Ticketmaster was once again the villain on social media this week, as fans of The Cure vented their frustration over the ticket purchasing process for the band’s upcoming tour dates in North America. The Cure had actually gone along with most of Ticketmaster’s restrictive systems, saying they were hoping to keep ticket prices low for their fans by leveraging the hated “verified fan” system and telling the promoter and ticketing agent not to employ “dynamic” or “platinum” ticket surge pricing systems, which singer Robert Smith called out as “A GREEDY SCAM”.

Fans who got through the “lottery” of the verified fan system complained that the band’s efforts at keeping price low were thwarted by absurd fees (in at least one instance, fees totaled more than 100% of the ticket price), and many others complained about the lottery itself, which boxed them out from any hope of purchasing tickets.

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Naturally, many of those fees are actually going back to the band or the venue, as that is how ticket fees are structured. But another public black eye for the entertainment giant, under fire from fans for months over surge pricing and the overall terrible experience that ticket buying as become over the years and under significant scrutiny from lawmakers who might be considering breaking the giant up, is the last thing it needed.

https://twitter.com/PuddlesPityP/status/1636088456962256896

On the eve of Wednesday’s sale of The Cure concert tickets, band leader Robert Smith took to social media to try to explain the band’s reasoning for going all-in with so many of Ticketmaster’s policies, which required them to pre-register their interest to purchase tickets, and stripped them of their right to transfer or resell tickets outside of Ticketmaster’s system except in the handful of states like New York, Illinois, and Colorado where laws prevent the primary box office from restricting transfer or resale to their own platform.

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Smith continued sharing more details via Twitter, seeming to write his own thoughts in ALL CAPS and pasting in direct lines from Ticketmaster at times (you can tell by the changed case). He seemed to hedge on the band’s usage of the system, effectively telling his own fans that the industry giant dictated how they should do things and they were going along with it, despite their own reservations.

Later, he specifically called out the usage of “dynamic pricing” which has been so controversial as it has continued to be adopted by more and more acts to the anger of their fans, perhaps most notably Bruce Springsteen’s. Smith minced no words about the practice, calling it “A GREEDY SCAM” and rightly saying that it’s artists who choose to use the systems, though no doubt egged on by their promoters and Ticketmaster, all of whom stand to make a far greater cut of ticket sales when prices are maximized.

Supposedly, at The Cure’s insistence, every ticket for their North American shows was being put on sale Wednesday to those who have been approved for the Verified Fan purchase option. If that is the case, it would be a dramatic change from the usual business of holding back substantial percentages of tickets for every stop to then slowly drip onto the market to keep prices high – but it makes sense if the band attempted to keep prices low, fees surged or no.

Ticket Links

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The Cure tickets at ScoreBig
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The Cure tickets at StubHub
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The Cure tickets at Vivid Seats

The Cure North American Tour Dates 2023

May 10 — NEW ORLEANS, LA | SMOOTHIE KING CENTER
May 12 — HOUSTON, TX | TOYOTA CENTER
May 13 — DALLAS, TX | DOS EQUIS PAVILION
May 14 — AUSTIN, TX | MOODY CENTER
May 16 — ALBUQUERQUE, NM | ISLETA AMPHITHEATER
May 18 — PHOENIX, AZ DESERT | DIAMOND ARENA
May 20 — SAN DIEGO, CA |  NICU AMPHITHEATRE
May 23 — LOS ANGELES, CA |  HOLLYWOOD BOWL
May 24 — LOS ANGELES, CA |  HOLLYWOOD BOWL
May 25 — LOS ANGELES, CA |  HOLLYWOOD BOWL
May 27 — SAN FRANCISCO, CA |  SHORELINE AMPHITHEATRE
June 1 — SEATTLE, WA | CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA
June 2 — VANCOUVER, BC | ROGERS ARENA
June 4 — SALT LAKE CITY, UT | VIVINT SMART HOME ARENA
June 6 — DENVER, CO | FIDDLER’S GREEN AMPHITHEATRE
June 8 — MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL, MN | XCEL ENERGY CENTER
June 10 — CHICAGO, IL | UNITED CENTER
June 11 — CLEVELAND, OH | BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER
June 13 — DETROIT, MI | PINE KNOB MUSIC THEATRE
June 14 — TORONTO, ON | BUDWEISER STAGE
June 16 — MONTREAL, QC | QC BELL CENTRE
June 18 — BOSTON, MA | XFINITY CENTER
June 20 — NEW YORK, NY | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
June 21 — NEW YORK, NY | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
June 22 — NEW YORK, NY | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
June 24 — PHILADELPHIA, PA | WELLS FARGO CENTER
June 25 — COLUMBIA, MD | MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION
June 27 — ATLANTA, GA | STATE FARM ARENA
June 29 — TAMPA, FL | AMALIE ARENA
July 1 — MIAMI, FL | MIAMI-DADE ARENA

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