Ticketmaster, Scalpers & Other Tools of the Devil

Started by modage, September 11, 2003, 03:32:30 PM

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modage

New World In Concert Tickets
Source: CBS

Waiting in line won't help you.

Keeping an ear to the ground, checking out Web sites and other news about your favorite musicians might still be of some use.

But in the end, for many concerts, it may soon be true that only cold cash - and plenty of it - will get you the hot tickets you are seeking.

According to the New York Times, Ticketmaster plans later this year to begin auctioning off the best concert seats to the highest online bidders.

The paper says there would be no limit on how high prices could go - it would be simply a matter of how much people were willing to pay.

There is no indication at this point on whether Ticketmaster plans to have any rules to keep ticket brokers or scalpers out of the auction, or would allow all comers - individuals and businesses - to compete on the same basis.

"The band's biggest fans ought to have the best seats, not the band's richest fans," Tim Todd, 47, a Phish fan in Kansas City, told the Times.

An industry analyst is quoted as saying that prime seats at the hottest concerts are "undervalued in the marketplace" and auctions are likely to push prices up as a whole.

Tickets have long been resold in auction settings - particularly on eBay, which does a heavy volume in tickets of all kinds.

But in many states, the resale of concert tickets is subject to strict rules meant to protect consumers and give the small scale fan a chance to buy tickets for their favorite event.

Ticketmaster's plan, by contrast, involves the first time sale of tickets and does not appear to be subject to anti-scalper rules.

"The tickets are worth what they're worth," said Ticketmaster CEO and president John Pleasants, in an interview with the Times. "If somebody wants to charge $50 for a ticket, but it's actually worth $1,000 on eBay, the ticket's worth $1,000. I think more and more, our clients - the promoters, the clients in the buildings and the bands themselves - are saying to themselves 'Maybe that money should be coming to me instead of Bob the Broker.' "
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

European Son

I'm not surprised. We all should have seen this move coming.

bonanzataz

The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

modage

possibly more evil than riaa suing downloaders. as if i couldnt hate ticketmaster enough already.  i dont understand why more bands dont just say, uhh...fuck you.  and sell their own tickets.  all ticketmaster does is screw people over.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

European Son

Quote from: themodernage02possibly more evil than riaa suing downloaders. as if i couldnt hate ticketmaster enough already.  i dont understand why more bands dont just say, uhh...fuck you.  and sell their own tickets.  all ticketmaster does is screw people over.
Venues, venues, venues. Remember when Pearl Jam fought ticketmaster years ago? They were playing all kinds of odd places like fields and Speedways. And that didn't turn out very well anyway. Ticketmaster truly is a monopoly.

modage

Tom Petty vs. the Scalpers
Source: Billboard

Tom Petty"Tom Petty and his fans are fighting back against scalpers who used the Petty fan club to score tickets to an upcoming show with Pearl Jam in St. Paul, Minn.

Fans complained last week that many tickets for June 26-27 shows at St. Paul's Excel Energy Center, that were supposed to go to fan club members via a Web site pre-sale, later showed up on secondary market sites at prices several times face value.

With the help of Ticketmaster, promoter Jam, and site administrator Signatures Network, Petty's management identified and canceled some 600 tickets purchased at the tompetty.com pre-sale that were to be resold. The voided Petty/Pearl Jam tickets (no issues were reported regarding PJ's pre-sale) will be offered once again to fan club members under more strict guidelines. Those who buy the tickets will have to show a photo ID to pick up the tickets on the night of the concert."

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tom petty is awesome for doing this.  everyone should do this.  it's really just laziness on the part of the band not to put more effort into preventing this.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Weird. Oh

Tom Petty is the man. He is definitely a guy with integrity. His last album "Last DJ" railed pretty hard against the music industry and puts on a pretty good show for not too bad of a price.
The more arguments you win, the fewer friends you will have.