When does convenience stop being actually convenient? While the internet has given us access to just about everything we could want, from entertainment, to news and information, it seems it’s causing just as many problems for the general public on both fronts.
Case in point, before the advent of the internet and online retail, if you missed out on tickets to a show, you had two options, and neither were particularly enjoyable: you either sat at home, seething with rage, or you went to the show in the hopes of finding a reasonably priced scalper.
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Fast-forward to 2014 and tickets are just a few mouse clicks away and if you miss out, there’s a whole host of “secondary market” websites out there that serve, for all intents and purposes, as catalogs for resale tickets that have already been purchased from the big ticketing companies.
For those unfamiliar with the term “secondary market”, it is, as A Journal of Musical Things notes, basically a nicer way of saying scalping. While the companies behind the sites claim they’re merely serving the market, the fact that the tickets could have come from almost anywhere makes them prime conduits for scalpers.
While this all sounds pretty convenient — after all, who likes waking up early to sit at their computer and refresh the Ticketmaster website over and over? — a new report by Forbes suggests the secondary market isn’t exactly as consumer-friendly as some of the companies might have you believe.
In fact, looking at the list of the ten most expensive music tours by average price on the secondary market, if you waited to buy tickets to a tour, you ended up significantly more out-of-pocket than if you’d gone through one of the ticketing giants.
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According to Forbes, the average price paid on the secondary market for a Fleetwood Mac ticket was $358.91, the highest of any tour this year. Justin Timberlake came in second with tickets for his 20/20 Experience World Tour going for an average of $293.64 each.
He was followed by the Eagles ($272.29), Paul McCartney ($242.25), and Billy Joel ($242.25) – readers can check out the full list of acts, which also includes Jay-Z and Beyonce’s much-hyped joint tour, Katy Perry, Tom Petty, Bruno Mars, and consistent high-seller Dave Matthews Band.
Highest Average Ticket Secondary Market Prices
1. Fleetwood Mac – $358.91
2. Justin Timberlake – $293.64
3. Eagles – $272.29
4. Paul McCartney – $242.25
5. Billy Joel – $232.21
6. Jay-Z/Beyonce – $221.14
7. Katy Perry – $221.81
8. Tom Petty – $216.34
9. Bruno Mars – $209.61
10. Dave Matthews Band – $194.98
