Thoughts on Ticketmaster, pricing, and scalping

[89911]

I just bought 4 tickets to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Pittsburgh. My daughter really likes them. Me, maybe a handful of songs, but I will go none the less. Well, like thousands of others, I logged in and got 4 tickets right on the floor right at the second they opened the websites. Maybe luck, but who knows, I was happy. Immediately, other non ticketmaster sites are listing seats were I purchased these for $75 for 3 to 5 times this amount. Are concerts just a resellable item anymore? I am tempted to sell the extra two tickets that I picked up in case others wanted to go and pay for my tickets and some. Its kind of a shame but I guess that is how things go. Also, you So Cal guys, whats your take on RHCP? Novelty act that has gone on to long? Talent amongst the goofiness? Having a lead singer with no vocal range? Who would think this act would of been around for so long.

[porsche4life]

I love RHCP, and wanted to go in OKC, missed the opening sale date, and then they rescheduled. I will be in Houston when they play there, perhaps I will find some tickets....

[stomachmonkey]

I would applaud the Fed looking into Ticket Bastered.

RHCP are the real deal.

Outstanding artists.

We all have different tastes but IMHO they are one of the best bands of the last twenty years.

[id10t]

Used to see 'em in the 80s playing the one bar on the UF campus

[Rusty Heap]

The "handling" fees for ticket master basterage sucks life even by a vampires standards.

rapee and pilliage. Their picture is in the Webster dictionary under "extortion"

[Rick Lee]

Van Halen tix went on sale for the Phoenix show in June the other day. Craigslist is already full of ads for the tix from the ticket brokers for many times face value. I don't know how they get all those tix, but I'll never pay any of them for it. I've almost always bought tix the day of the show, sometimes on Ticketmaster's site, sometimes at the box office and usually in the parking lot. I've rarely paid over face value in the parking lot and rarely been more than 12 rows back from the stage. How do these ticket brokers find people willing to pay $500 per ticket when face value is $118?

Last June I bought Rush tix on Ticketmaster's site the day of the show. Took me about 14 tries before some good tix came up, but they did and I got 12th row on the floor for face value. I met up with a buddy there who was seven rows in front of us and paid a broker $500 each for his three tix. Last VH tour I showed up at the venue in Philly, tailgated a while, walked up to the box office and got four tix in the 7th row, front and center for face value, show was just about sold out. I hate those ticket brokers, but I don't have a lot of reason to hate them based on my own experience.

[Rick Lee]

Also, I belatedly learned Eric Johnson is playing in a bar near my house tonight. By the time I found out, it was sold out. No tix avail. on Craigslist by any broker or private seller. Seems to me the venue, which is also a restaurant, would want to help fill the tables of those folks who can't make the show. They told me they have a wait list and I'm on it. But I'm not expecting a call. I just rode by there to see if anyone was out front selling tix. Place was locked up, but I did see Eric's bus and the load-in door was open. I saw him standing in that little room playing his guitar I rode by. Pretty cool.

[rrental]

Just posted a thread about ticketmaster screw up with springsteen tickets. Unbelievable this (criminal) organization is still free to operate and steal from the consumer.

Open Letter from Springsteen Nation | Facebook

Open Letter from Springsteen Nation
We, as a Springsteen nation, are disappointed again!!
In 2009 Bruce Springsteen has responded to his fans' outcry following Ticketmaster's problem-laden sale of his Working on a Dream tour.
Countless fans reported technical malfunctions during the on-sale.
We were pleasantly surprised and thankful that Springsteen stood up for his fans.

Now, almost 3 years later, the ticket sale starts for the Wreckingball tour and the fans find out that nothing has changed.
As individual fans there is not much we can do. We can ban scalpers by not buying their tickets but for a lot of fans that means you will not see Bruce and the E-Street band live!!!
The Springsteen Management has to use their power to stand up for their fans AGAIN and make sure that the hard core fans get a fair change to buy tickets for a reasonable price. Bands like U2 already showed that that's possible.

WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN!!!

[andrew15]

When I recently saw the Pixies here in Calgary, all the tickets were sold on a will call basis for pickup on the evening of the performance and you had to show your photo ID to claim them.

It basically meant that only locals could buy them and I think it went a long way to reduce the number of tickets that ended up in the hands of scalpers. They only had 2hrs before the concert to pick up the tickets and meet up with the people they had resold the tickets to or try to resell in the parking lot.

It was a great gesture on the part of the band to keep the tickets in the hands of fans.

AM

[89911]

Originally Posted by andrew15

When I recently saw the Pixies here in Calgary, all the tickets were sold on a will call basis for pickup on the evening of the performance and you had to show your photo ID to claim them.

It basically meant that only locals could buy them and I think it went a long way to reduce the number of tickets that ended up in the hands of scalpers. They only had 2hrs before the concert to pick up the tickets and meet up with the people they had resold the tickets to or try to resell in the parking lot.

It was a great gesture on the part of the band to keep the tickets in the hands of fans.

AM

Great idea. The Pixies are always on my playlists.

[widebody911]

Simple: either bend over or stay home.

[Rick Lee]

Just buy tix the day of the show. Those ticket vendors have a lot of money into those tix and then send their guys to the venue the day of the show. The closer you get to show time, the lower the price gets. When I used to see at least five Rush shows per tour, I didn't mind missing the first song once in a while when it meant scalpers' prices dropped to face value or below just to cut their losses before the ticket became worthless. I have almost never bought from Ticketmaster in advance in 20 years and have ALWAYS made out very well the day of the show.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Simple: either bend over or stay home.

Sad that it's come to this.

Once the mega-outlets like Ticketmaster gained control of nationwide ticket sales, it was all over for the fans who put these acts on the map in the first place. Why do these places even exist? Why can't we just go a venue's web site and buy tickets for a show? Nobody seems to know...

Bob Dylan had an interesting approach for a recent show at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA. There were no pre-sales whatsoever...if you wanted to see the show, you showed up at the box office on the day of the show and bought your tickets from an actual human being. What a novel idea...

[GH85Carrera]

We all have to wonder what politicians does Ticketmaster pay off to get the inside deal on tickets. Why has not one state put a stop to the rip off? Do all the politicians just get free front row tickets to any show they want to see?

[Rick Lee]

I don't know that politicians would be able to give Ticketmaster the near monopoly they have. I think it's more a matter of promoters getting sweetheart deals from them in order to get Ticketmaster involved in the packages they offer artists' managers and record companies.

[john70t]

I read/heard there was once a connection made between the major scalper organizations and Ticketmaster.
Supposedly, they were selling tickets to their own subsidiary companies.

It was quietly handled.
The investigation was not in the headlines.

[scottmandue]

This is why I haven't seem a major rock band in over a decade...

Fortunately there are some very good unknown bands that play in small bars and clubs (see nostatic's link to his band).

I like RHCP... if people are willing to continue buying their material and go to their shows more power to them.