Few things compare to the thrill of securing tickets to see your favourite band live. But just as you’re about to celebrate, the dreaded booking fee appears—an extra charge that often feels like an unnecessary burden. For many, it’s an unavoidable frustration, but what exactly are these fees, and why are they charged?

What Makes Up a Booking Fee?

Booking fees are typically set by ticketing companies in agreement with event organizers. According to Ticketmaster, these fees cover a range of costs, including:

Service Fees – These contribute to customer service, site security, payment processing, event staffing, and box office operations.
Order Processing Fees – A one-time charge per order that covers handling, delivery, and technology solutions.
Venue Facility Fees – Sometimes called a "venue levy," this fee is set by the venue itself to fund improvements and maintenance.

While ticketing companies argue that these fees help maintain a secure and efficient ticketing system, many consumers feel they are simply a way to extract more money from fans.

The Debate: Are Booking Fees Fair?

For many concertgoers, booking fees feel like an unavoidable tax on live music. After waiting hours in an online queue, the last thing you want to see is an extra charge tacked onto your ticket price. Some argue that these fees should be absorbed into the base ticket price rather than appearing as an additional cost.

Even more frustrating is the charge for printing your own ticket at home. Some companies demand up to £3 for the privilege of using your own ink and paper—a fee that seems entirely unjustifiable. While postage costs for physical tickets make sense, charging for self-printing feels like another way to squeeze extra cash from fans.

Will Regulations Ever Change?

Despite growing frustration, there are currently no strict government regulations on booking fees for concert tickets. However, there have been efforts to improve transparency in ticket pricing. The UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 aims to ensure that fees are incorporated into the total price at the earliest opportunity, rather than being revealed later in the checkout process. While this applies primarily to rail ticketing, it raises the question of whether similar rules should be introduced for concert tickets.

With ticket prices already soaring, these additional fees make live music even less accessible—especially for emerging artists who rely on packed venues to build their careers. If booking fees continue to rise unchecked, will we see fewer people attending gigs? And will the government ever step in to regulate these costs?

What Do You Think?

Are booking fees a necessary evil, or should they be abolished altogether? Should ticketing companies be forced to include all fees in the upfront price? And what about the charge for printing your own ticket—justified or daylight robbery?

Let’s open the debate. Share your thoughts in the comments and let’s push for a fairer system for live music fans.