Ticketbastard at it again

[parkervb]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/a-public-relations-nightmare-ticketmaster-recruits-pros-for-secret-scalper-program-1.4828535

"Ticketmaster has developed a professional reseller program and within the past year launched TradeDesk, a web-based inventory management system for scalpers. The company touts it as 'The most powerful ticket sales tool. Ever'"

WTF

[parkervb]

Company representatives told them Ticketmaster's resale division turns a blind eye to scalpers who use ticket-buying bots and fake identities to snatch up tickets and then resell them on the site for inflated prices. Those pricey resale tickets include extra fees for Ticketmaster.

"I have brokers that have literally a couple of hundred accounts," one sales representative said. "It's not something that we look at or report."

[rkwedge]

How frustrating is this? How I miss the days when you had to go stand in line at your local Ticketmaster outlet to get tickets. Sure it took time out of your life, but you were in line with like minded individuals and having actual real human interactions, but I digress.
I guess until people just quit using Ticketmaster their gonna figure a way to rip us off. They have a monopoly on selling tickets and thus they can do what they want.

[sillyboob]

I think I remember Pearl Jam trying some sort of Ticketmaster boycott in the past.  If they couldn't get it done, not sure what it will take.

[ditty]

Thanks parkervb and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  Anyone remember when congress took this on? 

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/business/media/ticket-scalping-bots-act.html

[Varitek]

How frustrating is this? How I miss the days when you had to go stand in line at your local Ticketmaster outlet to get tickets. Sure it took time out of your life, but you were in line with like minded individuals and having actual real human interactions, but I digress.
I guess until people just quit using Ticketmaster their gonna figure a way to rip us off. They have a monopoly on selling tickets and thus they can do what they want.

Yup, all of this...

[APR]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ticketmaster-calls-mass-scalping-report-categorically-untrue-727000/

[APR]

I think I remember Pearl Jam trying some sort of Ticketmaster boycott in the past.  If they couldn't get it done, not sure what it will take.

If other bands stepped up and helped Pearl Jam, then it's possible things could have improved.  Some bands (I think R.E.M. and Neil Young) vocally supported PJ but didn't boycott or do anything drastic.

PJ's boycott led to them playing far less shows and plenty of difficulties with their '95 tour.

What PJ's actions did was really lead to the way tickets are currently priced with different line items so that people can see all the various fees added to the cost of the actual ticket.

[rkwedge]

Ticketmaster's response, a joke. I'm with you Mr. White use any means possible to avoid both Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/ticketmaster-scalping-response/?mc_cid=ac0a68109f&mc_eid=a421d585b7

[ranyart]

https://jambands.com/news/2020/06/18/report-in-2021-live-nation-to-slash-payments-to-performers-shift-financial-burden-to-artists-in-unprecedented-move/

Live Nation is the parent company of our friends at Ticket Bastard, so no doubt these new rules will apply to them as well.

Among the many gems in this memo are:

"Artist Guarantees: Artist guarantees will be adjusted downward 20% from 2020 levels." Ba$tard$!

"Merchandise: Purchaser will retain 30 % of Artist merchandise sales and send 70% to the artist within two weeks following the Festival."  All the more reason to buy direct from the artists!

"Cancellation by Artist: If an artist cancels its performance in breach of the agreement, the artist will pay the promoter two times the artist's fee." F U!

Unbelievable yet totally believable...

[searchinbig]

Just like all other corporate C***suckers.

Take it out on every one else.

Working people are getting f**ked again.

[rkwedge]

Let's just hope these bastards don't survive the pandemic. Ripping people off has always been their specialty but once this pandemic hit and they owed everybody their money back, they had the nerve to change their policies on returns to benefit them not the consumer. I barley got in on StubHub (I know different company but anything to do with promoting or ticketing is shady) returning about $1800 worth of March Madness ticket money before they changed their policy to credit instead of refund. The only reason I did is the tournament was one of the first things to get completely canceled not postponed. I just hope the artists and us all learn something here.

[ranyart]

There has got to be a better way...

[ranyart]

More fun from TB...

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan

I've said it here before one of the things I miss most about our pre covid-19 world is live in person music, but I have many doubts about TicketMaster's plan. They are talking about requiring all attendees to test negative for the virus 1-3 days prior to the event or get the vaccine. Medical information is not transferred to TM directly so their plan is to use trusted third parties that people who get tested or get the vaccine will be required to pass along results to, and TM will integrate their app and databases to match with the ticket when it's time to be admitted to the event so if everything is not in order you don't get in.

We live out in the boonies and we work so we typically have a hard enough time getting to shows on time as it is, and we generally skip mid week shows because of all of the driving even before the virus mess. How are people going to fit in testing within the time frame they will require (especially if extensive travel is required to get there)? Who is going to pay for this testing and whatever third party accounts are required to get all of the pieces to line up properly for TM to let you in, and is TM going to offer a refund if you don't get through their gauntlet?

It all adds up to me to yet another reason to avoid doing business with them.

[ChiefOKONO]

looks highly suspicious to me too!!! ughhh