Ticketmaster and Live Nation need to end scalping now! You can help!

[dobyblue]

It’s 2010 – the internet is absolutely riddled with social sites like Facebook and You Tube, etc.

Let’s use this to our advantage to try and pressure Ticketmaster and Live Nation into taking steps to thwart scalping that are realistic. I’m starting a Facebook page that could grow into something tremendous if everyone believes in the cause and the outcome. This thing could start with only 20 or 30 people in the first week….but if it were to grow it could easily end up on local news, then on nationwide networks.

The recent arrests of “Wiseguys Tickets” (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_c...llegally_.html) clearly shows how much we’ve been screwed over the last several years out of decent seats…but it doesn’t end there. Trent Reznor’s reveal (http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?59,548515) of internal practises in Ticketmaster and Live Nation (and indeed in some cases the artist – Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond, etc. - http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdail...condary-market) show that the main sites themselves don’t seem to care, they feed tickets to resellers and even OWN the sites sometimes. The customer doesn’t even stand a chance at getting good tickets at face value.

Recent Ticketmaster and Live Nation on sales for Dave Matthews Band shows resulted in only lawns bring available for sale right as tickets went on sale, so you’d think these impossible to get tickets in GA PIT sections had all gone to presales or fanclub members…then you see 40~80 of the HARDEST to get tickets on StubHub (owned by eBay) at 15 seconds past the hour of on sale at prices that are sometimes well over 10 times the face value. TM and LN are clearly involved in this practise. Scalping could be completely subverted for any and all events by requiring one main member’s name to be on the tickets for pick-up, always requiring will call, limiting ALL events to a reasonable number of tickets and requiring you to enter the event upon picking up your ticket. This practise worked for Nine Inch Nails last year. They fought to get 10% of all tickets for their fanclub and they were all Section 100’s or Section A or 1 depending on the venue, PIT, etc., simply the best tickets. (The WH could and should do this too!). It makes sure that your tickets are your tickets and if scalpers suddenly buy 100 tickets they’ll have no way to implement them as they can’t pick up 100 tickets with ID. There are plenty of alternate solutions which can be discussed no doubt…but something has got to give. The tickets sales in NA have become absolutely ridiculous. It has been estimated in some cases that StubHub has over half of the floor tickets to big draws. Miley Cyrus made a bunch of her tour dates last Summer “ticketless” and this kept scalpers at bay. It works and sure it’s a bit more of a pain in the ass, but wouldn’t you rather pay $80 for a seat in the first ten rows than $1,800? A ticketless system would also allow you to update your pick-up name up to a few hours before event time in order to allow for unforeseen circumstances like illness, transportation woes, etc.

While we’re at it, the ridiculous “all sales are final” should be changed too. You can’t make something? You’re not stuck having to scalp your own tickets. They should go back into the legal pool of tickets, not show up on StubHub.

It’s time for the voice of the little guy to be heard. Join this Facebook page, put it in your status and let as many people as you have friends know about it so they can join.

If you post on other artist’s websites like Pearl Jam, etc., start this exact same thread there. If everyone works together this thing could be huge and if it means that you stand just as much chance as I do to score front section seats for next year’s big ticket items then isn’t it worth it? Isn’t it worth trying it out to see where we get?

If you have an idea of a better site that’s more popular and would see more people please suggest it, but I think right now Facebook is probably the most powerful tool we have and when big numbers join IT WILL GET NOTICED!

Join up – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Your-T...W/371227934702

Can someone with decent art skills put together a profile picture for this page? Something along the lines of banning stubhub/ticketsnow…or something about eradicating scalping? You can PM me a link to the picture hosted through imageshack or something like that. Would be very much appreciated.

Any and all suggestions are welcome. Let’s get this thing going.

[Clark Kent]

The system is fundamentally broken. Ticketmaster's de facto monopoly on the industry has ruined the market for tickets. Everything is geared to make them money in the easiest way possible, because they have absolutely no competition in so many venues. I got a ticket last year through a secret fan "presale" limited to a couple of hundred people for a large concert. That appears to be nothing more than a scam to appease die-hard fans, because better tickets became available months later at cheaper prices.

[dobyblue]

It's the harsh truth - they have very little motivation to do anything about it.

That's why I started this page...who knows, if it gets to 500,000 people I"m sure it will pick up steam in the press and on the news. Their practises need to end now.

[Beta Man]

People stand there with signs selling tickets right by the police....... if anyone cared to enforce it, that would be a start.....

[DetroitSportsFan]

Ticketmaster is even scalping their own tickets now. The only way to change things is to stop buying tickets, but that's not going to happen.

[mikejet]

This is why I don't goto concerts. Too expensive.

[silversnake]

I joined

[Meeklo]

Scalping isn't illegal anymore....at least in Austin. You have to be at least 1000 ft from the venue to sell tickets for more than face value. Craigslist is also very helpful.

[silversnake]

I'm pretty sure scalping is legal here but you have to claim it on your tax returns. Essentially a job for these people.

(That's what I've been told by fellow scalper)

[dobyblue]

This isn't really to do with whether or not scalping should be illegal, but whether or not Ticketmaster and Live Nation should stop pre-feeding all the best tickets to StubHub and TicketsNow making it impossible for fans to buy tickets at face value.

[Rblu-Dblu]

Ticket prices and availability are the reasons I dont go to live events. Entertainment should be something to do in your spare time for fun, not something you have to work for two weeks plus overtime to be able to afford to do.

[jkwest]

I tried to buy tickets to the John Mayer / Michael Franti show in San Jose..
same thing...all good seats gone..

a shit load on EBay..lame.

[dobyblue]

I've heard great things about availability of tickets for the recent Jack Johnson show because he went ticketless.

I really see this as being the nail in the scalper's coffins.

[Batman1980]

I need scalpers though or I'd never be able to go to Cowboys games. Those tickets sell out before I can even buy any, although that may be the fault of scalpers.

[jono_0101]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

I need scalpers though or I'd never be able to go to Cowboys games. Those tickets sell out before I can even buy any, although that may be the fault of scalpers.

and there you go

at least i dont have that problem if i want to put myself through watching a rams game, cardinals game are a little tougher to get tickets to though, especially if were playing the cubs lots of scalpers out there for those games, but also lots of people buying, i had a dude offer me some size 6 fake looking jordans for my ticket once, no thank you


ive seen you posting under gandalf for awhile and was wondering "where the hell did this guy come from?" when did you change your name from wolverine?

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by jono_0101

and there you go

at least i dont have that problem if i want to put myself through watching a rams game, cardinals game are a little tougher to get tickets to though, especially if were playing the cubs


ive seen you posting under gandalf for awhile and was wondering "where the hell did this guy come from?" when did you change your name from wolverine?

It's been a couple of weeks now and that reminds me, I need to discuss with my father soon which Cowboys game we're going to, if in fact we are going this year.

[Eye Candy]

I ordered a book to read about the concert ticket industry titled:

Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped

Product Details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: ECW Press (June 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1550229494
ISBN-13: 978-1550229493
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches




As a side note, another book out there, that you may already know about is:

Sold Out So What! How to Save Money at Concerts & Sporting Events with Tricks the Ticket Brokers and Scalpers Don't Want You to Know

Product Details

Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Max Deale, LLC; 1 edition (May 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615209637
ISBN-13: 978-0615209630
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches

-------------------------------
I am old enough to remember the concert ticket buying enviroment before Ticketmaster came to town. There are plusses and minuses to both enviroments....

But...... concert ticket prices have risen too high for the cheapest seats, even with adjuste inflation.
That's the biggest bummer.

[Hatter]

The thing I hate most is the online convenience fee (Partner Evenko in Montreal does this). They're saving money by putting tickets up for sale online but charge extra for those who use the service. That's bull****