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Ticketmaster is scalping their own tickets (and I don't mean auctions)

pjl44pjl44 Posts: 9,481
edited March 2007 in Other Music
This is fucking insane...

I got an e-mail from Live Nation (Ticketmaster) that 50 "premium seats" were available for a local Gwen Stefani concert. I clicked the link because I was curious to see what they considered premium.

I was brought to a page that gave me the choice of "buy tickets" or "buy premium seats." A pair of "premium seats" in row M (basically 14th row center) cost over $600 ($300 per ticket). They're not even throwing in some other crap and calling it a "VIP Package." It's just the tickets that (theoretically) you should be able to purchase for a face value of $69.50 (covered reserved seating).

But apparently you can just pick a block of tickets and jack the price by 450%.

So who the hell can you complain to? Who would listen? If this isn't the definition of a monopoly then what is?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    You should complain to 1) Gwen Stefani then 2) Live Nation (who is not Ticketmaster - Live Nation is formerly Clear Channel).

    The promoter and the artist have an agreement to sell what they consider "premium" seats at a ridiculous price. There is no scalping, it's the artist and her management either pissed that scalpers and brokers are making so much money off of those seats, or they are just plain greedy... either way, ticketmaster isn't to blame for this one.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 9,481
    blackredyellow wrote:
    You should complain to 1) Gwen Stefani then 2) Live Nation (who is not Ticketmaster - Live Nation is formerly Clear Channel).

    The promoter and the artist have an agreement to sell what they consider "premium" seats at a ridiculous price. There is no scalping, it's the artist and her management either pissed that scalpers and brokers are making so much money off of those seats, or they are just plain greedy... either way, ticketmaster isn't to blame for this one.

    Yeah, you're right...it's obviously the promoter. I was seeing red and not thinking too clearly. But why not just charge a higher face value?

    And what good would it do to complain to Live Nation? Maybe Gwen Stefani, but they're obviously in on it to some degree. Ugh...
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    pjl44 wrote:
    Yeah, you're right...it's obviously the promoter. I was seeing red and not thinking too clearly. But why not just charge a higher face value?

    And what good would it do to complain to Live Nation? Maybe Gwen Stefani, but they're obviously in on it to some degree. Ugh...

    The band (Stefani in this case) makes this decision... The promoter may get a cut or have some input, but they couldn't do it if the band wasn't ok with it. it sucks... you can kind of see why bands charge so much for good seats with this kind of thing or VIP packages or whatever... It makes them look greedy, but at the same time, if they weren't charging it, ticket brokers would be and the bands wouldn't see any of that money.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • iluvcatsiluvcats Posts: 5,153
    hey! she has to support gavin and the new baby! he's obviously not working now, is he?
    9/98, 9/00 - DC, 4/03 - Pitt., 7/03 - Bristow, 10/04 - Reading, 10/05 - Philly, 5/06 - DC, 6/06 - Pitt., 6/08 - Va Beach, 6/08 - DC, 5/10 - Bristow, 10/13 B'more
    8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
    10/10 - Brad in B'more
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 9,481
    blackredyellow wrote:
    The band (Stefani in this case) makes this decision... The promoter may get a cut or have some input, but they couldn't do it if the band wasn't ok with it. it sucks... you can kind of see why bands charge so much for good seats with this kind of thing or VIP packages or whatever... It makes them look greedy, but at the same time, if they weren't charging it, ticket brokers would be and the bands wouldn't see any of that money.

    I totally agree with your last point...I've made the same case myself. But just charge higher face values (see: Genesis, The Police, etc.). It's wildly unethical to charge $306 for a ticket that you advertise as being available for $69.50.

    And is it definitely the artist's camp that makes this decision? I always understood it to be the other way around...it's ultimately the promoter's decision, but the artist has some degree of input.
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