I worked at Ticketmaster for 2-3 years. A chunk does go back to the venue, but also the promoter, and in some rare instances, also the artist. (How else do you pay the artist 105% of ticket price?)
They could combine their fees into the ticket price, but they're afraid the artist will also demand 90% of the combined ticket price, putting significant risk on the table for them. Their motivation is minimal: People still buy tickets & nobody ever blames the venue or promoter. So from their viewpoint, why change?
They could combine their fees into the ticket price, but they're afraid the artist will also demand 90% of the combined ticket price, putting significant risk on the table for them. Their motivation is minimal: People still buy tickets & nobody ever blames the venue or promoter. So from their viewpoint, why change?