Where to Buy Tickets on the Web

Wading through the myriad ticket sites is a drag. Here's where to buy and what to look out for.

Alternative Ticket Sites

While Ticketmaster.com and Tickets.com wage their war for supremacy over mainstream ticket sales on the Web, several other, slightly smaller sites have found their niche with more specialized sales, such as tickets for smaller venues, cultural events, and Broadway shows.

Admission.com

Get your Cirque du Soleil tickets at Admission.com, which holds the distinction of being the only ticketing site that lets you print out tickets--no waiting for the mail or anxious moments at will call.

Offers tickets to: Circuses, other arena shows, and sports. Serves smaller venues in Quebec, California, Texas, Nevada, New York, and Vermont.

Cool features:

Currently the only site that lets you print out tickets.
Handy colored bars graph how many of different types of seats are still left for some events (for instance, how many "good" seats left versus those with an obstructed view).

Gripes:

Serves limited events and locales.

CultureFinder.com

For the cultural elitist in you, CultureFinder.com serves up theater and art exhibit tickets instead of Britney Spears.

Offers tickets to: National cultural events neglected by most other sites, including dance, opera, music, and theater.

Cool features:

Asks helpful questions, such as whether the buyer is willing to split up a group or will accept seats on the sides or in the balcony.
Buyers can type in further special seating requests.

Gripes:

Extra charges can pile up. The site's TicketButler service, which costs $4.50 per ticket, may in turn use another fee-charging service such as Ticketmaster.
No seating charts on the site.
Generally uses will call, which means you have to pick up tickets at the door, but will mail tickets to some events.

ETM

If you're not quite sure what mood you're in, ETM is the site for you. From baseball to movies to amusements parks, you can buy tickets here, if you live in the right city.

Offers tickets to: Wide array of major-league sporting events, college sporting events and performing arts, amusement and theme parks, and live theater events.

Cool features:

Buyers can pick up some tickets at special kiosks located in grocery stores and other public places.
Provided Pearl Jam tickets when the rock band boycotted Ticketmaster in 1995.

Gripes:

Serves limited number of states.

No seating charts.

Telecharge.com

Before your next trip to New York, surf on over to Telecharge.com, and pick up tickets to the latest Broadway smash or a smaller venue show that could be the next Tony Award winner.

Offers tickets to: Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

Cool features:

Includes seating charts.

Gripes:

Little information on theaters or other types of events outside New York.

TicketWeb

Go global with TicketWeb, and buy your way in to events in select spots around the world.

Offers tickets to: 500 museum, amusement park, and other events in 37 U.S. states, Europe, South Africa, Great Britain, and Canada.

Cool features:

Charges less for tickets purchased online than those bought by phone. (Recently purchased by Ticketmaster.com, the site is expected to maintain its low fees.)
Online markup ranges from a low $1 to $2.50.
Seating chart handily highlights chosen seats in red.

Gripes:

Limited locations and types of events.

Tixx.com

Tixx.com specializes in getting you those long-sold-out seats that you must have, regardless of cost.

Offers tickets to: Sold-out and hard-to-obtain seats for a variety of events including concerts, sporting events, and even annual awards shows. Will buy tickets from the public for resale.

Cool features:

E-mails information about tickets available for awards shows, including the Grammys, MTV Music Awards, and Country Music Awards.
Features .wav files of artists' music.

Gripes: