Fans of the rock band The Cure were treated to a surprise earlier this month when frontman Robert Smith announced partial refunds for tickets already purchased and lower fees for tickets bought in the future.
Smith became frustrated with the amount of fees Ticketmaster added to the band’s ticket prices and had been in discussion to get them lowered. On March 16, he let fans know in a tweet that they would either be getting some money back or not having to spend as much if they haven’t already purchased tickets.
“After further conversation, Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high, and as a gesture of goodwill have offered a $10 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for lowest ticket price (LTP) transactions,” he Tweeted.
1 OF 2: AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A $10 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR LOWEST TICKET PRICE ('LTP’) TRANSACTIONS…
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023
In a second Tweet, Smith said Ticketmaster will also be offering a $5 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for all other ticket price transactions and all other Cure shows, at all venues.
“If you already bought a ticket you will get an automatic refund,” he wrote. “All tickets on sale tomorrow will incur lower fees.”
2 OF 2: …AND A $5 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR ALL OTHER TICKET PRICE TRANSACTIONS, FOR ALL CURE SHOWS AT ALL VENUES; IF YOU ALREADY BOUGHT A TICKET YOU WILL GET AN AUTOMATIC REFUND; ALL TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW WILL INCUR LOWER FEES
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023
Smith had previously Tweeted that he was “sickened” by Ticketmaster’s fees, writing, “To be very clear: the artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer I will let you all know.”
Smith’s initial Tweet came after a fan Tweeted a photo of his total cost to purchase tickets to The Cure concert, which showed four tickets priced at $20 each, followed by a $11.65 service fee per ticket, another $10 in facility charges per ticket and then a single $5.50 order processing fee — revealing that the added fees far exceeded the cost of the initial cost of the ticket.
So @thecure and @RobertSmith wanted to keep ticket prices at a reasonable level for fans on their upcoming North American tour dates. Of course @Ticketmaster absolutely rinsed them with ridiculous extra charges
wtf even is a service fee or a facility charge or processing fee?? pic.twitter.com/jsgspXnifj
— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) March 16, 2023
Smith is not the only artist to speak out against Ticketmaster lately, with Taylor Swift taking to social media in November to express her anger toward the entertainment company after fans overwhelmed the site, causing it to crash.
Many Swift fans were never able to get tickets, despite being verified fans and having presale codes. The fallout from the debacle even lead to Congress stepping in, with Live Nation President and CFO Joe Berchtold apologizing to Swift and her fans during a Senate hearing.
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