Ticketmaster, the depth of the greed

[PranaChef]

San Francisco – This morning, in my own home, I actually experienced, the roots of our financial woes, greed.

I hardly ever go to big shows or sporting events anymore, but once in awhile, it’s something special to do. In my case, I was recently enamored, moved, swooned even, by Leonard Cohen, Podcast live by NPR from the Beacon Theater in New York City, February 26th, 2009. I have been a fan since I was aware of his music, but this. . . this is pure mastery at its finest.

I followed links through NPRs generous website and discovered that man himself would be playing on my birthday and that tickets would go on pre-sale, to fans with a special password, at 10am (EST), March 7th, 2009, which is today.

6:30am - I awake to [virtually] wait in line for Leonard Cohen tickets at Radio City Music Hall, NYC, on May 16th, on sale 10am (EST). (My birthday’s actually the 17th , but there’s no presale for that show and I wanted to make sure I got a pair for one of the two shows that weekend)

6:55am - Pre-sale password is issued to fans within a members-only forum.

7:00am - Ticketmaster opens its on-line doors to pre-sale password equipped fans.

7:00am – Ticketmaster says no tickets are available due to apparent overwhelming demand.

7:05am – Out of curiosity I look on Craiglist for tickets and find a link to hundreds of tickets on sale for the same show priced from double to ten times their face value, along with hundreds of other events.

When you follow these links, which are posted by third party affiliates, you land at a company named, Tickets Now, which states right on its homepage that it is "a Ticketmaster company".

Does this means that Tickets Now is buying tickets, in advance of official public sale dates, from their parent company, and turning them around for billions and billions of dollars while creating an illusion of scarcity, cheating fans, and slighting the performers and everyone who works for them?

I knew Ticketmaster was greedy, but I didn’t understand the depth until today.

I will be posting this story around appropriate forums and bulletin boards. I think it is important to bring attention to what appears to be a fine example of the kind of greed that got this country into the financial mess it is in right now.

Please respond with insight if you have any to share.

~pc

[MarieM]

Does this means that Tickets Now is buying tickets, in advance of official public sale dates, from their parent company, and turning them around for billions and billions of dollars while creating an illusion of scarcity, cheating fans, and slighting the performers and everyone who works for them?

I knew Ticketmaster was greedy, but I didn’t understand the depth until today.

Welcome to our world, PranaChef. Not only has this been a huge story here but it has made news all across North America. Ticketmaster has already paid a fine for similar behavior with regard to a Bruce Springsteen sale. They promised to reform. But those promises were empty.

The good news is that the general sale for Radio City Music Hall will be for two shows so your chances of scoring good tickets are better.

[honeyrose]

See my later post on same subject. If Ticketmaster really was redirecting all buyers direct to a secondary subsidiary, this has actually been outlawed since end of February, following the Bruce Springsteen row, when they were fined $350,00, had to reimburse 2000 fans and promised not to do this in future without the artists' permission. You should complain to Attorney Generals office.