July 8, 2024, 8:14 am | Read time: 7 minutes
Those who love live events must dig deeper into their pockets. A bottleneck for this is platforms like CTS Eventim–where prices have recently risen significantly. What’s behind this?
Live concerts or events in general mean energetic enjoyment for fans. When deafening noise, pounding bass, and dancing people come together, a euphoric feeling rushes through the body. However, the ticket prices that have risen since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic cause a different kind of tremor. TECHBOOK has inquired with Eventim and explains why concert and festival prices have increased so much–and who profits from it.
Rise to Industry Giant
CTS Eventim is one of the largest ticket portals in Germany and Europe. CTS stands for Computer Ticket Service. Originally, the company, founded in 1989, aimed to make tickets available throughout the country. Back then, it often happened that music fans in some regions of Germany couldn’t get tickets from local providers for their favorite band, while plenty of tickets were still available elsewhere.
What used to be more or less analog now works completely digitally and online. Eventim has managed to become a brand like Coca-Cola, Tempo, or Tesa. The name stands for the product. Today, if someone wants to see an artist or a band–of course–they book the ticket online at Eventim.
According to the Federal Cartel Office, Eventim now holds a market share of more than 60 percent in Germany. Some insiders suspect the share could be indirectly even higher. The few other providers play hardly any role, acknowledge the leading position of the industry giant, and try to get their piece of the pie. In the case of CTS Eventim, experts speak of an oligopolistic market position–a few providers share the market and can, to some extent, also determine prices.
Criticism of Eventim’s System
At the German industry giant, other factors contribute to the consolidation of market power. Jan Böhmermann, in his TV show “ZDF Magazin Royale,” has lifted the curtain on Eventim a bit in his famously relentless manner.
According to research by Böhmermann’s team, Eventim is not just a ticket seller but also an artist agency, promoter, and venue agency. Venue refers to the event location. This means Eventim is, among other things, the operator of the Lanxess Arena in Cologne and the tenant of the Berlin Waldbühne, two of the largest venues in Germany.
Through various subsidiaries and holdings, Eventim is also the organizer of festivals like Hurricane, Southside, Rock am Ring, or Rock im Park. Even tickets for Bundesliga soccer games, the FIFA World Cup, or the Olympic Games have been or are being sold through Eventim’s platform.
The ZDF Magazin Royale concludes that the entire event market in Germany is significantly determined by one company–Eventim. What do the diverse business activities of the online retailer mean for ticket sales?
How Is Eventim’s Ticket Price Composed?
In response to a TECHBOOK inquiry, an Eventim spokesperson states: “Ticket prices are not set by Eventim but by the promoters.” The statement is factually correct. However, there are overlaps in some cases because Eventim increasingly acts as a promoter itself.
To get a rough idea of the distribution of revenue from ticket sales: About 60 percent of ticket revenue is divided among personnel costs, production, logistics, or GEMA fees. The remaining 40 percent is for the artists and promoters. The exact shares of the involved parties are individually agreed upon.
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What Fees Apply?
When asked what specific fees apply when buying a ticket online through Eventim, the spokesperson replies: “In Germany, these are usually the percentage-based advance booking fee, whose amount is set by the promoter and not by the ticketing partner, as well as a fixed booking fee. If a paper ticket is chosen, a shipping fee is added. All fees are transparently displayed on our website before purchase. In exceptional cases, system fees may arise if tickets come from a third-party system.”
However, the statement is not entirely transparent. The General Terms and Conditions (GTC) do not contain specific numbers or percentage details. Even in the FAQs, customers find few to no details on fees.
Sure, the company lists the fees on the invoice shortly before the payment process after ticket selection. Perhaps it would be even more transparent if interested parties could get an overview of the fees on the Eventim website before selecting tickets. For promoters or agencies selling their tickets through the Eventim network, such a breakdown exists. Maybe soon for ticket buyers too?
Due to the fees–specifically, due to fees not refunded by Eventim–the Federation of German Consumer Organizations has filed a model lawsuit against the online retailer at the Munich Regional Court. According to the Munich judges’ ruling, advance booking fees for event tickets cannot be generally excluded in the GTC.
Double Fees When Selling via Fansale
In addition to the already mentioned multiple activities of Eventim as a seller, promoter, and venue landlord, the company also handles ticket sales when a fan cannot attend the event for various reasons.
The “Fansale” ticket exchange by Eventim is fundamentally a good thing to resell excess tickets to other fans easily. However, additional purchase fees and a seller’s commission apply. Those who buy a ticket from Eventim pay double fees–at purchase and possibly at resale via Fansale. Thus, a good thing can become an expensive affair.
Tip: If you want to get rid of a purchased ticket, use other channels, like a group email to friends and acquaintances. Or share your offer via Messenger status in your circle of friends.
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Are There Alternatives to Eventim?
There are alternatives, but very few. The best option: Buy tickets directly from the theater, on the venue’s website, or from the promoter if possible. Many artists now sell their concert tickets independently through their own websites. With these alternatives, a few euros can usually be saved.
However, this usually only works for smaller events or lesser-known artists and bands. Those who want to see the big megastars on stage cannot avoid Eventim directly or indirectly. Moreover, other ticket sellers like Ticketmaster, myticket.de, or ADTicket now use similar sales strategies as the market leader.
Conclusion on Eventim Prices
Eventim has secured an almost unassailable market position as a ticket seller in Germany and internationally in recent years. Through various subsidiaries and holdings, the company now takes on additional roles as a concert agency and promoter. Even some of the largest venues in Germany belong to Eventim.
The former pure ticket seller is thus able to indirectly influence prices. What this means for artists and fans is something you can ponder yourself. It is undisputed: External factors, such as declining revenue from record sales in recent decades, increased personnel costs, rising venue rents, and recently the COVID-19 pandemic with performance bans, have driven up ticket prices for concerts and festivals.
Nevertheless, Eventim’s pricing could become more transparent, especially regarding the disclosure of fees. Customers only see these when the purchase is almost complete. Clicking ‘Cancel’ is particularly difficult for fans of their favorite band. As an alternative to Eventim–at least for smaller events–local sellers on-site remain. Direct purchases usually save a few euros.