The harsh spotlight on already unpopular Ticketmaster has cost the Live Nation Entertainment-owned ticketing giant at least one contract, as Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY announced it was switching vendors. Kings Theatre announced the change in a posting on the box office portion of its website, where it told customers that as of March 27, all tickets to events at the venue would be handled by ATG Tickets.
“We pride ourselves on offering exceptional customer service to all our patrons,” the Kings Theatre statement posted to its site said. “Our experienced staff are on hand to assist with your ticketing needs. Whether you’re a first-time ticket buyer or a frequent visitor, we’ll help you find the best seats. As of March 27, 2023, tickets for events at Kings Theatre are sold exclusively via ATG Tickets and are available for purchase through our box office and website.”
Kings Theatre – referred to as “an immaculately restored 1929 jewel box of a venue that seats 3,676” in a story about the Ticketmaster/ATG Tickets changeover on Brooklyn Magazine’s website – is not known to have had any direct issues with Ticketmaster itself, insofar as we can tell. But Ticketmaster, which has never been popular to begin with, has become increasingly toxic of late.
From deeply unpopular surge pricing systems getting big-name acts like Adele and Bruce Springsteen into hot water with their own fan bases to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour debacle last fall to the ongoing public battle that The Cure is having with the ticketing agent for its own tour, Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation have not been winning many public relations battles of late.
While its corporate management continues to lobby furiously in hopes of pinning all of its failures on ticket resale or “bots,” legislation is being introduced across the country aimed at cleaning up the ticketing system, due in large part to the overwhelming consensus that Ticketmaster/Live Nation are, as FTC Chair Lina Khan put it, “too big to care.”
ATG Tickets is a UK-based ticketing company that primarily services clients in the theatre world. It is a subsidiary of the Ambassador Theatre Group, which operates 10 venues in London’s West End. In the U.S., it controls Broadway’s Lyric and Hudson Theatres, as well as the ACE Theatrical Group venues, which includes Kings Theatre plus the Saenger Theatre and Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts in New Orleans and the Majestic Theatre and Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio.
Kings Theatre has a full concert calendar for coming months on its website, including NMIXX Showcase Tour on May 16, The Flaming Lips on June 8, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals on August 11, and Nick Cave on October 6. Kings will also host a highly anticipated April 10 show by Ed Sheeran, where the singer will debut the unreleased songs from his upcoming album.
Existing tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will remain valid for the upcoming shows during the transitional period between vendors.
