Ticketmaster’s Irving Azoff Unveils All In Ticket Pricing And Three Day Return Policy

/ By Bruce Houghton / in Music Business/ No comment

(UPDATED)

Over the weekend Live Nation / Tickermaster CEO Irving Azoff tweeted:

"New TM full disclosure pricing! http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00448D1A496EA9?brand=&tm_link=tm_homeA_g7&hot_ticket_brand=home".

In addition to Azoff's failure to use a URL shortener, those following the link to buy Carrie Underwood tickets will have something else to be annoyed about. Ticketmaster's response to the consumer demands for all-in ticket prices does not eliminate all ticket fees. In Azoff's handpicked example, additional fees of $6.50 were added at the very end of the transaction.

UPDATE: Ticketmaster explains its new fee policies and promises more transparency starting with a new corporate blog Ticketology. It first post also announces as 3 day return policy for all tickets bought at Live Nation venues.

Our test purchase of two tickets showed:

Tickets/Items

US $117.90

Order Processing Fee

US $4.00

TicketFast Delivery What's this?

US $2.50

That's certainly a smaller fee than previously charged, but not an all-in price. Hours later Azoff clarified:

"can’t boil all fees down to a per ticket fee until we know how many tix are bought and shipping method chosen, so it has to happen later."

and

"all in pricing will mean that print at home and order charges go away. tm cant control that."

It's hard to see why Ticketmaster can't show the purchaser estimated fees much earlier in the transaction as Amazon and others do. But even with that Tickermaster still won;t be able to quickly control the additonal hidden fees that it has contractually allowed many promoters and venues to add on to ticketing fees.

Azoff & Co. may finally be looking for a solution to fan disattisfaction, but they didn't find it yesterday.