How do ticket brokers snatch up all the good seats?

[Rick Lee]

When I was a kid, there was no Internet and when Van Halen was coming to town, you camped out on the sidewalk for about 12-15 hrs. to get the best seats. And even then, they weren't always the best seats. I did ok a few times by calling Ticketmaster and waiting on hold for an hour. For about the last 20 yrs. I have almost never bought tix in advance and have ALWAYS scored super seats at just above or even well below face value in the parking lot just before the show. Once in a while I've scored on Craigslist or eBay the day of or before the show.

So how do these ticket brokers have all the best seats? I'm catching Rush in Phoenix tomorrow, have been scouring Craigslist and see almost nothing but ticket brokers selling good seats. What's more, there are countless ticket brokers selling the exact same seats. How do they do this? Some of these guys are selling meet and greet passes for $1500 and that doesn't even include a ticket to the show. Just curious. I've seen them about 75 times, so I don't mind missing the first song and then grabbing good tix for a song while those monkeys selling tix sweat it out.

[WolfeMacleod]

Scalpers, at least, have managed to break the Ticketbastard website. I remember tryign to buy tickets once, in person. I was first in line. Show was sold out before she even got to punch in the order.

[Superman]

Because they can. Market clout. It's the American way, Rick. It's supposed to work perfectly this way.

[Brando]

I once did a website for an independent ticket broker.

There is a system in place. They have the capability to buy out a concert/venue in whole. When they do, it is called a vendor buy-out or broker buy-out. This allows them to buy/sell/trade and inflate the price.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Superman

Because they can. Market clout. It's the American way, Rick. It's supposed to work perfectly this way.

If there id fraud involved your government is supposed to protect you from it...

[David]

I worked with a guy in the early 80's who was a scalper on the side. He had a friend on the inside who would grab the good seats before they even went on sale. It just goes to show that people suck!

[silverwhaletail]

Originally Posted by Superman

Because they can. Market clout. It's the American way, Rick. It's supposed to work perfectly this way.

It is the American Way. And it does work perfectly.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Rick Lee]

I have no problem with it. I'm just curious how it's done. I don't pay their prices and there's nothing wrong with those who are willing to pay big money getting the best seats. I never understood why, back in the day, front row cost the same price as nosebleed, last row, when people are willing to pay more to be up front. When I saw Rush in Germany two weeks ago, the floor was general admission, standing room only and those tickets were actually cheaper than the reserved seats. Some people don't want to stand in line or get there and then have to stand in front of the stage for two hours before the show to hold their place. I paid 55 Euros and got an excellent spot, pretty close to the stage and very close to the beer stand and men's room. And since none of those floor tix were reserved spaces, it was actually easier for the folks who had just one extra ticket to sell them. My friend and I showed up with no tix, bought from two different groups of kids who had an extra ticket, paid face value and then we defended each other's space when one of us went on beer or bathroom runs. Worked very well and was very affordable.

Three yrs. ago the wife and I went to Vegas to see Rush and arrived with no tix. I found a guy selling super seats right up front. He wanted $300 each. I said that was way above my budget. He asked what I was looking to pay. I said about half that. He said ok! We had 7th row, front and center, sat with him and his wife. They were from Phoenix and we kept in touch. Last August we bought tix at the box office day of the show and that guy and his wife were sitting right next to us when we got to our seats. Amazing co-incidence. We'll be grabbing some drinks together at tonight's show too. And it turns out he and his just moved right by where I live now. So buying from scalpers can work out pretty well sometimes.

[widebody911]

I read something on this a while back. Scalping is a big-time organized business now; guys have computer networks set up to buy hundreds of tickets, which they then flip. They have even figured out how to defeat the mechanisms in place to prevent this.

[rcooled]

This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. Tix go on sale Sunday morning at 10am...I log in at 10:00:01 and the best I can get are nosebleed seats. How is this possible? How did organizations like Ticketmaster wedge themselves in between the promoters and ticket buyers in the first place? This is just legalized scalping! Why can't the venues each just sell their own tickets on-line or at their box office? Why are we having to pay outrageous "handling fees" just for the privilege of being able to buy a concert ticket? What value-added service are these ticket sites actually providing? Part of the problem is that many of the best seats are given to radio stations, sponsors, local big wigs and other insiders. The fans that've supported these acts for years are left with the dregs of what ever's left over after the big give-aways.
Bob Dylan recently did a show in Oakland, CA where his people said that there would be NO advance ticket sales whatsoever. You want to go the show...come down to the box office before the show and buy a ticket...all seats, same price. I was glad to see that someone finally made an effort to cut these brokers out of the picture. With so many tours in the red these days, maybe some changes will happen. One can only hope...

[widebody911]

My personal solution? I don't go. If everyone did that, the problem would fix itself. As long you're willing to bend over and grab your ankles, you will be sodomized.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by rcooled

This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. Tix go on sale Sunday morning at 10am...I log in at 10:00:01 and the best I can get are nosebleed seats. How is this possible? How did organizations like Ticketmaster wedge themselves in between the promoters and ticket buyers in the first place? This is just legalized scalping! Why can't the venues each just sell their own tickets on-line or at their box office? Why are we having to pay outrageous "handling fees" just for the privilege of being able to buy a concert ticket? What value-added service are these ticket sites actually providing? Part of the problem is that many of the best seats are given to radio stations, sponsors, local big wigs and other insiders. The fans that've supported these acts for years are left with the dregs of what ever's left over after the big give-aways.

The value-added service they offer is the very best seats for those who are willing to pay. I just wonder how they're able to get them in advance of the public sale. I think the first act to charge crazy prices for good seats was the Eagles on their Hell Freezes Over tour. Before that, IIRC, every ticket was the same price, whether it was front or last row. I guess the amptheatres with the lawn and pavilion seats changed that a little too. Even if Ticketmaster were the only place to buy tix, I can't stand their $12 per ticket "convenience" (aka) screw-me fee. Just drives me nuts.

But again, I have never not scored super seats for a great price in the parking lot just before the show. Never. I always score. I hate sweating it out until I get the tix, but I always end up with great seats for a reasonable price.

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.

[white85carrera]

The wife is a big Jackson Browne fan and he's in town end of September. Tickets went on sale last Monday at 10am. I forgot about it until about 3:30. Went online and scored front row center for $72.

Either nobody in town cares or.....well that must be it. Can't believe I got great seats for only stupid money, not crazy stupid money.

It all made sense though when I realized that is the Friday night of my race weekend at the Glen. That must be where everyone is heading for the weekend......

[Rick Lee]

They usually release a block or two of excellent seats the day of the show. Those are seats reserved for band connections, VIP's, etc. On the last VH tour I walked up to the box office in Philly at 7pm, an hour before the show, and scored two 7th row floor seats for face value. A buddy that worked at Ticketmaster got me front row in front of Eddie's mic in 1995, also the day of the show and also for face value. I'll be on Ticketmaster.com a lot today.

I have a band connection for the Poison/Motley Crue show here tomorrow night and he told me he'd hook me up. So they have seats to give away. But he's been radio silent for the last week, so I'm worried I might not get them.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by widebody911

My personal solution? I don't go. If everyone did that, the problem would fix itself. As long you're willing to bend over and grab your ankles, you will be sodomized.

Thats what I do. If I cannot get good seats in the old fashioned manner I do not go.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

The value-added service they offer is the very best seats for those who are willing to pay.

Well, wouldn't that be the same deal if I were buying tickets directly from the venue? Unfortunatly, the very best seats aren't even made available to mere mortals from Ticktemaster and the rest...at ANY price. These ticktet services are playing us all for suckers and laughing all the way to the bank.
Thanks for the tip on scoring good seats right at the show...I'll give that a try sometime.

My one great ticket score was from back in the day when you had to call in rather than go on-line to buy. A friend who worked for the phone company slipped me the direct # to the central ticket office. So rather than call the local # and get in the cue with all the rest, as soon as the clock struck 10am I called the direct line and got 3rd row center seats for the Stones at face value. Scalpers were getting over 10X face value for similar seats. I still have the stubs.

[craigster59]

When Tom Petty and Mudcrutch played their 5 nights at the Troubador you could order a max of 2 tickets under your name. All tickets were "willcall" and you needed to show valid I.D. to get them (wristbands).

There were tix for sale on craigslist, but the original purchaser had to shlep down to the club and meet whoever they were scalping the tix to. made it unattractive for those wanting to turn a quick buck.

[Rick Lee]

I don't even know how we mere mortals can score great seats when tix go on sale anymore. I haven't done it in at least 20 yrs. It is BS that the brokers are able to scarf them all up, but it'd also be kind of silly if people who are willing to pay big $$ for the best seats couldn't do so. I'll never spend that kind of money, even if I have it. But plenty of folks are willing to do it.

When I met Rush after a show at Madison Sq. Garden, some kid was in there who had won a radio contest. Part of the prize was also a Paul Reed Smith guitar. The kid didn't even know which side of the guitar you played and I doubt he was much of a Rush fan. But he won fair and square. Me? I got my backstage pass the old fashion way - through connections.

[Rick Lee]

I've tried on Ticketmaster.com about 10x today so far. The first 8 or so tries I only got upper deck stuff. 9th try I got down on the first level and then 10th try back to upper deck. I'm still holding out for floor seats. Just texted a guy on Craigslist, not a broker, who has four super floor seats and wants $250 per, which is not too unreasonable. I texted him that I could offer face value. He wrote back, "LOL - no." No prob. He has my number now and I bet I hear back from him in a few hours. He's looking at eating $600 worth of tix and is just now trying CL. He'll be back.

[Rick Lee]

He's done that for me twice and hasn't been in my 993 yet. He really hooked me up for Rush last summer too.