After indicating in the band’s tour announcement on Thursday that “there will be no ‘Platinum’ or ‘Dynamically Priced’ tickets on this tour,” The Cure has released a followup statement about policies put in place to protect fans against unfair ticketing practices and scalpers.
“We want the tour to be affordable for all fans, and we have a very wide (and we think very fair) range of pricing at every show,” the band wrote. “Our ticketing partners have agreed to help us stop scalpers from getting in the way; to help minimise resale and keep prices at face value, tickets for this tour will not be transferable. If something comes up that prevents a fan from being able to use a ticket they have purchased, they will be able resell it on a face value ticket exchange.
“Unfortunately, despite our desire to protect our low ticket prices for fans, the states of NY, IL and CO make this very difficult,” the band continued. “They actually have laws in place that protect scalpers! For shows in these states we urge fans to buy or sell tickets to one another on face value exchanges like twickets.live and cashortrade.org. Fans should avoid buying tickets that are being resold at inflated prices by scalpers, and the sites that host these scalpers should refrain from reselling tickets for our shows.”
The Cure’s announcement comes at a time of great contention in the ticketing industry, and it has astonished live music fans who were shocked to learn it was even possible for a performer to stop Ticketmaster from offering dynamically priced tickets—one of the main points of debate in the ongoing dialogue. The so-called platinum tickets, which change price based on demand, often result in exorbitant prices for high-demand tickets (like $5,000 Bruce Springsteen tickets). The Cure’s decision to forego platinum tickets has fans asking, “Why don’t other artists do this instead of letting their fans pay absurd prices to seem them?”
Controlling the transferability of tickets is another key point of debate in the discussion around the ticketing industry. The Cure has chosen to prohibit transferability in an effort to and eliminate scalping, though as the band notes in its statement, some states have laws preventing it. Such restrictions are intended to protect a ticket-holder’s ability to recoup their money if they cannot attend an event, but as The Cure suggests, they also have the effect of safeguarding scalpers.
Tickets for The Cure’s upcoming North American tour will go on Ticketmaster Verified Fan sale on March 15th at 10 a.m. local time. Register here by Monday, March 13th for access.
TICKET REGISTRATION OPEN NOW AT https://t.co/PkDGUv9w7c #ShowsOfALostWorld23 #TheCure #NorthAmerica pic.twitter.com/KgYQNu3S4F
— The Cure (@thecure) March 10, 2023
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