Another Ticket Trainwreck?

[bfontana]

For telluride the excuse was all of the 2021 ticket holder rolling over that limited the number of people successfully getting tickets.

What's the excuse for Rocky grass...So many people missed out, waited in the see queue for hours to get nothing.

[culasthewiz]

RG is much closer to the major metro area of Denver and is thus more accessible.  That combined with the fact that there's never been a higher demand for live shows, let alone bluegrass shows, leads to a simple supply vs demand issue.  While there is plenty of room to improve the ticketing process, it's not really fair to blame the Planet for the success and demand of their festivals.

[carolkitchen]

I agree.  Demand or not, Rockygrass has never sold out ALL tickets, including single day tickets, on day one. I think something fishy happened with the ticketing process, letting too many bots in. Time will tell...

[BluegrassGeoff]

Hey bfontana,

This is BluegrassGeoff here at PB HQ in Lyons.  

I am sorry to hear that you got shutout this morning.  Sadly, it sold out so fast that a lot of people did!

No excuses here, I am very happy to say that the Queue-it system and See Tickets platform worked well this morning.  

It seems to me that demand was higher than normal due to it being the 50th annual as well as the pent up demand from canceled festivals, concerts, etc. for going on two years now.  We announced the line-up ahead of the on-sale date for the first time (as far as I am aware) which probably got folks more fired up than normal too.

A couple of unpopular solutions:
1. The supply and demand curve would tell us that we should jack up prices.  (I don't think anybody wants that)
2. We could throw a less-cool Festival.  (Another bad idea)

Luckily, you still have about 6 months to score yourself a ticket.  If you don't know about the Returned Ticket Resale or the Ticket Exchange on the Forum, here is some info:

The refund deadline is March 18th.  Any tickets that are refunded will be put back up for re-sale on the See Tickets site between 10am and 2pm mountain time on one of the Tuesdays after the 18th.

There is an online forum at festivarian.com.  You will need to register at the top but once you are logged in, scroll down and you will see "RockyGrass Ticket Exchange/Swap".  This is where you can post what you are looking to buy or have for sale.

Good luck scoring a ticket and I hope to see you this summer and for years to come!

Thanks as always for your feedback and your passion,
Geoff W. - PB Sales and Box Office Manager

[Fred]

RG is much closer to the major metro area of Denver and is thus more accessible.  That combined with the fact that there's never been a higher demand for live shows, let alone bluegrass shows, leads to a simple supply vs demand issue.  While there is plenty of room to improve the ticketing process, it's not really fair to blame the Planet for the success and thus demand of their festivals.

Agreed with this. You're talking about 5000 tickets per day, and if each person in line bought 2 or 4, the sellout is going to happen pretty darn quickly. At this point it's a distant memory when we could buy via a holiday discount throughout December, pretty wild (and understandable) how the popularity has grown. People come for the first time and they are hooked for life...

[buddhaboy73]

This would have been my 15th year at RG and it was a trainwreck, but it was the loss of Riverbend camping that was driving that train. Festival tickets have always been what's in short supply, not camping. While the SEE site would tell you how many festival tickets were available, nothing was listed for the camping or vehicle passes. How many people tried to add camping only to get the sold out message when you went to check out?

[Linds]

This was my first time on the SeeTickets site.  I was way back in the line, but thankfully one of my crew was able to get a lower number and got tickets for all four of us. 

Don't worry too much if you didn't get a ticket today.  Tickets always shake out here on the Forum or through the Planet's re-sale!

Now...if I could just figure out how to get into the Academy this summer!   

[Wharf_Rat]

Lots of people probably bought more tickets than they actually needed, so I'll bet that you see a bunch more for sale between now and March.  Good luck!   

[Festival Fred]

A couple of unpopular solutions:
1. The supply and demand curve would tell us that we should jack up prices.  (I don't think anybody wants that)
2. We could throw a less-cool Festival.  (Another you will see "RockyGrass Ticket Exchange/Swap".  This is where you can post what you are looking to buy or have for sale.[/i]
Geoff W. - PB Sales and Box Office Manager

Here is another solution that might also be unpopular. Lease some land nearby for a larger crowd.

[bfontana]

StubHub Resellers

[Jotoho]

Honestly, I had no idea when I logged on what was happening with the cue, but once I realized how it worked, I found it was the best solution to people hoarding tickets that I've seen so far. Having been one of those people who didn't get tickets in the past because of the usual cluster, I appreciate this process. There is no perfect solution, but this was progress. IMO.

[culasthewiz]

StubHub Resellers

There's a simple solution to this.  Don't buy tickets above face.  There will be plenty of passes available for sale here.  Be vigilant and patient and it will pay off.

[Rthousand]

StubHub Resellers

Agreed!   The fact that it lets you add to your cart but then once you go to check out says something is not avialable is WRONG.  You should hold that item for X minutes or until the person closes that window.  It leads to having 8 people with their computers for one family b/c one buys camping, other tickets, etc.  By the time it told me there were items in my cart not available, then things were sold out which is completely wrong.  I understand the system worked but look at the facts that there are scalpers with tickets for sale all over and the fact that even people with good numbers didnt know to just grab a single item and checkout as fast as you can.  What is the point of a queue if you are going to do that?  Its like saying I can go into a store, grab a shirt and then when I get to the checkout I am told the person behind me already requested that and I need to give it to them and go back to look for other stuff. 

Now on the other hand NO OTHER FESTIVAL allows ticket returns.  I think this alone as the person stated above me causes the wait and learn situation for scalpers, but unforatneytl you have too many people these days with extra $$$ that dont care, so they will sell and thus there is still an issue there.  So I have to agree that if you wait for the resale, it will blow you away what you can get.  I too have been going to RG for many many years and can remember discounted tickets to sell out, and I am happy the festival has become so popular....Just bummed out on the overall you put it in your cart doesnt mean a thing.  Ill know next year just to get one thing, checkout and hope for the common items later

[skyrunner]

  As another alternative, you could always try to get on the volunteer list. I got set up just as soon as I lost out on getting a ticket. I would think it would be a great thing for the planet to have a full volunteer list. Missing a little to help out, sure beats missing out. Just a humble opinion.

[bfontana]

Have been a volunteer at PB for 10+ years, but still need tickets for my family.

Boy this year feels different; not seeing much in terms of availability at face value, and plenty of for profit resellers.  Still think this new system isn’t serving genuine fans…

Need 4 3 day passes…