Ticketmaster Agrees to Stop Linking to TicketsNow

LukinFan

Not sure if this is where this article goes, but this is pretty good news if/when PJ decides to tour.

http://www.pollstar.com/blogs/news/arch ... 50615.aspx

The New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announces the ticket seller agrees to stop sending customers to its own reseller ticket site, TicketsNow.

Owned by Ticketmaster, TicketsNow is a third-party ticketing site where tickets are bought and sold between individuals, often at amounts higher than original box office prices.

The announcement comes three weeks after Bruce Springsteen fans complained Ticketmaster had sent them to TicketsNow when they tried to buy tickets during an onsale Feb. 2.

Sound familiar? That’s the onsale Springsteen complained about in an “open letter” posted on his official Web site.

“Ticketmaster is there to ensure that we have a good, fair sale of our tickets at their face value plus normal ticketing charges,” wrote Springsteen.

“TicketsNow is supposed to be a secondary site where people who already have tickets may exchange, trade, and, unfortunately, speculate with them. We have asked this redirection from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow cease and desist immediately and Ticketmaster has agreed to do so in the future and has removed its unwanted material from their and our site.”

Shortly after Springsteen wrote his missive complaining about Ticketmaster’s handling of his onsale, Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff issued a response, saying:

“We have committed to Bruce and state publicly here that we have taken down all links for Bruce's shows directing fans from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow. This redirection only occurred as a choice when we could not satisfy fans’ specific search request for primary ticket inventory, but to make sure there is no misunderstanding in the future, we also publicly state that we will never again link to TicketsNow in a manner that can possibly create any confusion during a high-demand on-sale. Specifically, we will not present an option to go to TicketsNow from Ticketmaster without the consent of the artist and the venue, both of whom work together to bring the joy of live entertainment to millions of fans.”

Now NJ AG Milgram says Ticketmaster has agreed to stop sending customers from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow. Not just for The Boss, and not just in New Jersey, but for all artists and in all states, according to the Star-Ledger.

What’s more, per the settlement Ticketmaster will pay New Jersey $350,000, according to the Star-Ledger, for costs the state accumulated during the investigation. However, while paying the amount, Ticketmaster admits no wrongdoing.

But wait. There’s more.

The AG also said Ticketmaster has agreed to run a lottery that will make 2,000 tickets for Springsteen available at box office prices to fans who complained. Fans who aren’t so lucky in the lottery will receive $100 gift certificates and a chance to purchase tickets to see Springsteen at an upcoming New Jersey show.

The agreement also calls for Ticketmaster scrapping an ad arrangement with Google that sent folks searching for Ticketmaster to the TicketsNow site.

Considering the Springsteen onsale took place on Feb. 2, or three weeks ago today, this must be one of the fastest legal agreements ever struck, not only in the concert industry, but also in any deliberation, anywhere, involving lawyers.

But then, it’s not every day a ticketing company wants to merge with a concert promotion company. By putting this incident in the past, Ticketmaster can focus on its proposed corporate marriage to Live Nation, and not have to worry about Springsteen fans interrupting the ceremony.

cb154363

Interesting read...although I'm not sure how I feel about it. I agree that they settled as quickly as possible to erase this ugly incident out of everyones minds, but that's just going to make their merger with Live Nation that much easier.

In the end I'm glad that most of the tickets I buy are straight from the source themselves (10c and my basketball season tickets) and I don't have to deal with ticketmaster or their outrageous fees.

Cosmo

I heard there's going to be a 'Not Linking To TicketsNow' charge on each ticket from now on.

LukinFan

Cosmo wrote:

I heard there's going to be a 'Not Linking To TicketsNow' charge on each ticket from now on.

Lesbelges

From what I understand from the article, all that is going to change is that Ticketmaster is not going to link to the Ticketsnow site. But I don't see a mention of the scalping that ticketmaster is doing through this site and whether it's going to end. Am I the only who interprets it this way?

jamburger

The AG also said Ticketmaster has agreed to run a lottery that will make 2,000 tickets for Springsteen available at box office prices to fans who complained.

How 2,000 tickets have magically appeared to sold out shows is what I'd like to know. Incomplete credit card transactions? Those who opted for the refund from TicketsNow when they were given the opportunity? Or were these the tickets Ticketmaster held back from the public in the first place to use as TicketsNow inventory? Hopefully the NJ AG won't be satisfied with Ticketmaster's empty gesture.

Zod

I see this as a huge conflict of interest. I don't think it should be allowed to sit the way it is. How can they let the company that has a monopoly on tickets run their own ticket brokerage company? It just begs for corruption.

Wobbie

Lesbelges wrote:

From what I understand from the article, all that is going to change is that Ticketmaster is not going to link to the Ticketsnow site. But I don't see a mention of the scalping that ticketmaster is doing through this site and whether it's going to end. Am I the only who interprets it this way?

No, you're not the only one. This amounts to "polishing a turd." Nothing's changed.....we'll still see "sorry, there are no tickets that match your request" because they'll all be gone to the scalpers (e.g. Ticketsnow) within seconds. :evil:

arq

yes no more linking now is straight to ticketnow bastards! :evil:

Pegasus

Lesbelges wrote:

From what I understand from the article, all that is going to change is that Ticketmaster is not going to link to the Ticketsnow site. But I don't see a mention of the scalping that ticketmaster is doing through this site and whether it's going to end. Am I the only who interprets it this way?

jamburger wrote:

The AG also said Ticketmaster has agreed to run a lottery that will make 2,000 tickets for Springsteen available at box office prices to fans who complained.

How 2,000 tickets have magically appeared to sold out shows is what I'd like to know. Incomplete credit card transactions? Those who opted for the refund from TicketsNow when they were given the opportunity? Or were these the tickets Ticketmaster held back from the public in the first place to use as TicketsNow inventory? Hopefully the NJ AG won't be satisfied with Ticketmaster's empty gesture.

my thoughts exactly.

TM should not own a reseller. point.
Even before they did they gave preferential treatments to professional touts (all ticket agency and promoter seem to :evil: funny how a show that sells out in minutes, the pro touts manage to have had ticket without even service fees! no-one can get tickets without service fees theses days..except touts.)

Beachman44

I think the bigger problem is that TM has "deals" with more then one ticket brokers. One of those deals happens to be one they own. And who knows they may own a few others.
What we and the gov't needs to do is put an end to these "deals" they have with brokers. TM sole purpose is to sell tickets to the public and face value set by them and the show management. Not make larger profits selling better seats to their friends at a higher price.

soulsinging

What a disgusting company.

mickeyrat

here's a thought. Would be inconvenient to Joe ticket buyer , but how about they STOP selling online? It's largely due to internet purchases that these abuses occur. Internet was supposed to make things easier for the average consumer , instead it created this beast we have now!

Another novel idea , nethats been touted before, BUST the fuckers up!!!!!! Think about it , the boys lobbied and testified 14-15 years ago? and this shit still continues?

glnurse

I agree,
I bet you could find 2,000 tickets less on ticketsnow right now. What a horrible and disgusting company. I bet if the NJ AG looks deeper into this situation he would find really how disgusting this company is, don't settle for this empty apology.
Thanks

given2fly23

Finally, a politician is making the right argument. Not linking to TicketsNow is not enough! The problem is the very fact that TicketMaster, the company that controls the tickets, has an interest in any re-sale company in any form.



Senator presses Ticketmaster to sell TicketsNow

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima, Ap Business Writer – Wed Feb 25, 6:41 am ET

LOS ANGELES – Sen. Charles Schumer has urged Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. to sell off its TicketsNow resale subsidiary that was at the core of an uproar over Bruce Springsteen concert tickets.

Schumer, speaking Tuesday at an antitrust hearing on Tickemaster's proposed merger with leading concert promoter Live Nation Inc., accused Ticketmaster of redirecting Springsteen fans to higher priced tickets on TicketsNow, despite cheaper tickets being available on the main site.

What the company has called a glitch, Schumer said was "more about moneymaking than malfunction." He noted Ticketmaster collected $7 in fees for every Springsteen ticket sold on Ticketmaster, but $30 for every ticket sold on TicketsNow.

"You, Ticketmaster, need to sell TicketsNow and make them independent of you in every way," said Schumer, D-N.Y, in the hearing that was Webcast live.

Irving Azoff, Ticketmaster's chief executive, replied that he never would have bought TicketsNow, the No. 2 reselling site behind eBay Inc.'s StubHub, if he had been in charge when the deal closed in February 2008.

"The whole secondary area is a mess," Azoff said. "I would never have bought it."

"I don't believe there should be a secondary market at all."

On Monday, Ticketmaster agreed with New Jersey's attorney general, Anne Milgram, to not link to the TicketsNow site from Ticketmaster for a year and to only do so after that in a way that received her office's approval. The changes apply to all Ticketmaster sales nationwide.

The formal testimony at the U.S. Senate's antitrust subcommittee kicked off what promised to be a long review of the proposed merger of Ticketmaster, the world's top ticket-selling company, with Live Nation.

The companies hope their all-stock merger of equals, valuing the combined entity around $2.2 billion, will close in the second half of 2009. They said the deal would help them save about $40 million annually.

But a string of independent promoters lined up to testify against the deal, saying the two companies' combined dominance in ticketing, concert promotion, venue operations and outdoor amphitheaters would choke off competition.

The senators also noted the merger deal came only after Live Nation launched its ticketing platform in January, threatening to siphon 15 percent of Ticketmaster's revenues and putting the two in a head-to-head fight for new contracts.

Seth Hurwitz, a promoter and co-owner of the 9:30 live music club in Washington, said the merger would allow Live Nation to access its confidential sales information because its tickets are sold through Ticketmaster.

"My biggest competitor will have access to all of my sales records, customer information," he said. "This will put all independent promoters at an irreparable competitive disadvantage. This would be like Pepsi forcing Coke to use its services as a distributor."

In response, Live Nation Chief Executive Michael Rapino said he understood the concern and would forbid sharing information between the divisions.

The subcommittee's chairman, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., asked if Rapino would support an information firewall between the businesses. Rapino replied: "In theory, yes."

"We would absolutely have the concert division not have access to the ticketing division data," he said.

In testifying for the deal, Rapino called the music industry "broken" and outlined a list of ills, from rampant music piracy and his company's own falling stock price, to the computerized ticket brokers that prevent fans from buying tickets fairly online.

He said the merger was key to survival.

"If we don't make changes to the business model and we don't build new structures, we may be back here in the future for another hearing, on the death of the American music industry," he said.

Kohl rejected the claim, noting that Sirius and XM were in far worse shape before their merger into Sirius XM Radio Inc. was approved last year.

"By contrast, your two companies are doing just fine," Kohl said. "Mr. Rapino, you strain our common sense."

The companies next testify before a House subcommittee on Thursday.