Photo Credit: Shayne Kaye / CC by 2.0
Ticketmaster responds to the Springsteen ticket fiasco, downplaying the number of controversial “platinum” tickets sold.
Amid the outrage over “dynamic pricing” for Bruce Springsteen’s tour, Ticketmaster released some statistics relating to costs and percentages for the dates that went on sale last week. Ticketmaster downplayed the number of controversial “platinum” tickets whose variable prices reached as high as $5,000 a piece during the first day of sales, saying those account for only 11.2% of the total tickets sold.
According to Ticketmaster, more than 88% of the tickets sold at fixed prices ranging from $59.50 to $399 — before added service fees, of course. The ticketing service says the average cost of all tickets sold thus far is $262, and 56% have sold for under $200 at face value.
While Ticketmaster doesn’t dispute reports of tickets priced through the platinum program going for as high as $5,000, they claim that only 1.3% of tickets have gone for more than $1,000. Additionally, the service said that 18% were sold for under $99, 27% for $100-150, and 11% for $150-200.
“Prices and formats are consistent with industry standards for top performers,” Ticketmaster said.
This information comes from Ticketmaster following five days of fan outrage over the dynamic pricing, just before most cities on the tour go on sale later this week. The ticket sales for the 2023 US tour are staggered over ten days, so the company is interested in ensuring fans aren’t put off from purchasing before their city even goes on sale.
Springsteen has not released a statement on the controversy, despite both he and Ticketmaster being under pressure to provide an explanation for the pricing fiasco. Regardless, Ticketmaster is unlikely to drop its platinum program despite proving unpopular this week — the program’s purpose is to help devalue secondary ticketing sales on sites like StubHub. Still, Ticketmaster hasn’t complained about fans using its own secondary ticketing marketplace to raise the prices further.
There was speculation that an algorithm determined the highest prices in the dynamic pricing structure, but sources say that’s not the case. Promoter pricing teams determine the dynamic pricing, which explains some significant differences in pricing for platinum tickets across different cities.
On Tuesday, shows for Washington, DC, Baltimore, State College, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, and Philadelphia go on sale, though the latter two are not sold through Ticketmaster. On Wednesday, Detroit goes on sale. Tickets become available Thursday for Atlanta, Kansas City, Seattle, Milwaukee, Columbus, and Buffalo.
The two New York City dates, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center, go on sale Friday, with the latter of those shows also not sold by Ticketmaster. The tour finale in Newark, NJ, and two nights in Belmont Park, NY, also go on sale Friday.