The rise of the Internet has been accompanied by a multitude of new ticketing systems that operate online. This system allows venues to manage their own ticket sales instead of having the sales handled by an outside agent like Ticketmaster or one of their smaller competitors. However, Ticketmaster still maintains a majority market share on event tickets that are sold throughout the United States. The truth is that many venues find it easier to outsource the handling of ticket sales rather than do it themselves.

Ticketmaster and similar agents don’t actually charge the venues to use their services. Rather, they make their money by charging a variety of fees to ticket buyers. It is those who attend the events who pay the price for the agent serving the venue. This is a good deal for the venue, as there’s no extra expense to outsource. By contrast, if they chose to implement their own box office software system, they would need to pay for server space and for personnel to operate and maintain the system. In the long run, even if they charge processing fees comparable to agents, they still might lose money.

In addition, the venue generally maintains complete control over the event, with the agent doing nothing aside from selling the tickets for concerts, shows, and more. On the other hand, the agent can’t necessarily provide a service as customized as the venue might like. If that is the case, using a specialized ticketing system might be the best solution after all.