SALT LAKE CITY — Students on the campus of the University of Utah celebrated the ruling that declared Live Nation, and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, an illegal, anti-competitive monopoly over major concert venues.
The ruling came after a five-week trial and is a setback for the live entertainment giant.
But what does it mean for Utahns who buy tickets online? And in particular, what does it mean for those college-aged music lovers who say they’re often priced out of their favorite shows due to those excess fees?
University of Utah junior Mikey White said Live Nation and Ticketmaster have made trying to see a live concert frustrating and way too expensive.
“You think it’s gonna be a certain price on the website and then you get to the end at check out and it’s just so much more from the fees," said White.
Sophomore Molly Baudenzistel agreed.
“It is frustrating," added Baudenzistel, "like especially for someone who’s in college and doesn’t have as much money as normal people do."
Freshman Charlotte Ferrier doesn't necessarily mind higher ticket prices, but wants her money to go primarily to the artist.
“I want to go there as a fan and show my appreciation for their music for whatever they’re showing live," Ferrier explained. "And I feel like if I’m looking on the website and seeing all these fees, like 20 to 40% of it is fees, which just doesn’t seem fair.”
A federal jury in Manhattan essentially agreed on excess fees tacked onto tickets sold through Ticketmaster for Live Nation concerts.
Darin Piccoli is co-owner of State Room Presents, a Salt Lake City-based concert promoter and live music venue operator. He said the jury ruling is a good first step.
“It’s pulling back the levers that make it so anti-competitive because Live Nation’s got deep, deep pockets," Piccoli said. “We’re constantly educating people, we’re telling people to go straight to the artist's website, that’s the easiest place to go.”
The State Room Presents has what’s called “all-in” ticket pricing, which means that while there may be fees attached to their tickets, the price you see online is the price you pay.
“It’s been, I think, a lot of education for everybody out there for ticketing, right? We all buy tickets to the mammoth, or concerts or plays and there’s a lot of frustration out there," Piccoli explained.
Meanwhile, University of Utah student Sydney Cakewell agrees with Ferrier and wants to see the artists and groups she loves benefit most from the shows they perform.
“I feel that when you’re buying a concert ticket it should be supporting, you know, the actual concert and not a company that’s controlling all the profits buying tickets," she said.
Piccoli said the jury ruling against Live Nation and Ticketmaster will hopefully be the beginning of reducing some of those excess fees.
“So yeah, it’s time to break it up!," he exclaimed. "[Performers] are the number one, right? You got to start at the top and hopefully everything trickles down from there. I mean, it’s good for everybody. It’s good for consumers, it’s good for promoters."
