WHAT IS AN “AUTHORIZED” TICKET AGENT?
A ticketing agency is contracted by the promoter (generally through the venue) to sell tickets on behalf of the event promoters. They are sometimes (mistakenly) referred to as the “B.O.” or “box office”. Each venue has a contract with a ticketing agency to provide ticketing and some advertising, and the venue must use that ticketing agency for all events at that venue. This “authorized” ticketing agent is contracted to sell and distribute tickets for the event to the general public on behalf of the promoter and the venue. They include agencies like Ticketmaster, which is the largest by far. These agents will sell you a ticket in compliance with the promoter’s guidelines and in accordance with their own guidelines at the price as stated on the ticket, plus a fee which may or may not be stated as well. In the case of concert tickets, the fee is generally stated on the ticket, and varies from no fee (in the case of tickets purchased at the venue box office), to a fee of 5% to as much as 2
