Former CEO of Ticketmaster comes clean on how fans get screwed on tickets

on2legs

Great article, with a Pearl Jam shout out in it, on the new website from Bill Simmons... The Ringer

https://theringer.com/ticket-industry-problem-solution-e4b3b71fdff6#.3iiqte39z

on2legs

I thought the most interesting point was that promoters guarantee bands a set amount of money and let bands set the face value of tickets to appear like they are looking out for their fans. And then the promoted is allowed to make his money back by scalping seats way above the face value. Pretty clever all around. Devious. But sill clever.

CW55354

He makes a good point that we often forget. Markets set the price in a capitalist system. If the original ticket price is less than what people are willing to pay, a secondary market opens up. 2 ways to fix this: Pearl Jam raises ticket prices to the level that no one can resell at a higher price; or (and my personal preference) Pearl Jam plays 5 night stands at every venue.

Horse2345

http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/255979/an-interesting-ticketmaster-article#latest

on2legs

I like the idea of paperless ticketing. It's not often that I have to sell tickets to a show so I would be happy to eat the seats once in while if I couldn't make it. Much prefer this instead of allowing scalpers to grab all the tickets for every show.

Bentleyspop

Unfortunately most of what was in the article is old news.
Artists, managers, promoters, venues, teams, record labels, etc have been selling tickets to brokers for decades. Now, though, there are are multiple avenues to make more money from tickets, especially now that there is little to be made from music production (CDs, records, downloadz, etc).

I used to go to a couple dozen or more shows per year. Now all I typically go to are PJ shows and the occasional club gig. Most shows no longer have good seats available at general onsale and even if they do they are waaaaay overpriced. So not worth the hassle and aggravation.

Like many others on here I don't like how hard it is to get tickets but there there are many things way more important to worry about in life.

Namaste

bootlegger10

Bentleyspop said:

Unfortunately most of what was in the article is old news.
Artists, managers, promoters, venues, teams, record labels, etc have been selling tickets to brokers for decades. Now, though, there are are multiple avenues to make more money from tickets, especially now that there is little to be made from music production (CDs, records, downloadz, etc).

I used to go to a couple dozen or more shows per year. Now all I typically go to are PJ shows and the occasional club gig. Most shows no longer have good seats available at general onsale and even if they do they are waaaaay overpriced. So not worth the hassle and aggravation.

Like many others on here I don't like how hard it is to get tickets but there there are many things way more important to worry about in life.

Namaste

Most stuff we do for fun isn't all that important though at the end of the day.

shoelessdun

Read and shared this article with my wife...depressing for us, the average fans we are. So thankful that 10C gives us a shot at lottery tickets for virtually every PJ show.

pledgeagrievance

on2legs said:

I like the idea of paperless ticketing. It's not often that I have to sell tickets to a show so I would be happy to eat the seats once in while if I couldn't make it. Much prefer this instead of allowing scalpers to grab all the tickets for every show.

I agree. No reason for this not to b the standard

on2legs

shoelessdun said:

Read and shared this article with my wife...depressing for us, the average fans we are. So thankful that 10C gives us a shot at lottery tickets for virtually every PJ show.

This. I can put up with being in the nosebleeds for Bruce Springsteen because I routinely get fantastic seats for Pearl Jam thanks to the ten club. It sucks that the system is the way it is and I wish someone would step up and change it.

on2legs

The Internet is also a huge culprit In this whole mess. It used to be that scalpers were shady guys lurking in the shadows of a venue. Now thanks to stubhub, eBay, and the Internet anyone can be a ticket scalper.

Tristelune

"Toronto Ninja glockenspiele" haha, great article by the way.

AngryGreg

I'm all for paperless ticketing or a name printed on the ticket and showing an ID to get in. I don't care if it takes longer to get into a show. I want the fair shot to get tickets to a concert I want to go to. It's especially rough because I live in Los Angeles and seemingly everyone makes a shitload more money than I do and can afford to pay hundreds per ticket.

tempo_n_groove

on2legs said:

shoelessdun said:

Read and shared this article with my wife...depressing for us, the average fans we are. So thankful that 10C gives us a shot at lottery tickets for virtually every PJ show.

This. I can put up with being in the nosebleeds for Bruce Springsteen because I routinely get fantastic seats for Pearl Jam thanks to the ten club. It sucks that the system is the way it is and I wish someone would step up and change it.

Tell you what, I feel spoiled now because of 10Club tickets. Doing GA for them is unbelievable...

On the ticket subject too, what about the VIP tickets that are being sold now? Is that part of the promoter or venue getting their money back?

I paid $100 for a VIP meet and greet with Awolnation which I thought was absolutely worth it. I passed on the $450 VIP ticket for ArcadeFire though...

on2legs

tempo_n_groove said:

on2legs said:

shoelessdun said:

Read and shared this article with my wife...depressing for us, the average fans we are. So thankful that 10C gives us a shot at lottery tickets for virtually every PJ show.

This. I can put up with being in the nosebleeds for Bruce Springsteen because I routinely get fantastic seats for Pearl Jam thanks to the ten club. It sucks that the system is the way it is and I wish someone would step up and change it.

Tell you what, I feel spoiled now because of 10Club tickets. Doing GA for them is unbelievable...

On the ticket subject too, what about the VIP tickets that are being sold now? Is that part of the promoter or venue getting their money back?

I paid $100 for a VIP meet and greet with Awolnation which I thought was absolutely worth it. I passed on the $450 VIP ticket for ArcadeFire though...

I think that's got to go to the band. I don't think they're going to hang out with fans for free.

My buddy got us crazy good VIP tickets to U2 last year at MSG. He paid for them. I would never shell out that much cash myself.

Big Bank Hank

So couldn't Pearl Jam in theory play a place like The Gorge, promote the shows themselves on the website and doing radio interviews, and sell tickets for like 40 bucks?

LeafsJaysCubsRaptorsFan

Big Bank Hank said:

So couldn't Pearl Jam in theory play a place like The Gorge, promote the shows themselves on the website and doing radio interviews, and sell tickets for like 40 bucks?

The gorge is owned by ln

blindmule

l

on2legs

The ticket monopoly is too big for an artist to run a major tour without them. It would take a huge intervention by the government to regulate things and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

F Me In The Brain

Interesting article, thanks for posting it.
I think they should sell the tickets for what they are worth and allow the promoters to make money. Oh yeah, that wouldn't stop them...they would still do what they are doing and make more.
Broken system.

motar

on2legs said:

The Internet is also a huge culprit In this whole mess. It used to be that scalpers were shady guys lurking in the shadows of a venue. Now thanks to stubhub, eBay, and the Internet anyone can be a ticket scalper.

I guess the tradeoff is that Stubhub prevents you from stabbed in the shadows of a venue by some shady guy.