The Cure’s Robert Smith labels dynamic pricing a “scam”
The Cure frontman Robert Smith has hit out against dynamic pricing and the current state of the ticketing industry, which he blames on greed.
In 2023, during their North American tour, Smith found himself in a dispute with Ticketmaster over the cost of admission to their concerts. The Cure made a portion of tickets for their shows $20, however, fans who purchased these tickets ended up paying more in fees to Ticketmaster than on the concert tickets due to hidden costs.
The band made a commitment to making sure their shows were affordable to all, and refused to incorporate dynamic pricing, which was recently used on tickets for Oasis’ reunion tour for 2025.
To coincide with The Cure’s new album, Songs of a Lost World, they are set to play an intimate show at The Troxy in London on November 1st. While tickets for the show could have easily fetched hundreds of pounds, The Cure have capped prices at £50.
In a new interview with The Times, Smith explained his stance: “I was shocked by how much profit is made. I thought, ‘We don’t need to make all this money.’ My fights with the label have all been about how we can price things lower. The only reason you’d charge more for a gig is if you were worried that it was the last time you would be able to sell a T-shirt.”
Smith then said that he wants to keep prices at an affordable rate so that fans can afford to see The Cure on many occasions, stating, “If people save on the tickets, they buy beer or merch. There is goodwill, they will come back next time. It is a self-fulfilling good vibe and I don’t understand why more people don’t do it.”
After Oasis denied being aware dynamic pricing would be used on their tour and subsequently not using it for their international dates, Smith said of the technique: “We didn’t allow dynamic pricing because it’s a scam that would disappear if every artist said, ‘I don’t want that!’ But most artists hide behind management. ‘Oh, we didn’t know,’ they say. They all know. If they say they do not, they’re either f***ing stupid or lying. It’s just driven by greed.”
Robert Smith’s retirement plan for The Cure
Furthermore, in the same interview, Smith revealed that he plans to slow things down in 2029 when he turns 70, stating, “I’m 70 in 2029. And that’s it, that really is it. If I make it that far, that’s it.” Reflecting back on his career, he said, “I’ve led a very privileged life. I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been.”
Earlier this week, Smith shared that he planned for The Cure to part ways after they performed at London’s Hyde Park in 2018. However, much to his delight, his band were subsequently asked to headline Glastonbury, and have continued to tour regularly ever since.
He told Uncut: “I wasn’t stopping because I didn’t want to do it any more, I just thought it would allow me a few years when I’d still be able to do something else. I wasn’t that bothered, funnily enough. I’d arranged everything to end in 2018, so when we got to 2019, I felt relieved.”
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