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Neil Young became the latest in a long line of artists to weigh in on the issue of price scalping and undue charges faced by concert fans due to Ticketmaster’s monopoly.
In a post titled Concert Touring is Broken published on his website on March 19, 2023, the 77-year-old singer expressed his views on the matter, stating:
"Ticketmaster fees at 30%. It’s over. The old days are gone. I get letters blaming me for $3,000.00 tickets for a benefit I am doing. That money does not go to me or the benefit."
He continued:
"Artists have to worry about ripped off fans blaming them for Ticketmaster add-ons and scalpers. CONCERT TOURS are no longer fun. CONCERT TOURS not what they were"
Neil Young’s comments come after the latest Ticketmaster debacle involving The Cure concerts, which saw ticket prices double overnight. The ticketing giant had imposed high charges, but the band forced Ticketmaster to provide refunds.
More on Neil Young's comments regarding concert tickets
Neil Young's criticism regarding the ticketing debacle provides a brief overview of the issue after the initial comments. In the overview, the singer elaborates on how ticket prices are determined on Ticketmaster, which shows that the fair price which goes to the artists, called Face Value Price, is just a fraction of the actual fees Ticketmaster charges.
The article also points out the long history of the Ticketmaster fiasco, with the first recorded instance of protest against the ticketing giant by an artist back in 1994. In the same year, Pearl Jam canceled its summer tour due to its inability to fight the imposition of high ticket prices by Ticketmaster.
The post also mentions the acquisition of Ticketmaster by Live Nation in 2010 and the consequent unease among fans, artists, and politicians at the near total monopoly on ticketing established by the merger, particularly after last year's Taylor Swift ticket debacle, where the giant failed to meet service demands.
The Ticketmaster criticism comes at a time when Neil Young is starting to tour again after a long self-imposed hiatus from live events in compliance with quarantine measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The singer is set to perform at the Light Up the Blues autism fundraiser concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in April.
All about Neil Young and his music career
Neil Percival Young was born on November 12, 1945, and began his music career while attending Earl Grey Junior High School. Here, he formed the band The Jades alongside a few of his schoolmates.
After transferring to Kelvin High School and eventually dropping out of school, the singer had his first stable band, the Squires, in 1963. After leaving the band, he worked in folk bands across Canada. Here, he met singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and became her close friend, which sparked some of his earliest songwriting successes.
The singer founded the Canadian-American rock band Buffalo Springfield, with whom he saw moderate success. The band's three studio albums peaked at 8,044 and 42 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The singer began his solo career after signing on with Reprise Records under the same manager as Joni Mitchell, Elliot Roberts. He released his eponymously titled debut studio album on November 12, 1968, which peaked at number 82 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart.
Neil Young achieved critical acclaim with his 19th studio album, Harvest Moon, released on November 2, 1992. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 album charts and won the Album of the Year award at the 1994 Juno Awards.
