Christopher BarrettAhead of The Cure’s Songs Of A Lost Word tour in North America, the band’s frontman Robert Smith has persuaded Ticketmaster to partially refund the fees it has charged ticket buyers, having said they “sickened” him.
The veteran performer took to Twitter to air his frustration after reports that fans who had purchased tickets at $20 faced fees including a $11.65 per ticket service charge, a facility charge of $10 and an order processing fee of $5.50 per ticket.
Smith responded by saying: “I am as sickened as you all are by today’s Ticketmaster ‘fees’ debacle. To be very clear: the artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified.”
He later announced on Twitter: “After further conversation, Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high, and as a gesture of goodwill have offered a $10 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for lowest ticket price (‘LTP’) transactions. And a $5 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for all other ticket price transactions, for all Cure shows at all venues; if you already bought a ticket you will get an automatic refund; all tickets on sale tomorrow will incur lower fees.”
The Future of Music Coalition said, “This is an encouraging precedent, even if it’s no substitute for needed regulation.”