How do ticket brokers snatch up all the good seats?

[Rick Lee]

KABOOOOOMMM!!!!!

Just scored 12th row floor seats on Geddy's side for face value on Ticketmaster.com. All set now. Photos coming tomorrow.

[Noah930]

You sound excited. Have a great time.

[lane912]

i got tired of paying for tickets so i got a job as a stagehand. i have seen hundreds of shows, ate with preformers and been paid to sit on the lighting truss durring the preformance. btw that my favorite place to watch the show, saw cher naked durring a costume change once too-
and hung out with niel pert backstage and talked about BMW bikes-

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by lane912

and hung out with niel pert backstage and talked about BMW bikes-

Now you're my hero. He pulled up on his bike next to me at a crosswalk in Vegas last summer after their show. His tour bus had broken down.

Just heard back from my connection for tomorrow night's Motley Crue and Poison show too. I'm in! I love it when a total lack of planning comes together.

[azasadny]

YouTube - ‪Curb your Enthusiasm - High Holiday Ticket‬‏

[Rick Lee]

YouTube - ‪Seinfeld and Native American‬‏

[mattdavis11]

When I was in high school, I used to wait in line at stores, they had ticket quicks in some 7elevens, and operators running computers in music/entertainment stores. Sometimes there were 5-6 of us spread out at different locations, always #1 in line or we'd move on to another 7/11. I financed the outing, and we had our favorite stores that routinely spit out good seats.

We did it nearly every time a big band came to Dallas. Sometimes we'd land a really good pair or set of 4 seats, most you could buy was 6 at time, but they had to be split. 10am, they let em loose, work the machine aggressively, buy tickets. Everybody got picked up, paid for their time, and down to the ticket agent you go. You never lost money, and you paid the guys $60 to help you out.

A buddy of mine and I went out one Saturday morning for Metallica tickets, I scored 4 on the 4th row, he scored 4 on the 6th, dead center. Made $700 that morning.

My folks had an issue with what I was doing, but I didn't ever need to borrow money. I know I'll probably get slammed for doing it, but I never needed a job during the school year. Sacking groceries was for suckers, more money could be made in 4 hours than a month of showing Mrs. Rotten Crotch to her car. I always had a "real" full-time job during the summer though.

It was good times. Wake up really early with hang over, pick up some people, burn one down, eat some doughnuts at 7/11, get tix, burn another, go eat, sell tix, make money.

Good job, Rick. They will hold tickets for vendors and sponsors and turn them loose late with little or no announcement.

[Shifter]

This is a bit old, but you can get the idea of what is going on with tickets...

Lawsuit against Ticketmaster alleges conspiracy to resell tickets at higher prices

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

FWIW, a lot of bands are making no money on album sales anymore, so they make as much as they can on their tours. Why does a concert shirt cost $40? Ever notice that the tour books only contain photos from the previous tour because they had to have it done and ready to sell by the first show of the current tour? $25 for what's really a magazine? Some bands are selling VIP packages that let you eat dinner with the band and crew before the show and they can go for thousands. I've met Rush twice and both times it was free. Not gonna pay to do it. But I am willing to pay $100-$150 per ticket for good floor seats. Those ticket brokers' tickets will get cheap when the house lights go down.

This is true, it is very hard for most bands to make money on album sales these days. I have a friend in a successful band, and that's the case for them. They aren't the hugest band in the world, but they have sold over 8 million records in almost 20 years. Their view is that the music industry isn't dead, but the recording industry is. In other words, can't make money on record sales, but can on touring. New records are just to keep the touring going and the fan base active and hopefully growing (or at least not shrinking too much).

They try to not gouge too much on the tshirt prices (around $25, not 40+), but they do "meet and greet" and VIP for those willing to pay, but that for them is in the $100s, not anywhere near the $1000s.