Zach Bryan shared some sharply negative thoughts about both of the major promoter-owned ticketing entities Tuesday on the eve of his new tour dates going on sale this week, putting AEG’s AXS and Live Nation’s Ticketmaster on blast with his fans via X (aka Twitter).
“Everyone complained about AXS last year,” the singer/songwriter shared in a post Tuesday afternoon. “All my homies do still hate Ticketmaster but hard to realize one guy can’t change the whole system. It is intentionally broken and I’ll continue to feel absolutely horrible about the cost of tickets in an unfair market.”
https://twitter.com/zachlanebryan/status/1699147963317023150
Bryan, whose The Quittin Time Tour dates go on sale this week, turned consumer hatred of Ticketmaster into a marketing engine in the past year, driving headlines and ticket sales. He was openly critical of the ticketing system for months, going so far as to title a live album release “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster” and pledging not to use the platform for his “Burn, Burn Burn” tour this year.
Using AXS instead – which is owned by his tour promoter – Bryan went all-in on the capabilities of mobile-only ticketing to eliminate consumer rights over tickets they’ve purchased, in an effort to control ticket prices – both from getting above face value on resale marketplaces if a show was selling well, and from getting below face value on resale marketplaces if it wasn’t. The ticketing plan actually caused several shows to violate state laws that made such restrictions illegal, though when pressed on the illegality of its actions by consumers, the ticketing company provided misleading responses indicating that it had complied with the laws it had broken.
Despite that exposure to the attention of law enforcement and millions of dollars in fines, all AXS/AEG got for its troubles was a subsequent tour going on sale with zero exclusivity as Bryan admitted defeat against the market power that Live Nation/Ticketmaster has, not unlike Pearl Jam three decades before, or Bruce Springsteen – both of whom made major public stands against Ticketmaster, only to later embrace the inevitability of using them for tours due to their exclusive contracts with an enormous number of venues.
Tickets to Bryan’s tour dates are on general sale beginning on Friday, September 8, with presales opening on Wednesday, September 6. Those interested in the presale had to register their demand with AEG Presents, similar to Ticketmaster’s hated Verified Fan system. This registration requirement will likely be used to fuel dynamic pricing systems, given that it will allow the tour operators to have a deep understanding of who is buying and what the market will bear, price-wise.
Bryan didn’t mince words in his commiserating with his fans about what most expect to be a hectic ticket purchasing experience, as fans compete for a tiny fraction of tickets that are on sale, while thousands of others are held back for later offers, as his team had AEG/AXS do for the Burn, Burn, Burn tour dates.
https://twitter.com/zachlanebryan/status/1699228614061850945
Zach Bryan Ticket Links
Zach Bryan Tickets at MegaSeats | 10% off with code TICKETNEWS
Zach Bryan Tickets at ScoreBig
Zach Bryan Tickets at SeatGeek
Zach Bryan Tickets at StubHub
Zach Bryan Tickets at Ticket Club | Free Membership Offer
Zach Bryan Tickets at Vivid Seats
Zach Bryan 2023 Tour Dates
Sep 23 – Franklin, TN | The Park at Harlinsdale Farm
Sept 24 – Franklin, TN | The Park at Harlinsdale Farm
Oct 7 – Opelika, AL | Sistrunk Farms
Oct 19 – Fort Worth, TX | Texas Motor Speedway
Oct 20 – Fort Worth, TX | Texas Motor Speedway
Oct 21 – Somerville, TX | Snook Rodeo Grounds
Zach Bryan The Quittin’ Time Tour 2024
March 06 — Chicago, IL | United Center
March 07 — Chicago, IL | United Center
March 09 — Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Arena
March 10 — Buffalo, NY | KeyBank Center
March 12 — State College, PA | Bryce Jordan Center
March 14 — Newark, NJ | Prudential Center
March 15 — Newark, NJ | Prudential Center
March 17 — Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena
March 18 — Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena
March 20 — Milwaukee, WI | Fiserv Forum
March 22 — Birmingham, AL | Legacy Arena at the BJCC
March 25 — Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena
March 27 — Brooklyn, NY | Barclays Center
March 28 — Brooklyn, NY | Barclays Center
April 26 — Des Moines, IA | Wells Fargo Arena
April 29 — Omaha, NE CHI | Health Center
May 02 — St. Louis, MO | Enterprise Center
May 05 — Greenville, SC | Bon Secours Wellness Arena
May 06 — Greenville, SC | Bon Secours Wellness Arena
May 09 — Knoxville, TN | Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
May 13 — North Little Rock, AR | Simmons Bank Arena
May 14 — North Little Rock, AR | Simmons Bank Arena
May 17 — Oklahoma City, OK | Paycom Center
May 18 — Oklahoma City, OK | Paycom Center
June 07 — Las Vegas, NV | T-Mobile Arena
June 08 — Las Vegas, NV | T-Mobile Arena
June 15 — Denver, CO | Empower Field at Mile High
June 22 — Columbus, OH | Buckeye Country Superfest
June 26 — Foxborough, MA | Gillette Stadium
July 30 — San Antonio, TX | AT&T Center
July 31 — San Antonio, TX | AT&T Center
August 03 — Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum
August 04 — Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum
August 07 — Philadelphia, PA | Lincoln Financial Field
August 10 — Atlanta, GA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
August 14 — Tampa, FL | Raymond James Stadium
August 17 — Arlington, TX | AT&T Stadium
August 20 — Kansas City, MO | T-Mobile Center
August 24 — Minneapolis, MN | U.S. Bank Stadium
August 25 — Grand Forks, ND | Alerus Center
November 17 — Edmonton, AB | Rogers Place
November 18 — Edmonton, AB | Rogers Place
November 20 — Vancouver, BC | Rogers Arena
November 22 — Tacoma, WA | Tacoma Dome
November 23 — Tacoma, WA | Tacoma Dome
November 26 — Portland, OR | Moda Center
November 27 — Portland, OR | Moda Center
November 29 — Sacramento, CA | Golden 1 Center
December 03 — Glendale, AZ | Desert Diamond Arena
December 04 — Glendale, AZ | Desert Diamond Arena
December 06 — Salt Lake City, UT | Delta Center
December 07 — Salt Lake City, UT | Delta Center
December 13 — Tulsa, OK | BOK Center
December 14 — Tulsa, OK | BOK Center