Twisted industry makes hot tickets hard to get

[proud2BlibKansan]

By DAVID HAYES and STEVE PAUL
The Kansas City Star


Regina Riley illustrates why critics complain the concert ticket industry in America is broken.

Riley ordered three Hannah Montana tickets — for $199 apiece — from Kansas City ticket brokerage Ace Sports & Nationwide Tickets before tickets had even gone on sale.

But when she learned tickets would actually become available to the public on Sept. 15, Riley canceled the order — paying a $120 fee in the process — and tried to buy tickets at their face-value prices of $26 to $56 each.

Like many parents, she stood in line at a Ticketmaster outlet. Unlike most, she was first in line. At the same time, seven friends fired up their computers, trying to buy tickets for her on the Internet.

Riley miraculously ended up with four extra tickets for the Dec. 3 show at the Sprint Center arena. Now she’s asking $800 for them on eBay.

“I told my husband a week ago that by the time I get to see Hannah Montana, I’m going to hate her,” Riley said.

The simple act of buying a ticket to a concert has become so convoluted, so twisted by competing economic interests, critics contend that the average music fan is being forced to become his own ticket broker.

more . . . http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/286905.html

[spanone]

1. $199 EACH???? you got to be kidding me...

[immoderate]

3. Hey, c'mon -- Hannah Montana!!

Wonder how much for Doodle Bops tickets.

--IMM

[spanone]

7. if Jesus came back, maybe.....

[Captain Hilts]

2. I've stopped going to concerts because the ticket system is unfair and has too many fees. nt

[evlbstrd]

4. For Hannah-Fucking-Montana?

Jeezuz.
I once took my kids to a Sesame Street show. Bored them to death. I paid face value and stil got ripped off.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. But we won't be able to go to ANY events at The Sprint Center

And you know there are concerts there we will want to see.

My repuke bro in law is a ticket scalper. He makes a mighty fine living ripping people off. For years, he has had an office in a a state where scalping is legal. Now he can move his operation to MO, thanks to Matt Blunt and his brother who lobbies for Ticket Master. Scalping is now legal in MO.

No I don't want to go to Hannah Montana, but I sure would like to be able to buy tickets to some event at The Sprint Center. But unless they fix this ticket distribution nonsense, I won't be going since I can't afford to pay a scalper for a ticket.

[evlbstrd]

24. I can't think of anyone I'd pay $200 to see.

Tickets have been a scam for a long time. Which band was it that decided to boycott TicketMaster? How did that work out for them?

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. I think that was Pearl Jam?

Don't know how that ended up.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. BTW, you are welcome to join us at The Sprint Center

We are planning on being outside for this concert and for Elton John. Hell, I'd even buy you a beer if you join us.

Here is what we are taking to the shows:

[evlbstrd]

25. You're going to picket Hannah Montana?

What do she and Elton John have to do with the war?

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. We want to send a message to the people who are shopping

and going to concerts while our troops keep dying and our tax dollars continue to be wasted in Iraq. Those flags are going to be appearing all over KC. Yesterday, Cleaver told us he wants them at his church.

[Horse with no Name]

28. She is sold out across the country

Do an Ebay search on her tickets.
It will open your eyes.

[evlbstrd]

37. I think I prefer to remain blind.

My kids are grown and I really don't have to worry about it.

[lostnotforgotten]

5. Who Is Hannah Montana?

eom

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Billy Ray Cyrus's daughter

She is the new teeny bopper queen.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

22. Who is Billie Ray Cyrus

Nahhh, nevermind, I really don't care.

[Erva]

6. There is an outside hockey game shceduled with a familiar issue,

scalping. Every ticket was sold within ten minutes! Buyers were restricted to 50, yes 50 tickets apiece. The NHL has said they wanted to make sure kids teams could get seats together. FIFTY? It is nearly impossible for families to go to events of any kind with the inflated prices charged.

[hobbit709]

8. Must be nice to have that kind of throwaway money

If you're crazy enough to spend that kind of money on a Disney Channel created show, then good luck.
I might spend $200 a ticket if they resurrected Lennon and Harrison for a Beatles reunion

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. And I would pay that kind of money to see Stevie Ray Vaughn

or Jimi Hendrix.

[NashVegas]

9. Ticket Scalpers + Promoters Both Loves the Internets

The #1 issue is allowing internet and charge by phone purchases, which makes locals compete against out-of-regioners.

People with a passive desire to get tickets ("I wanna see the show, but I don't want to stand in line") are given the advantage over fans by their sheer numbers alone.

Then you have the resentment over crazy ticket fees.

Last year I got so pissed off that I wasn't able to get two decent seats, together, for Tom Waits that I joined the dark side when Beck came to town. On a $120 purchase (inc. fee, S & H) I made $280 profit. It was so ridiculous that it was ridiculous not to.

Bands and sports teams have caught on and now do their own reselling in cooperation with Ticketmaster and other brokers.

Here's the thing: the promoter doesn't mind, as long as his investment (renting the hall, paying the band, etc) is covered. 30,000 ticketmaster.com users make his fucking day. Even scalpers make his day; shit, he's probably reselling on the side.

We need to go back to a system where motivated locals have first priority, passive locals get second, and then everyone else comes last.

[spanone]

10. Ticketmaster is an evil entity

[NashVegas]

12. You Can't Blame This Entirely on TicketMonster

See #9.

[spanone]

14. yes i can

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. Not entirely but mostly

They lobbied long and hard to legalize scalping in MO. So you bet they benefit from depriving 'regular' people of tickets to events.

[NashVegas]

33. To Legally Take Advantage of What Others Were Already Doing

Or as one KC poster alluded to, selling a $100 tube of lipstick that comes with a free concert ticket.

Bitching about Ticketmaster does nothing to eliminate the problem of scalps.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. My bro in law sells hot dogs and t-shirts with his tickets

[NashVegas]

36. LoL

..

[MiniMe]

11. They hold back the best tickets for promotions

I have learned to wait until several days before the event, they usually release a bunch of tickets that are great seats. I've seen some really good shows from the 5th row that way.

[KatyaR]

13. There was a story here in OKC about a woman who was upset

because Hannah Montana tickets sold out minutes after they went on sale--that and the fact that you could buy them online through ticket brokers and eBay for up to $3,000 PER TICKET.

This story's reply--"it's capitalism at its best."

http://www.koco.com/video/14054878/index.html

Ah, for the good ol' days when concert tickets were less than $20 apiece . . . . :headbang:

Sadly, I didn't even know who Hannah Montana was until I heard this story--I guess I'm getting old . . . .

[zonkers]

18. Take your kids to see a local band.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. My kids are in a local band

So is hubby.

I like this idea!! :)

[Klukie]

20. Yeah it is messed up...

Ticketmaster sells presale tickets on the internet, but you don't get choose the seating. You can choose the section, but not the actual seats. The computer does that for you. I recently bought wiggles tickets and they tried to offer me presale seats that were lousy, so I waited to the day they went on sale and bought them at a tickemaster booth. I ended up getting 2nd row center stage for the same price that presale offered for 15th row left stage. Yeah, I know.. you are thinking The Wiggles! Imagine how I felt when I realized that everyone else was waiting in line for Springsteen tickets!

[madmom]

26. so she "helps" by becoming part of the problem??????

[Horse with no Name]

27. It's a big deal here

Several at work were online and on the phones at 10:00 sharp when the ticket sales were supposed to start getting told that they were already sold out.
However, there are hundreds on Ebay and Craigslist for upwards of $1000 a ticket.
There are a lot of little girls getting their hearts broken so that people like Riley can make a few extra bucks.
It's just wrong.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. Yes it is wrong

I have watched my asshole bro in law make a living scalping tickets for nearly 20 years now. He started in college, went to work as a stockbroker for a few years and then went back to scalping because he made better money at it. He hires kids to man the phones and pays them $20 an hour. Since they only work about half an hour until all the tickets are gone, they don't make much money. And my bro in law cleans up. It is capitalism at its worse. I asked him once if he would consider donating tickets to a charity and he laughed.

[Horse with no Name]

32. For some reason

this is going to blow up in someone's face.
I have heard it has been on the news in Dallas, Little Rock and Oklahoma.
I think it is going to reflect poorly on Hannah Montana and Disney is going to have to figure out a better way here or else suffer the PR nightmare that is already in the works.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. They told us here

that an unusually large number of tickets were not even offered to the public and held back by Hannah and her people. Wonder what for? Not for the fan club - they were reserved 4000 tickets and those sold fast as well.