Ticketmaster Rip Off for Angels In America

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 1/18/18 at 8:26pm

Damn- Ticketmaster- the biggest rip off around- they should be shut down- selling tickets for Angels in America for close to 500 a ticket- they are the biggest rip offs ever- I hate when a Broadway show uses them- tele charge is the only reputable source that I know of.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/18/18 at 8:27pm

Don’t the producers set the prices?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/18/18 at 8:39pm

Yeah, Ticketmaster doesn’t set the prices, the show’s producers do. While I do think that Ticketmaster fees are ridiculous, that has nothing to do with the tickets themselves.

More to your point, a quick look shows that there are plenty of tickets available throughout the run at far less than $500.

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 1/18/18 at 8:42pm

Got my tickets for two parts for a total of $121 and that’s with fees. So no, it’s not a ripoff.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 1/18/18 at 8:50pm

That ticket is most likely for both parts, in a nice seat.
I got a $99 ticket for both parts so I have zero complaints about what these producers are charging.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 1/18/18 at 11:45pm

Blaming Ticketmaster for high ticket prices is like blaming the usher cause you got a crummy seat.

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 8:52am

Ticketmaster often offers seats that are scalper level- that is what I was talking about. If the tickets for Angels are fair value- I am wrong about my complaint. But I have been very frustrated in the past about the scalper level tickets that they offer- I guess that is the way it works.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 9:33am

BWAY Baby2 said: "Ticketmaster often offers seats that are scalper level- that is what I was talking about. If the tickets for Angels are fair value- I am wrong about my complaint. But I have been very frustrated in the past about the scalper level tickets that they offer- I guess that is the way it works."

I don't think you understand how ticketing works. First, if you have a complaint about TM vis-a-vis Telecharge, the blame goes to the theatre owner. Telecharge is owned by the Shuberts, and thus is used in its Broadway theatres. The other landlords do not use Telecharge because it would be like Pepsi buying high fructose corn syrup from Coca Cola. Second, yes, TM is not only a primary ticketing platform but also a resale market platform (competing with, e.g., Stubhub). Being a non-bot scalper is legal. So process all of this and the other corrections in other posts and get back to us. 

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 9:39am

I have processed- and think the charges of thousand of dollars- that surely do not go to Springsteen- as one glaring example- another being Barbra Streisand tickets that I ws trying to score that cost thousands on Ticketmaster- I guess that is the way it works- but couldn't a huge star like Springsteen have done something so that tickets would be fairly priced- maybe I am living in a pipe dream- but since Bruce does not see all the profits from 3000 seats- can't he do something so that tickets are priced at a fair value- I know I am whistling in the wind.

[haterobics]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 9:45am

Springsteen did price his tickets fairly, considering he can normally sell out stadiums. Smaller intimate venue always means a higher price. The fact that the whole run sold out immediately could indicate he didn't charge enough. Now, if a tiny sliver of people would bought a $875 ticket to Springsteen turn around and scalp them, that is their legal right, but he already made his agreed-upon profit for that seat when it initially sold. He is not allowing them to be resold on Ticketmaster, so he's trying to limit access to fans, but there's only so much he can do... as for Angels, are you sure you aren't looking at $500 for both parts? In which case, that is only $250 a show?

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 9:52am

Maybe it isn't fair, but people have the right to resell tickets for however much they want. That's why it's best to get in on pre-sales or buy when the tickets go on sale. I agree that robots should be banned and consumers should have first dibs on productions, concerts, etc. and not third party agencies.

What you are no doubt seeing on Ticketmaster are not the prices set by the production or Ticketmaster, but by the individuals who already purchased and are reselling. 

When tickets went on sale during presale, they were priced at $295 or $395 for orchestra (with some at $495 for premium seating). This included both shows.

 

Updated On: 1/19/18 at 09:52 AM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 9:54am

But Ticketmaster is pretty transparent on when it's a resale seat. It's a different color on the map and it tells you.

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 10:18am

Thank you everybody for so much feedback- just bought two tickets- row B- and paid 996- and feel okay about it. I really want to see this production- and hey, you only live once- and this cast is amazing. A thousand dollars is not going to change my life- much, anyway- but I have to see this production- and I have to see it up close. Maybe I am a bit obsessed.

Updated On: 1/19/18 at 10:18 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 10:35am

theatretenor2 said: "people have the right to resell tickets for however much they want."

Just curious, when did this become legal? When I was young (a long, long time ago), it was illegal to "scalp" concert tickets and you could be arrested for it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 10:47am

I was just poking around and any 500 dollar seats were 

1.  PREMIUM seats

2. For BOTH performances combined.

 

Given that, not really too bad.  For premium seats.  And LOTS of other reasonable pricing.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 10:52am

Lot666 said: "theatretenor2 said: "people have the right to resell tickets for however much they want."

Just curious, when did this become legal? When I was young (a long, long time ago), it was illegal to "scalp" concert tickets and you could be arrested for it."

New York State scrapped its anti-ticket scalping laws in 2007 and allowed tickets to be resold at whatever prices the market would support.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 11:11am

dramamama611 said: "I was just poking around and any 500 dollar seats were

1. PREMIUM seats

2. For BOTH performances combined.



Given that, not really too bad. For premium seats. And LOTS of other reasonable pricing."

Plus, there appears to be plenty of availability (I spot-checked a handful of performances,  which showed a pretty empty mezzanine and half-filled orchestra). I wouldn't be shocked to see discounts are some point.

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 11:22am

Anakela said: "New York State scrapped its anti-ticket scalping laws in 2007 and allowed tickets to be resold at whatever prices the market would support. "

Thanks for this, Anakela. It's interesting that the article is dated 5/16/16 and says that the governor "signed an extension of the state’s ticket scalping law, but warned he will let it expire next year unless more consumer protections are added". We're now well past a year from then; have there been any "consumer protections added"?

[Kad]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 12:03pm

...wait, did the OP complain about the price of tickets and then end up spending twice the initial amount on a resale?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 12:07pm

Oh, dear god....I didn't even see that.  Only paid 2x because he bought two tickets.  (And not resale.  Some of the premium seats are going for just under 500 for both halves.  So he paid about 250 each for 4 tickets.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 12:08pm

To the OP: That pricing you're referencing is for a front of the house orchestra seat ... for two-show days. So, mathematically, it all evens out.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 1/19/18 at 2:07pm

Lot666 said: "Anakela said: "New York State scrapped its anti-ticket scalping laws in 2007 and allowed tickets to be resold at whatever prices the market would support. "

Thanks for this, Anakela. It's interesting that the article is dated 5/16/16 and says that the governor "signed an extension of the state’s ticket scalping law, but warned he will let it expire next year unless more consumer protections are added". We're now well past a year from then; have there been any "consumer protections added"?"

Don't know the answer to your question, but the state's primary interest is in making sure bots can't use technology to freeze regular consumers out and an unfair number of seats are not held back for industry insiders. They're trying to basically ensure a fair playing field. They have little to no interest in regulating an individual's ability to resell tickets for whatever they want nor should they, anymore than they should regulate the ability of someone to resell their house for 300k more than they bought it for 6 months ago cause the real estate market in a particular area has been very hot.