Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bruce Springsteen: Ticketmaster responds to backlash amid ‘dynamic pricing’ controversy

Fans were left furious by extortionate amounts tickets were going for

Jacob Stolworthy
Tuesday 26 July 2022 07:10 BST
Comments
Bruce Springsteen picks five favourite Springsteen songs

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Ticketmaster has responded to the controversy surrounding Bruce Springsteen concert prices.

Those hoping to see Springsteen perform with the E Street Band in the US in 2023 were shocked when tickets for the first leg of the forthcoming tour went on sale on Wednesday (20 July).

Due to the ticket-selling site’s “dynamic pricing”, mid-floor tickets were listed for for $4-5,000 (£3-4,000).

This “dynamic pricing” programme is comparable to Uber’s “surge” pricing, which sees prices increase with demand for certain “platinum tickets”, which are placed throughout each venue.

The system responds to demand, increasing or decreasing prices in line with what scalpers would resell them for, keeping the money in-house for the seller and artist.

Springsteen’s fans were left stunned by the huge prices, and called upon the musician to step in.

To combat the backlash, Ticketmaster has released some statistics related to Springsteen’s tour sales.

These stats reveal that 88.2 per cent of tickets were sold for an average price of $202 (£167), with just 1.3 per cent of tickets going for more than $1,000 (£830).

According to Ticketmaster’s findings, one per cent of all tickets sold on Wednesday went for less than $99, with more than half of tickets going for less than $200 (£166).

Bruce Springsteen fans were outraged by ticket prices for the Boss’s forthcoming tour
Bruce Springsteen fans were outraged by ticket prices for the Boss’s forthcoming tour (Twitter)

According to the Ticketmaster website, its goal is to “give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the most in-demand tickets while allowing the artists and everyone involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their fair value”.

Springsteen’s UK concerts are scheduled for Edinburgh, (30 May), Birmingham, (16 June) and London’s Hyde Park (6 and 8 July).

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in