Ticket auctions w/ Ticketmaster

Has anyone seen this - finally they've found a way that the band can scalp their own tickets. It's a pleasure to know that blocks of the best seats were put aside specifically for the band to scalp through these Ticketmaster auctions.

Does anyone else feel cheated by this aproach?

I know it's likely better than going to a scalper, but the fact that I was never given a chance to get the tickets at face value leaves a bitter taste with me.


Ciao,

Mikey D

I saw this too and was disgusted! It's bad enough ticket prices are so high and difficult to come by but to auction them off to the highest bidder? Does that mean who ever pays the most is a better and bigger fan? (You know there will be those who wil fight over that!) I had hoped the the band would not succomb to corporate greed, and thought maybe the proceeds from the auction would benefit someone other than SPRINT or AEGLIVE but with no explanation forthcoming, what are we, the fans, to think?

Is the Band auctioning them or is Ticketmaster themselves auctioning them?

Kathleen

It is Ticketmaster but the promoter would have to agree to the auctions which means by extension the band would have to agree to them. The auctions aren't for every show (there are no auctions for MSG, CAA or Mohegan to name a few).

And to be honest, unlike a scalper the person bidding has complete control over what price he/she is willing to pay and the prices are set initally at face value. Do, I agree with it NO, but at least these prime seats are kept out of the scalper hands (for the most part unless they are willing to take the risk that they can turn around and sell a seat won on a auction for a lot more than they got it for on auction which isn't likely). So, if people wouldn't act like fools and jack up the prices with bidding wars they'd actually get a decently priced seat within the first 15 rows.

deb

Actually Deb, the tix for Columbus were $87.50 and the auction began at $100.00 per seat and you have to buy two. I felt cheated and absolutely outraged that TicketMaster or whoever is holding this auction. I thought I might have a chance at decent seats but when they hold back chunks of prime seats for the highest bidder, it seems impossible.

Thanks for the explanation Deb. I remember reading (about a year and a half ago) that Ticketmaster was tired of the scalpers making all the money on the tickets and that they would soon start doing the same thing. I guess they have - with the approval of the promoter

Kathleen

This is why I hope we never have all seating stadiums for concerts in the UK. They are pricing fans out of going to watch concerts, or at least getting good seats.

I know TM should be trying to combat touts not "joining them". Theres lots of things they could do like trace the people on Ebay who are selling dozens of tickets, clearly only bought for making money. For Glastonbury this year the promotor only allowed two tickets to be bought by one household and each ticket had a name on for which you needed photo ID. I know no system is fullproof but lets make it as hard for them as possible.

God knows, why ticketmaster cant offer tickets only to FC members first, I will never know. TM and BS have really screwed hundreds if not thousands this year.

My daughter belongs to the Barenaked Ladies fanclub. You can order 2 tickets per card and simply order them through ticketmaster with their fanclub presale code. No need to camp out overnight at the arena just to get tickets. We have ordered tickets of theirs this way for a few years and have had wonderful seats. Clearly they don't have the fan base that Bon Jovi does but Backstage does not have a good system - and ticketmaster just compounds the problem.

Kathleen

But don't tell them this over at backstage, just because you spend $40 a year on the membership doesn't give you the right to have an opinion on the service provided. A remark like this will quickly be folowed by a hundred others stating that the fanclub can do no wrong - and if you don't like it don't renew.

Gotta luv that way of thinking.

Ciao.