James Blake Slams Ticketing Giants for Stealing Fans from Artists

James Blake has committed to steering clear of the “monopolies” often associated with touring and ticket sales, introducing a new strategy aimed at directly engaging with his audience. The musician and producer voiced his concerns about several factors that hinder fans from purchasing tickets, such as third-party control over mailing lists, hidden charges, and social media algorithms.

In an extended Instagram post, Blake emphasized that these issues have been affecting artists for quite some time, not just recently.

The artist criticized external companies for owning mailing lists that prevent musicians from directly communicating with their fans, stating that he refuses to let his supporters be exploited by entities that don’t value live music as much as he does. He urged his fans to register for free via the Vault platform, accessible through a link in his bio, describing it as a way to “join the inner circle” and stay informed about his future shows, as they might otherwise miss out on important announcements.