Thanks in no small way to Joe Duffy’s interest in the issue, concert prices in Ireland have been a major talking point over the past few years. Indeed such was the level of public disquiet – much of it misinformed, it has to be said – that the Competition Authority was prompted to undertake a lengthy investigation.
But now the CA have issued a report that rejects claims that Ticketmaster were abusing their dominant position. In fact, the report states that current arrangements result in consumers having lower prices for ticketing services, as well as a greater choice and variety of events, and easier and faster access to tickets.
Understandably, Ticketmaster are both relieved and satisfied with the outcome.
“We’re exceptionally pleased,” the MD of Ticketmaster Ireland, Eamonn O’Connor, told Hot Press. “This was a three-year investigation, with which Ticketmaster co-operated fully. The Competition Authority has real teeth, in that they can demand up to ten times your turnover and you can even get jail – so for them to give us such a positive bill of health is very satisfying.”
As the company from whom most Irish music fans buy their tickets for big events, Ticketmaster are the obvious target when disgruntled fans either can’t get tickets or when they feel prices are too high. Industry insiders, however, reckon that the intense competition between our top promoters is a major factor in pushing ticket prices up. And in the long run, certainly at the higher end, it is the artists who pocket most of the money.
O’Connor emphasises that there’s nothing Ticketmaster can do if the demand for tickets is such that a show sells out. He also adds, “We have no say in the pricing of tickets.” He also dismisses the assumption that this is ultimately the responsibility of the concert promoters. “They may not have much say either,” he says. “Ultimately artists can control ticket prices themselves by adjusting their own fees downwards. We actually have a cap on our charges, so concert ticket prices are far more controlled than the average music fan thinks.”
A recent survey in an Irish newspaper compared prices in Ireland unfavourably with prices for the same concerts elsewhere. Are they comparing like with like? “First of all, they picked four shows out of 900 that we do tickets for,” O’Connor says. “They also failed to consider the fact that taxes are often higher in Ireland than elsewhere. So are transport costs, hotels, petrol and so on. All of those factors feed into the price of tickets. But as the Competition Authority report found, we provide an excellent, value-for-money service for millions of music, culture and sporting fans in Ireland. The report actually endorses our business practices.”
O’Connor points out that only one in five calls to Ticketmaster results in the sale of a ticket. “The others are just enquiries, but somebody has to be paid to deal with them too. We also have a very sophisticated on-line service that has to be manned and updated regularly. But thanks to that system, people can buy concert tickets from us now without leaving the house,” he told Hot Press.
The Competition Authority also stated that agreements between Ticketmaster and promoters do not prevent or restrict competition, and that Ticketmaster’s contracts keep booking fees from rising to excessive levels. It looks as if Disgruntled from Dungarvin will have to find something else to complain about.