Ticket Websites

There are some things that are meant to be enjoyed on a big screen. That screen could be in your home, at a theatre, at a buddy’s house or perhaps just your Ipad. But there are other things that need to be experienced, live and in the flesh. And for these things, we have venues, stadiums and arenas that bring us up close and personal to some of the most epic shows and events we could possibly imagine.

All of this is not confined simply to sports or music. Any live event where the performer or performers are bringing you pleasure is defined as a worthwhile event. Over time, as our collective purchasing power has grown, demand for live events have also ballooned. More and more folks are seeking out said events and to get in you better have a ticket. Back in the day tickets were sold by only a handful of entities. There were virtual monopolies involved and this naturally maintained prices at an elevated point. When classic bands for example like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elvis and the rest went on tour their own managers were critical in selling tickets. For example, the artist would hire a manager and said manager would work with the Chicago promoter when the concert was in Chicago, the Los Angeles promoter when in Los Angeles, etc. With a typical contract, managers would receive between 10 and 25%, the promoter would receive 15% and the artist would get 60 to 75%.

In the larger ticket selling game, TicketMaster was the biggest thing since sliced bread. If you don’t feel that sliced bread is something big, when sliced bread first came about it was as massive as massive could get. Ticket companies would convince large venues to sell tickets on their behalf, and TicketMaster was the most convincing. Part of the TicketMaster charm was they leveraged the technology and operational expertise for the venue. Imagine for a second the distribution, inventory management and operations of selling tickets could be outsourced completely. That is exactly what TicketMaster achieved with their proprietary ticket software. Now, venues have a choice in who can sell their tickets, but TicketMaster was such a monster that most chose them.

During the 1980s, TicketMaster charged an additional $2 onto every ticket price. Of that $2, $1 went to TicketMaster and another $1 to the venue. This was a great gig and one that TicketMaster enjoyed immensely. However, the web has shaken up the business considerably. Today sites like StubHub are cutting into TicketMaster’s business. Featuring a wide selection that delves into smaller local venues as well, StubHub lumps all their fees into one single line item making the site easy to navigate and compare prices across providers. Another recommended player is Coast to Coast Tickets. Featuring the lowest service fees of all the top providers (18% compared to 27%), tickets naturally cost more with Coast to Coast, but great deals are still prevalent.

Finally, a great site to consider when purchasing that next great event ticket is VividSeats. Perhaps the best name in the game, VividSeats has a rewards program for return customers than is second to none. If you attend say more than 5 shows a year, Vivid is the spot for you. Life is short, hit a live show tonight and let it all out!