The Cure's Robert Smith says he's 'sickened' by Ticketmaster's fees - BBC

Earlier this month, The Cure released a detailed statement about the ticketing strategy for their first US tour since 2016, including a pledge for lower prices.

Image caption, The ticketing strategy for Taylor Swift's tour, which kicks off on Friday in Arizona, drew scrutiny from US politicians

The company's pricing policies have come under intense scrutiny in recent months, with executives hauled in front of the US senate to answer questions about its dominance in January.

The hearing came after demand for Taylor Swift's upcoming tour overwhelmed Ticketmaster's systems and raised questions about price inflation.

However, the strategy of attaching these fees at the end of the transaction (which Ticketmaster does not, as a rule, practise in the UK) is believed to sway budget-conscious fans into spending more than they intend.

"That increases the number of tickets that are sold because of people…who wouldn't have bought but now are buying," Steven Tadelis, an economics professor at the University of California, who has studied drip pricing, recently told The Hustle.