With concert ticket prices rising in the US, ticket brokers and other agencies use ticket drops as a device to generate even greater revenue. Reserving tickets to be dropped at a later date allows brokers and concert promoters to sell the dropped tickets for highly sought-after concerts at a much higher rate.
Ticket drops usually occur within a few weeks of the scheduled concert date. This is in opposition to the original date of sale which generally happens months ahead of time. According to Ticket Tool Shed, a ticket-drop monitoring service, for any given list of 25 events approximately one to three sold-out events will drop additional tickets per day. The amount of tickets dropped per concert can range from less than ten to dozens per session.
Ticket drops give fans the chance to buy tickets to events they thought were sold out. Although increased availability is a benefit of ticket drops, increased pricing is not. The type of seats released can vary and usually depends upon the preference of the broker and how many tickets were actually held for the drop. Concert goers can expect to pay more for tickets purchased as a result of a drop, however, they should not assume this guarantees premium seating.
Ticket drops are most commonly devised as a way for ticket brokers and promoters to increase their ticket revenue. Additionally, to support this practice, a crop of ticket-drop monitoring services are now available to help fans and brokers find out about drops before they happen. People wishing to use such services should use caution as these services charge a fee and customers are not assured success in receiving newly released tickets.
The idea of additional tickets becoming available to greatly anticipated concert events appeals to many fans, but ticket drops can be costly and disappointing. Fans passionate about seeing a live show should research what events will be happening in their area and when tickets will be going on sale. Artists generally post tour schedules and ticket release dates months in advance on their websites, and they often endorse a certified ticketing agency or primary broker. Taking time to research and plan for purchasing concert tickets in advance will save concert goers money and perhaps the heartache of missing out on seeing their favorite bands live.