Venues Need to Stop Shaking Down Artists for Every Last Dollar
variety.comAri Herstand Last week, I went to see one of my favorite artists, Theo Katzman, play the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Theo, who I recently featured on the New Music Business podcast, is a completely independent artist — no label; no manager.
I wanted to avoid the exorbitant service fees tacked onto the tickets when purchasing online, so I showed up to the Wiltern’s box office the moment it opened on show day to snag (what I thought would be) a $30 “face value” ticket.
However, when it came time to pay, the clerk told me that it would be $35. “There’s a $5 per ticket service fee added” she explained.
I asked her, “How can I avoid the service fee?” She replied: “You can’t.” I was confused and disappointed as to what “service” the Wiltern was providing by selling me a ticket at their physical box office.
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