Neil Young announced on Saturday that he will eliminate high-priced “platinum” tickets from his future tours. In a post to his Neil Young Archives website, the legendary singer-songwriter credited Robert Smith for helping open his eyes after The Cure banned dynamic pricing on its 2022 tour.
Ticketmaster offers “platinum” tickets valued by “dynamic pricing,” which allows the company to inflate the price of tickets for in-demand seats at events. The official rationale is that the inflated prices will discourage scalpers from attempting to resell the tickets at a markup on the secondary market (essentially allowing Ticketmaster to cash in on the scalper’s profit margin).
Linking to a 2023 Consequence story about when The Cure opted out of “platinum” ticketing options in 2022, Young wrote, “It’s the story of the bad thing that has happened to concerts world-wide. It’s this story that really helped me to realize that I have a choice to make and can make a difference for my music loving friends.”
Dynamic pricing came under fire in the post-COVID return to concerts, specifically regarding a 2022 Bruce Springsteen tour, and The Cure’s Robert Smith made headlines in 2023 by pledging to keep tickets affordable and eliminating the pricing model from the group’s The Songs of a Lost World Tour. By the end of the tour, the average cost for a ticket was $68.54—37% lower than the average ticket price for other top 2022 tours, according to Consequence.
“My management and agent have always tried to cover my back on the road, getting me the best deals they could,” Young continued. “They have tried to protect me and my fans from the scalpers who buy the best tickets and resell them at huge increases for their own profits. Ticketmaster’s High priced Platinum tickets were introduced to the areas where scalpers were buying the most tickets for resale. The money went to me. That did not feel right.
“VERY SOON, PLATINUM Tickets will no longer be available for my shows,” Young concluded. “I have decided to let the people work this out. Buy aggressively when the tickets come out or tickets will cost a lot more in a secondary market….. ”
Tickets for the Neil Young Love Earth Tour with The Chrome Hearts are already on sale here. The tour will mark Young’s first with his new-ish band featuring members of Lukas Nelson’s former backing group Promise of the Real. Young has revealed he recorded a new album with The Chrome Hearts and hopes to release it in spring.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
