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Because of the allegations by a German moderator, the question arises: how lucrative is festival ticketing?
Since the allegations by the German comedian and moderator Jan Böhmermann against CTS Eventim, the suspicion has been floating around: Selling event tickets is huge business for the operators of the ticket platforms. Under the title “With fantasy fees to the event empire”, the comedian explained in one go around 20-minute ARD television report, how the German event giant CTS Eventim turns over billions through ticket fees. These fees are not transparent and the amount is not justified. Böhmermann speaks of up to 18 percent fee surcharge – on the price demands of the bands.
What is striking in Switzerland is that the large corporations among the event organizers are positioning themselves more and more strongly in the Swiss market. Live Nation and Eventim have participated directly or indirectly in several festivals in Switzerland. They also book the headliners who play at their or other festivals. The density of festivals in Switzerland is high, which is interesting for event companies because they can place their artists, says industry boss Christoph Bill. He also addresses ticketing as an interesting business for the corporations.
In fact, a glance at the festival ticket shows that most of the major festivals sell their tickets via the platforms of the event giants: Live Nation’s Ticketmaster and Eventim’s Ticketcorner. Ticketcorner in particular has a strong presence on the map.
Legend: Ticketing Festivals Switzerland SRF
18 percent at festivals is unrealistic
But are the fees in Switzerland as high as Böhmermann claims they are in Germany, and are they driving up ticket prices? When asked about excessive fees, Ticketcorner refers to its own website, where the costs are transparent. That’s right, the ticket buyer pays a maximum of CHF 2.50 per ticket. But this is only half the truth. Because the organizer also pays fees that he is forced to pass on to the visitor. Ticketcorner didn’t want to reveal how high these are, so they should ask the festival organizers.
The festival organizers refer to the non-disclosure agreements contained in the contracts with the ticket platforms. In other words, the cat bites its own tail. But 18 percent is unrealistic, according to the industry behind closed doors. We’re talking more of 5 to 10 percent. In addition, these fees are often capped. However, these modalities only apply to festivals. At concerts, the fees can be higher and without a cap.