Young’s forthcoming Love Earth tour will not use Ticketmaster’s ‘platinum’ ticketing scheme – described by Smith as ‘a greedy scam’

Neil Young has credited the Cure’s frontman Robert Smith with inspiring his decision not to allow Ticketmaster to use dynamic pricing for his forthcoming tour.

Dynamic pricing is marketed by Ticketmaster as “platinum” or “in demand” tickets which, according to the company, “give fans the opportunity to purchase the most in demand tickets to an event, at a market-driven price” – meaning a rise in prices for especially sought-after tickets.

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 the fans from 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. Very soon, Platinum tickets will no longer be available for my shows. I have decided to let the people work this out. Buy aggressively when the tickets come out or tickets will cost a lot more in a secondary market.