Legendary musician Neil Young has announced his decision to discontinue platinum ticket sales for his shows. He shared this update on his Neil Young Archives.
“My management and agent have always tried to cover my back on the road, getting me the best deals they could,” Young said. “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,” he continued. “Very soon, PLATINUM Tickets will no longer be available for my shows.”
Young highlighted The Cure’s similar efforts against ticket scalping. “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… Try to read this following story about Robert Smith ‘The Cure,’ and what they did. I think it was right.”
Young’s decision represents a growing movement of artists taking direct action against exploitative ticket pricing practices.
The rock veteran drew inspiration from The Cure’s Robert Smith, as noted by Consequence. Smith successfully implemented a similar strategy during their ‘Shows of a Lost World Tour.’
These artist-led initiatives have shown remarkable results. KYNT 1450 reports that The Cure achieved their highest-grossing tour while maintaining an average ticket price of $68.54. This success demonstrates that fair pricing can align with commercial achievement.
Ticketmaster initially introduced the platinum ticket system to combat scalping through dynamic pricing based on demand. Critics now argue that this approach has led to inflated prices that burden genuine fans.
Concert affordability has become a major concern in the music industry. More artists are expected to follow the example set by Young and The Cure in prioritizing fan accessibility over maximum profit.
