Blink-182 fans are furious at Ticketmaster, the band, and society in general over the astronomical ticket prices to the band’s reunion tour—Billboard has cited ticket prices as high as $600 in some cities. This is, unfortunately, the logical outcome of the entertainment monopoly Ticketmaster has built since it merged with Live Nation, creating a live events behemoth in which a huge portion of ticketing, venues, and the artists themselves are owned or controlled by a single company.
It is arguably also the case that, in trying to “fight” ticket brokers (called “scalpers” by many), Ticketmaster has done something that is very lucrative for itself and for artists, but also worse for the average fan: It has simply jacked up ticket prices for certain high-profile events to a level where all tickets are more-or-less priced at the maximum level that the secondary market would normally bear.
For more, check out this article from Vice.
