Thrasher Launches Ticket Co.

While the Pacific Northwest has long been a hotbed for indie music, there’s never been an abundance of independent ticketing services in the region.

But changes are afoot with the introduction of Cascade Tickets, a new company from Portland, Ore., concert promoter Mike Thrasher of Mike Thrasher Presents.

The concert and ticket industries got a whole lot cozier earlier this year with the U.S. Department of Justice’s approval of the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger. Thrasher decided to throw his hat into the ticketing ring after receiving complaints from “showgoers, artists, venues and promoters with regards to excessive fees.”

Thus, Cascade Tickets was launched with a couple ideas in regards to ticket fees: the elimination of per-order charges and no extra fees to print tickets at home.

That doesn’t mean Cascade has done away with all ticket fees. However, the charges are on a sliding scale and as ticket prices go up, so do the fees.

The difference is worth noting. While a $13 ticket on the Cascade Tickets website came with a single $5.76 convenience fee, a similarly priced ticket in the region available through Ticketmaster carried $10.40 in convenience, print-at-home and order processing fees.

Along with its launch, Cascade announced it’s signed McMenamins as its initial client. The agreement is a big get for the fledgling ticketing service as McMenamins operates more than 15 venues throughout Oregon.