Ticketmaster leaves Rodrigo fans feeling ‘gutted’ by pricing levels

While there may be a ‘Vampire’ sucking blood within GUTS, the true daemon would be the greed siphoning the money out of fans’ pockets. Along with her rapid rise to fame, ticket sales to see Olivia Rodrigo’s talent in person have also climbed at a  steep incline. Following the release of the album on September 8, Rodrigo revealed her “GUTS World Tour" the following Wednesday. The album was a success, proven by the high demand for tickets, but the prices were higher than most fans were hoping for. Standard tickets were originally set at $49.99-$199.50, not including taxes or additional fees. 

Tickets were initially offered through Ticketmaster, which was seemingly back afloat after “The Eras Tour” fiasco. For those who are unfamiliar, the site crashed during her presale, leaving fans unable to purchase tickets. By the time the site was up and running, ticket scalpers had left a wave of chaos and extremely overpriced tickets behind. Said chaos included swarms of angry fans who went so far as to take the matter to court. Despite inefficiency, Ticketmaster is here to stay. 

Following the high demand for GUTS tickets, Ticketmaster took to popular social media app, X, issuing a statement of caution regarding the inventory stating, “[T]here are still far more registered fans than tickets available.” Those who received presale codes, narrowly escaping the waitlist, were appalled when viewing the costly prices of remaining seats. As if that wasn’t enough, additional fees caused totals to skyrocket, soaring over many teenage fans’ budgets. 

Fees weren’t the only problem in this emotional rollercoaster. Similar to “The Eras Tour,” ticket scalpers snatched up most of the inventory for the nose-bleeds, leaving behind a majority of unfavorable prices for Rodrigo’s tour.  Even with its less than impressive track record, Ticketmaster continues to be one of the most popular sites for ticket sales, proven through its continuous utilization by numerous celebrities. It may seem surprising, but tactics like incentivizing and creating deals with venues allows Ticketmaster to hold such a monopoly over the ticketing market. While the majority of large artists may not have a choice when considering distribution companies, it still begs the question: are they adopting an “ignorance is bliss” mindset when it comes to Ticketmaster’s scandalous history?

For most of Rodrigo’s fanbase, any hope of experiencing a live rendition of her artistry plummeted due to the extremely unfair expenses, and her fans aren’t alone in this experience.  However, by prioritizing people and reliability over money, it would create a more equal opportunity for everyone, allowing more people to attend. Not only would this circumvent controversy, but it would show more gratitude towards fans, granting them the opportunity to see their favorite artists without costing them a fortune.

By: Madison Malecki

Published October 30 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue II