Punch line: Ticketmaster plans to develop “dynamic pricing” systems that would adjust the cost of sports and concert tickets in response to demand, a strategy airlines and hotels have long used to maximize profits … TM expects sports teams to adopt the new system before concert promoters or Broadway producers.
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Excerpted from WSJ, Ticketmaster to Tie Prices to Demand
Dynamic pricing a key element in Ticketmaster’s strategy to revive sales of concert tickets, which have been stagnant or declining for years.
Last year was brutal for the concert industry, with ticket sales plunging 12% despite a modest decline in average prices. Recent price drops follow more than a decade of steady increases, a trend that helped mask fundamental problems.
“2010 taught us we have real challenges as an industry,” Mr. Hubbard said. “One of them is pricing.”
A frustration throughout the concert industry: the best seats appear to be consistently priced below what fans are willing to pay, leading to a multibillion-dollar “secondary market” in which scalpers can reap profits by reselling tickets above face value.
At the same time, he said, 40% of concert tickets sit unsold industry-wide, meaning that the ostensibly cheap seats for many shows are simply not cheap enough.
Thanks to JD for feeding the lead
The Homa Files 
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