Ticketmaster has announced the final closure of its secondary ticketing site GetMeIn!, with Seatwave having ceased trading last month.
The ticketing giant’s new fan-to-fan exchange, which it announced details of in August, is now live across all events on the Ticketmaster site.
Ticketmaster said it would close Get Me In! and Seatwave after claiming “secondary sites just don’t cut it anymore”.
The ticketing giant’s ownership of the two resale sites proved controversial, with many industry watchers and fans suggesting a too-cosy relationship between the primary and secondary sector. In particular, music fans visiting Ticketmaster for face value tickets had long complained about being redirected to GetMeIn! and Seatwave when concerts sell out in a short space of time.
Ticketmaster said it took the action after listening to the public, accepting people are “tired of seeing others snap up tickets just to resell for a profit”.
Event guide and ticketing agent Skiddle co-founder and director, Richard Dyer, said: “Ticketmaster closing their exploitative secondary websites Get Me In! and Seatwave is a huge step forwards for music fans who have already had to contend with astronomically high fees and a wave of unethical behaviour from industry giants, Viagogo.
“Whilst many independent primary ticketing outlets have offered face value resale and refunding options for years, the fact that Ticketmaster has reacted positively is a huge step in the right direction. With Get Me In! and Seatwave now closed and Viagogo facing further restrictions, transparency is returning to ticketing. It’s late, but it’s not too late for other for-profit secondary sites to follow suit.”
Now, fans looking to resell via Ticketmaster can hit ‘sell’ on the tickets they can no longer use. When tickets are resold, the firm will cancel them and send new, unique ones to the fan who has bought them.
Ticketmaster said of its new resale site: “That ensures that all tickets on Ticketmaster are 100 per cent verified and fans will have no concerns about getting in at the door.
“Everything we do is about making the fan experience better. These changes have been designed and built to make it easier for fans to get into the shows they love.”
Share this