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Beyoncé, here performing at an ultra-luxury resort in Dubai
Photo:
Mason Poole/Parkwood Media/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal
With »Renaissance«, Beyoncé created a space for free development while standing still.
That's what the American musician says about her album, which was released in July.
This year, Queen Bey is opening up this space to her fans as well, as she is touring with the dance album.
40 shows are planned worldwide, three of which will take place in Germany - in Frankfurt, Cologne and Hamburg.
Even before the actual start of sales on Friday, advance sales began on Thursday exclusively at Ticketmaster.
The onslaught of the BeyHives, as Beyoncé's fans call themselves in reference to the English beehive (beehive), is immense.
Just as big is the worry of not being able to get tickets before the regular start of sales.
The concern seems justified.
Last summer, ticket sales for Taylor Swift's tour became a debacle.
Back then, Ticketmaster's servers couldn't handle the rush, and the provider had to stop selling.
With over two million tickets sold, it would have taken 900 events to actually cater to all fans, according to Ticketmaster.
When advance sales for the Beyoncé concerts in Great Britain started last week, the huge rush caused the server at the provider o2 Priority to crash.
Over 500,000 inquiries within a few minutes caused the platform to collapse.
In Germany, Telekom Magenta took over the pre-sales without any glitches.
Advance sales via Ticketmaster have also largely run smoothly so far.
In the end, the fans will have to pay for the Ticketmaster crash, like the Taylor Swift ticket sale.
Because it caused horrendous prices on the black market: resellers asked up to 90,000 US dollars for a Taylor Swift card.
Although Ticketmaster takes significantly less for concert tickets for comparable mega stars, it is still far too much for many fans: the provider estimated up to 5000 US dollars to attend a Bruce Springsteen concert.
Different pricing models
Dynamic pricing is what Ticketmaster calls the function that stubbornly measures prices based on demand – similar to flight providers or hotel bookings.
With ticket rushes that are many times larger than the existing capacities, it is obvious that the software uses a similarly high factor for determining the price.
According to the company, the additional income would also benefit the artists.
Paying small car prices for a concert ticket is too much for Springsteen fans, even if the idol benefits from it himself.
Overall, the criticism is growing - of Ticketmaster as the provider, but also of the artists themselves sweating bodies in a confined space - because everyone who was waiting in front of the store should also fit in at the end.
It is unclear whether the dynamic price adjustment will also be used for Beyoncé tickets.
When asked by SPIEGEL, the group did not comment on this point.
So far, the dynamic pricing model has mainly been used in the USA.
For concerts in Germany, the cheapest tickets (standing room in the grandstand) are available from event partner Ticketmaster from 70 euros, while the most expensive tickets cost just under 200 euros.
Additional services such as prioritized admission, reserved seats or free drinks are possible at extra cost, and the final amount can be several thousand euros.
For some people interested in tickets, this is no longer affordable.
The fact that live music is increasingly becoming a luxury good is not least due to the monopoly power of a few multi-concert groups.
One of these is Ticketmaster's parent, Live Nation Entertainment Group, formed from Ticketmaster's merger with concert promoter Live Nation in 2010.
Together they hold hands over the entire live music distribution process.
In addition to the core areas of both companies - events and ticketing - the group is now also active in the business for event locations.
This allows him to put pressure on artists and their fans, who have no choice but to buy from Ticketmaster or host with Live Nation.
Rise of the monopoly?
The merger of the two concert giants was viewed critically from the start.
The US Department of Justice approved the merger only under certain conditions, such as appointing an antitrust officer and prohibiting any penalties for venues that did not want to work with the platform.
However, since the organizers' approach has not been structurally stopped so far, there is now a risk of the group being unbundled in the USA.
The Ministry of Justice has launched a corresponding investigation.
Because after the Taylor Swift scandal, to which the singer herself had commented, the criticism has become louder.
Complaints from fans are piling up, but a coalition of artists is also calling for the monopoly to be broken.
There are also voices from politics,
In Germany, meanwhile, one of the world's few competitors is maintaining its market dominance.
CTS Eventim will still be the most popular platform among consumers in 2022 with almost 70 percent.
Ticketmaster is the second strongest force with 15 percent, but still lags far behind.
Nevertheless, the company's influence is also increasing in Germany, as the exclusive advance sale for Beyoncé tickets shows.
Unlike in the United States, Germany has apparently not taken any precautions for server stability during the pre-sale.
On the provider's website it says: "All you need to buy the tickets is an account with Ticketmaster.
No password, secret link or newsletter subscription is required.«
Free ride for Beyoncé's summer concerts in Germany, it seems.
This should not least please the artist who wrote – Renaissance – freedom in the sense of rebirth on her album cover.