Ticketmaster Reviews

Pros

people, parties, perks, benefits, location. Good company to further your career. Stop here for a few years then move on and make better money.

Cons

Ticketmaster pays generally below market.

Advice to Senior Management

Not sure if becoming a management company is the right approach. They may be taking there eye of the prize.

Pros

In no particular order:
- Every day is a learning opportunity
- Flexible schedules
- Good people
- Love of the industry
- Possibilities!

Cons

- Knowledge of the ticketing industry comes across as being a negative - there should not be a single person at this company who can not sell a ticket.
- Little or no chance of promotion as a woman
- Too many middle managers who do not have the experience to manage teams - don't know how to motivate or reward
- 'Thanks good job' is a phase too frequently/almost never heard
- Too much change for the sake of change
- No open discussion on the course of business
- Huge gap between senior management and local managment's communication of initiatives
- Little or no training of new processes/procedures

Advice to Senior Management

If you want a company thats innovative and creative, go out and actually talk to the employees who do the work. Create an environment that encourages honest feedback. Stop hampering workers with process and micro-managment.

Pros

Great People and Great Opportunities to Get to Know Your Fellow Workers more Closely. Almost Feels like family

Cons

There are none at all.

Advice to Senior Management

They are all great. Keep up the good work.

Pros

Job satisfaction is high, great vacation, and benifits are fair.

Cons

Some favoritism is shown for upper management, "Good old boys" type of raises to themselves. Worker bees are kept, middile management is the first to go. We are an upside down pyramid. Too much leadership over balancing a small workforce that is being moved farther and farther away from the clients.

Advice to Senior Management

Lokk internally for mor advice when hireing and fireing.

Pros

It used to be an innovative company with a great office, fairly good upward mobility and a fun culture. No longer the case with the current CEO and VP's in place. Talent drain will be even worse, even after layoffs. Smart people will not want to work here in the future.

Cons

Lack of succession planning, lack of recognizing negative media image (yes, a simple name change would do wonders for this org) and actual products (hello, watch out for Live Nation) . Boy's club in senior management. Phoenix tech team is like a 70s car with a new paint job. Whats under the hood needs to be revamped. Fast, or a new company could pop up and overtake quickly.

Advice to Senior Management

Plan your leaders and select based on merit, not favoritism and the fact that they were with you at the Skybox or Red Rocks for drinks.

Pros

Provides a great understanding of the critical economics of the music industry. Experience at Ticketmaster translates well to work anywhere in the concert industry as well as the recording, entertainment marketing, radio and artist management fields. A year's work at Ticketmaster will produce a valuable set of contacts, important project experience, and a lot of fun working on programs that make concerts possible.

Cons

It's a tough, low-margin industry. Lots of competition, lots of misunderstandings about the money that flows through to other stakeholders in any event. The ticketing industry and music industry have always suffered from a lack of transparency. There's no easy solution to fixing public resentment other than to be more transparent.

Advice to Senior Management

Open the books. Trust the rank and file.

Pros

The team of product managers and developers that put together the ticketmaster site is one of the best in the ecommerce world. You interact with people who are really driven to succeed, especially on the business end. And being Ticketmaster, their reach is pretty far and wide, especially on the b2b end - you have a chance to work with some of the biggest online companies out there. With the size of the projects, if you're driven, you can really shine. At least until a couple of years ago, they provided decent access to tickets, although that's gotten harder over the years.

Cons

Lots of politics. Surprising number of handshake deals w/ some employees. Seems like certain people are just chosen to move up while others slave away with no chance of promotion. They have an in-crowd mentality, which can be surprisingly like high school. If you're not really ambitious and driven, don't expect to move up - that's not necessarily a bad thing, but they take it to an extreme.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep an eye on the company's inner workings. There are a lot of shining stars that are not treated as they should be.

Pros

The people are great, the work is challenging and there are multiple opportunities to advance in several directions. You don't have to stay within your field, either. Everyone is given a chance to branch out and really flex their creative muscles. Having fun is a big part of the job--even though there is always a lot of work to get done. There is never work just for the sake of doing things a particular way. If there is a better way of doing something, we are encouraged to make that suggestion! The friends I've made I know I will have forever, and the technology we use and develop is cutting edge.

Cons

The location is a bit difficult to get to. Additionally, the public associates us with horrible fees, which need to be better explained as *not* all Ticketmaster revenue. We don't do a good job at marketing ourselves to the public on that at all. Also, I haven't felt like I understand from management whether they approve of or appreciate the job I'm doing in the time I've been working here (just under one year). It's never been explained to me what the process is for getting any type of performance feedback.

Advice to Senior Management

I believe for the most part, Senior Management at Ticketmaster is doing a great job. I think there are a few areas that could use some improvement, such as the need for an overall job slotting system by HR. I also feel that there should be a break area for employees, and that senior management should definitely keep an eye out for the 'brain drain' that can occur in the lean times ahead.

Pros

Best for those fresh out of college. Lively, congenial, informal atmosphere with casual dress. Very tech-friendly environment where iPod and internet usage is neither scrutinized nor discouraged. Almost weekly lotteries give employees a chance to win tickets to local games/concerts. Highly social atmosphere and many company-sponsored events at LA hot spots (with liquor) before and after working hours. Getting time off is not a problem.

Cons

Three words: Pay, pay and pay. You'll be paid peanuts compared to what you might get at another company. One's yearly review is mostly unnecessary since no decent raises are given -- whether you're the best employee or the worst. Outside of a lucky few in management, bonuses are largely non-existent. Even long-time managers have begun to leave Ticketmaster in droves.

Advice to Senior Management

Dinner and drinks at Red Rock will never replace a decent raise or a merit-based bonus. Don't pay Barry Diller $300M+ salary and have a famous architect design your New York headquarters but constantly nitpick the employees about the cost of a $1.59 pencil. Stop letting great employees walk out the door without even making a counter-offer; it shows that you don't value them. This is why your turnover is so high.

Pros

Interaction with people in the industry. Our clients are all the venues in New England so you have access to lots of people within the same industry. Great chance for networking.

Cons

Compensation is not tied to performance, everyone gets a very minimal raise once a year whether you're the best employee or the worst. Budget cuts have cut raises, promotions and hiring. Our office is missing 3 people and the rest of the office is expected to cover their positions without any compensation. If you apply for a new job within the industry the entire TM Office will know about it because of our close interactions.

Advice to Senior Management

Yearly reviews should be tied to compensation