Amsterdam's Paradiso says ticket resale prices will be capped at face value
Paradiso, one of Amsterdam's iconic cultural venues, has announced a partnership with TicketSwap to introduce a price cap on the ticket resale market, ensuring tickets can only be resold for their original purchase price or less. This collaboration aims to tackle rising ticket prices while making event attendance more accessible for more people.
Paradiso hosts over 1,200 events annually at its own venue, a former church near Leidseplein, as well as another former city center church, De Duif, and the Bitterzoet and Tolhuistuin nightspots. But attending these concerts, dance events, and showcases is becoming more and more expensive as costs increase for artists, producers, organizers and locations. On top of that, the Dutch government was pushing hard to implement a sales tax increase on these events starting in January, but has kicked the can down the road, possibly to the following year.
By enforcing a cap on resale prices equivalent to a ticket's original face value, excluding service charges, Paradiso and TicketSwap are aiming to prevent ticket prices from uncontrollably soaring. When tickets hit the resale websites, it sometimes becomes clearer that performers can demand higher prices at future events. This can then lead to the price of tickets rising even higher, narrowing the possibilities for some people to attend even a single live event, let alone experiencing a variety of performances.
"Visitors can only spend their money once and increasingly have to make choices," said Erik Luyten, who leads ticketing, information technology and data for Paradiso. "Our partnership with TicketSwap ensures we can keep prices low while sellers can still recoup the full amount they paid. Through TicketSwap’s SecureSwap technology, we can guarantee that resold tickets are valid for admission," he wrote in a statement this week.
Paradiso has been a cultural cornerstone of Amsterdam since 1968. The organization sees its new partnership as a means to continue offering affordable and accessible cultural experiences while also giving Paradiso more control over its ticketing system.
It also allows the venue easier access to an official sales channel other than its own website, and less socially-minded resale platforms. The partnership integrates TicketSwap’s resale platform with See Tickets Benelux, Paradiso's primary ticketing provider. The integration creates a seamless system for buying and reselling tickets, expanding Paradiso’s reach through TicketSwap’s community of over 15 million users.
TicketSwap’s CEO, Hans Ober, also highlighted the collaboration's importance in creating a safer, fairer ticketing ecosystem. "We’re proud to partner with Paradiso, an iconic institution that aligns with our mission of creating exceptional experiences for event-goers," Ober said.
"This partnership showcases our ability to deliver innovative solutions that enhance the ticketing experience while supporting Paradiso’s goal of keeping culture accessible to everyone."
