Nick Cave producer says Ticketek fees are triple cost of local seller – making concerts more expensive than they should be

Nick Cave performing in 2022. Data from ticket sales for an Australian act playing across several similarly sized venues reveals disparities in fees levied by different sellers. Photograph: Tiago Petinga/EPA

Consumers pay more than double in ticketing fees for live music concerts if a promoter uses Ticketek or Ticketmaster instead of an independent ticket agency of their choice, according to modelling released to Guardian Australia.

Transaction fees, “infrastructure credit card” fees and “inside charges” mean concert goers pay as much as $21.73 to the Live Nation-owned company Ticketmaster on top of the actual ticket price, compared with a maximum $8.10 if the promoter is able to use an Australian-owned independent seller such as Oztix, the modelling shows.