After recently forcing Ticketmaster to refund ticket purchases, The Cure‘s Robert Smith is not done fighting the corrupt ticketing system around the band’s forthcoming Shows of a Lost World Tour in North America. Smith’s ongoing efforts also resulted in the cancelation of 7,000 tickets that were linked to “fake” accounts or “secondary resale sites.”
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For the band’s tour, Smith opted out of the Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, and restricted ticket transfers in markets where he was legally allowed to do so, with the exception of New York, Colorado, and Illinois; all are states that have enacted legislation protecting resellers.
“[Approximately 7,000] tickets across [approximately] 2,200 orders have been cancelled,” wrote Smith in his most recent post. “These are tickets acquired with fake accounts, listed on secondary resale sites. [Ticketmaster] have identified specific locations from secondary postings.”
In another post, Smith also warned ticket buyers from attempting to circumvent the ticket transfer rules. “Offering to sell [or] send account login details to get around TM [Ticketmaster] transfer limitations,” he said. “Any/all tickets obtained in this way will be canceled and original fees paid on those tickets will not be refunded.”
Smith continued, “Original fees paid on those tickets will be donated to Amnesty International, and the tickets themselves will be resold to fans.”
Prior to the ticket cancellations, Smith said he was “sickened” by the exorbitant fees tacked on to ticket prices, and he effectively managed to force Ticketmaster to refund a flat fee from tickets purchased for the band’s upcoming tour. Following complaints over the excessive fees, which can nearly double the cost of lower-priced tickets, the ticketing agent issued partial refunds to purchasers in the amount of $5 to $10.
Though many artists have complained about the faults around the current ticketing platform system, Smith is the first artist to combat the chaotic, and costly, ticketing system stemming from Ticketmaster with some concrete results.
For the band, giving their fans the most fair pricing is of utmost importance. Known for selling out their shows, The Cure typically performs anywhere from two and a half to three hours with a setlist generally running through at least 30 songs within the band’s catalog.
Following Smith’s most recent triumph against corrupt ticketing, on March 31, reiterated the greater ticket purchasing issue.
“This ongoing [Ticketmaster] conversation is not taking place in a vacuum,” wrote Smith. “The system that values profit over people is really what needs to be changed.”
Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
