After a series of social media posts yesterday (March 15) urging fans to be patient as the Cure‘s upcoming North American tour dates went on sale through Ticketmaster, Robert Smith has continued to post updates in real time about the process, calling Ticketmaster’s service fees a “debacle.”
Indeed, many fans were shocked at on-sale yesterday to see high-priced “processing,” “facility,” and “service” fees tacked onto what were fairly reasonably priced tickets for a band of the Cure’s stature, and Smith clearly sympathizes. “I am as sickened as you all are by today’s Ticketmaster ‘fees’ debacle,” he wrote on Twitter. “To be very clear: the artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer, I will let you all know.”
Smith also addressed rampant scalping, which the Cure’s usage of Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program aimed to curtail. Many secondary ticketing sits began adverting seats for sale before they even became available to the general public. “I have been told Stubub has pulled listing in all markets except New York, Chicago, [and] Denver (ie., cities in states that have laws protecting scalpers). Please don’t buy from the scalpers — there are still tickets available. It is just a very slow process.”
Smith closed his series of posts with a rhetorical thought: “I am compelled to note down my obvious recurring elephant in the room thought … that if no one bought from scalpers…”
The Cure’s tour begins May 10 in New Orleans and is named after the upcoming album Songs of the Lost World, which has been in the works for years but does not have a release date.
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. IF I GET ANYTHING COHERENT BY WAY OF AN ANSWER I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW. X
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023
