Neil Young Walks Back ‘Platinum' Ticket Option Following Inspiration From Robert Smith
Taking inspiration from The Cure's Robert Smith, Neil Young has informed fans that he will no longer be offering 'Platinum' tickets to his upcoming shows.
Young's change in ticketing attitudes follows on from an interview Smith conducted with The Times in October 2024. The interview occurred just weeks after Oasis had put the controversial topic of dynamic ticket pricing into the headlines, and Smith had attempted to keep tickets as low as possible – often as low as $20 – for their U.S. tour dates.
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'I was shocked by how much profit is made [by ticketing],' Smith said. 'I thought, 'We don't need to make all this money.' My fights with the label have all been about how we can price things lower. The only reason you'd charge more for a gig is if you were worried that it was the last time you would be able to sell a T-shirt.'
'It was easy to set ticket prices, but you need to be pig-headed,' he added. 'We didn't allow dynamic pricing because it's a scam that would disappear if every artist said, 'I don't want that!' But most artists hide behind management. 'Oh, we didn't know,' they say. They all know. If they say they do not, they're either f–king stupid or lying. It's just driven by greed.'
Now, Young has taken to his own Neil Young Archives website to point to Smith's 2024 comments, explaining how the conversation inspired him to make his own changes in terms of ticketing to his shows.
'It's the story of the bad thing that has happened to concerts world-wide. It's this story that really helped me to realize that I have a choice to make and can make a difference for my music loving friends,' Young explained. 'My management and agent have always tried to cover my back on the road, getting me the best deals they could.
'They have tried to protect me and my fans from the scalpers who buy the best tickets and resell them at huge increases for their own profits. Ticketmaster's High priced Platinum tickets were introduced to the areas where scalpers were buying the most tickets for resale. The money went to me. That did not feel right.'
As Young concluded, he alerted his fans to the fact that 'Platinum' tickets will no longer be available for his upcoming performances in the near future.
'I have decided to let the people work this out,' Young added. 'Buy aggressively when the tickets come out or tickets will cost a lot more in a secondary market.'
Young's upcoming tour will see him accompanied on all shows by the Chrome Hearts band, featuring his longtime collaborator keyboardist/organist Spooner Oldham, as well as Promise of the Real members Micah Nelson (guitar/vocals), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGerfo (drums). The group released the grungy anthem 'Big Change' in January. Young debuted the Chrome Hearts band last year and has said an album from the group is tentatively slated for release in April.
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