Jujamcyn to NYT: When Theater Returns, We Will Use SeatGeek Instead Of Ticketmaster — Page 2

Ticket fees to me are like resort fees at hotels. If it was included in the ticket price, I would feel much better. It's when a $30 ticket almost doubles because of ticket fees, that's where it bothers me. Let's say a ticket fee average is $20 (I'm sure it's much higher), for a 1,000 seat theater, that's already $20,000 per show. It's even crazier for concerts. From a business perspective, it just doesn't feel like I'm getting that kind of value to warrant the fee.

Also tickets have cost the same for me whether I buy them online or at the theater. I think the only exception has been for lottery.

If anything, let it be an awakening for the dinosaurs of Telecharge/Shubert Org to reimagine their old site into something modern.

Interesting that this is the second time in 5 years (well, 4 operating years) that Jujamcyn has switched ticketing sites: they used Telecharge until 2016.

HogansHero said: "They are definitely trying to legitimize themselves. They have a number of sports teams including, as I recall, the Cowboys which can be legitimizing. Likewise, Stubhub took over from TM for the Yankees so the two biggest sports franchises in the country have gotten a divorce from TM. What Jordan did was bring that trend into the utter legitimacy of the admittedly smaller world of theatre."



Just FYI, I don't know about the Cowboys but what you said about the Yankees is not accurate. Probably 3 or 4 years ago, the Yankees as all other MLB teams have done signed an exclusive agreement to make Stubhub the sole reseller of tickets. The wording they use is the "Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace of MLB.com". However, if you want to buy tickets from the Yankees directly, as opposed to on the secondary market, you are sent to TM to select your seat and complete the transaction just as you always have. So while TM and the Yankees are sleeping in different bedrooms, they're still on speaking terms and have agreed to stay together for the good of the children.

This pandemic would have been a good time for Jujamcyn to develop its own ticketing platform to save money long-term rather than outsourcing them.

Since Telecharge is owned by Shubert org, I always considered the telecharge fees to all go under the same umbrella and think of it as a donation to the Shubert organization to keep its Broadway theatres available to amazing theatre productions.

As for Ticketmaster, I always felt they focused more on their big name concerts throughout the country rather than the Broadway community (hence why the customer service more often than not was disappointing.)

A couple of points:

1. The divergence of opinions here about TC vs TC is a function of how one uses the services. For online interactions, TM of course has better tech (although, from how it sounds, nowhere near what SeatGeek will offer), but for telephone service, TM can't touch TC which is, in essence, an extension of the box office. If all you want to do is buy tickets, I think TM wins, but if you have an issue with those tickets, TM will prove pretty clueless.

2. Paper tickets are going to go the way of the dodo bird.

There are already venues here in the US, pre Covid, that are mobile tickets only. They will not sell and/or print a paper ticket., even at the box office. While speaking of the UK, are their paper tickets still larger and more elaborate than the US counterpart? I attended a Billy Joel/Elton John concert in Scotland, years ago and my ticket was larger and had their faces on the ticket. Since I didn't keep tickets, I either threw it away after the show or gave it away. I'm sure it would have made a collector very happy.

Jordan Catalano said: "But also, and just thinking this through, football is a lot different than theater which has a typically much older audience. My point being I think that a switch to 100% mobile ticketing will have to be a gradual process. Can you imagine getting into City Center behind 600 80 year olds who each have their own ticket on their own phone in apps they don’t know how to open?"

Jordan, this needs to be mentioned louder! I can agree with you. Hell, half the time some blue hairs can't even hold out their physical tickets properly for a scan.

fashionguru_23 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "But also, and just thinking this through, football is a lot different than theater which has a typically much older audience. My point being I think that a switch to 100% mobile ticketing will have to be a gradual process. Can you imagine getting into City Center behind 600 80 year olds who each have their own ticket on their own phone in apps they don’t know how to open?"

Jordan, this needs to be mentioned louder! I can agree with you. Hell, half the time some blue hairs can't even hold out their physical tickets properly for a scan."

I'm sure the distribution of older folks among broadway audiences skews higher than football, but the average age of broadway audiences (40) is younger than NFL audiences (47.)

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "but the average age of broadway audiences (40) is younger than NFL audiences (47.)"

It's actually 42. Which as a number alone, isn't a big difference from the one you cited, but as an averageis actually a big difference. But the NFL average includes television viewers, which easily has an effect on the average, since younger demographics aren't watching TV as much as older adults.