartney’s tour for up to £650.

The Daily Record reports that the official tickets are priced higher than tickets on resale sites such as Viagogo and StubHub.

Tickets to see the Beatles legend have not been listed on the ticketing giant’s own secondary sites GetMeIn! and Seatwave, seeminly “proving how easy it is for them to cut out touts when they wish,” the Daily Record states.

Previously, the Advertising Standards Authority called out Ticketmaster for claiming Platinum passes were the “best available.”

The Record reportedly found tickets on StubHub for McCartney’s SSE Hydro gig for Section 50, to the left of the stage, for about £360. Viagogo were allegedly selling identical ones for about £400, while official Platinum tickets were listed for £500 in the same section.

FanFair Alliance’s Adam Webb said he believes Ticketmaster should say why they are selling at inflated prices at the outset, rather than releasing small batches of the “last few remaining”.

He said: “It’s increasingly important that ticketing information is provided clear and upfront to audiences. It’s something FanFair are pushing for.

“If a mass of tickets were being held back, then released at vastly inflated prices, that would understandably raise wider concerns.”

Ticketmaster said, according to the Record: “Platinum tickets are a very small percentage of the most sought-after tickets in the house and are priced closer to their actual market value to take touts out of the equation.

“The full value of these tickets goes back to the industry and not to resellers.”

Image: darkmoon1968