“SOLD OUT”: Ticketmaster, algorithmic performance, and dynamic ticket sales

Abstract

The paper aims to shed light on algorithmic mediation in the dynamic pricing of tickets for live shows and concerts. Based on the implementation of the so-called “Platinum Tickets” by Ticketmaster, a global leader in the industry, and the recent controversies regarding the sale opening for Bruce Springsteen’s tour shows, we seek to understand: 1) the algorithm as a market device (MUNIESA, 2007; MUNIESA; MILLO; CALLON, 2007); 2) dynamic price calculation as a performative operation (CALLON & MUNIESA, 2005); 3) how the algorithmic agency provides the company with an attempt to project neutrality and objectivity in pricing processes by the company (GILLESPIE, 2014; GUERRA & D’ANDRÉA, 2021); 4) how this process point to the interrelation between datafication and financialization in a context of neoliberalism and data capitalism context (GROHMANN, 2020), contributing to the growing of classism in live entertainment.

Keywords
digital platforms; algorithmic performance; Ticketmaster; dynamic pricing; shows