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Why You Can’t Get a Ticket …

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Jun 8, 2016.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    Nathan Hubbard (former CEO of Ticketmaster), writing for The Ringer, on why trying to get tickets to major events is a pain in the ass:


    The other way these held-back tickets weasel their way into the secondary market: The individuals who get the tickets realize that, ostensibly, someone just handed them cash. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but attending a concert or a game can be a pain in the ass. Industry insiders fortunate enough to obtain these tickets are just jaded enough that they don’t need to go like true fans do. And so they think about the traffic, and the parking, and the hassle, and they check prices on the secondary market. And they realize that whatever true fans are willing to pay sounds better than the work of actually going to the event. So they sell (out).

     
    coleslawed likes this.
  2. ReiAndCoke

    Newbie

    You should look up the Tragically Hip fiasco in Canada. Singer has terminal cancer, going on one final tour and basically all fans (myself included) couldn't get tickets. Most tickets over 500 on stub hub. Ontario Governor General looking into it, almost a certainty nothing will happen.
     
    beachdude42 and jorbjorb like this.
  3. jorbjorb

    7 rings

    lol sold out in 30 seconds here in winnipeg
     
  4. dubey

    Regular

    They could have made those shows credit card entry

    Too bad for fans of that band
     
    ReiAndCoke likes this.
  5. beachdude

    I'm not brave Prestigious

    Great read... totally agreed with the credit card solution, I'm shocked that it hasn't been more widely implemented.
     
  6. iCarly Rae Jepsen

    run away with me Platinum

    credit card can be an issue, for instance my dad bought my sister Arcade Fire tickets which were credit card swipe so he had to express mail her the card, and if it's last minute and you want to give your friend your ticket you have to give them your credit card and I don't trust anyone that much
     
    devenstonow and coleslawed like this.
  7. Ferrari333SP

    Prestigious Supporter

    Only bad experience I had was doing a Coldplay general sale back in 2011; tix went on sale at 10am, and before it had hit 10:01, I had my floor ticket selected, tried going to the next screen, and boom, none left. All floor tickets selected/sold immediately before it hit 10:01. Ended up getting top level for $90. But besides that, I've been able to get a ticket for every other show that I wanted to get.

    Regarding credit card entry, I know both Garth Brooks and Bruce Springsteen went to that system recently. What was really funny/strange was then seeing tons of people reselling tickets on places like Stubhub; I'm like, don't people realize none of these tickets are valid? Pretty much going after people who have no idea it's a credit card entry show
     
  8. HalfHearted

    Regular

    Missed out on Bruce Springsteen this year because of this. Not going to pay 3 times the amount to go to a concert regardless how much I want to see them.
     
  9. Ferrari333SP

    Prestigious Supporter


    Didn't he do credit card entry for this shows this year?
     
  10. cwhit

    still emperor emo Prestigious

    interesting article, most major events like this suck anyways/are overpriced even on face
     
  11. Thursdaysox

    We know it from the silence

    Amazing that people just settle on issues like this. "I never get good seats, but I do get nosebleeds whenever I want!" Why is that acceptable? It shouldn't be. I previously worked for a ticket broker, and it would BLOW YOUR MIND how many deals the brokers have to get tickets directly from venues / sports teams to mark up. Every artist with the potential to sell out should be using credit card entry / paperless tickets, OR use their own ticketing sites if they care about their fans. Adele cares. Louis CK cares. Nine Inch Nails care. Everyone else just want the money any way they can get it, which I certainly don't blame them for. If they are using TM or livenation with normal delivery methods, the fans are getting screwed. Why it's so okay for people to be paying ridiculous prices PLUS outrageous fees to Stubhub is so far beyond me. Sorry for ranting, but this topic really gets me fired up (especially since I tried every single presale / on-sale I could to get tickets to Radiohead at MSG to no avail. Go check out Stubhub for those shows).
     
    coleslawed likes this.
  12. HalfHearted

    Regular

    To be honest, I have no idea. I just know within 5 minutes of the tickets going on sale I couldn't get anything. And then of course going on Stub Hub 10 minutes later, tickets are priced over 100.00.
     
  13. Ferrari333SP

    Prestigious Supporter

    But that's the thing, wouldn't those Stubhub ticket be invalid? Because, assuming those people used credit cards to purchase those tickets, those people selling the stubhub tickets would then have to send you their credit cards if you bought one of those tickets. Or if they used a VISA gift card or something, they'd have to mail that to you as well.
     
  14. Ferrari333SP

    Prestigious Supporter


    I paid $70(!!!!!) in fees to purchase two Gary Clark Jr tickets from StubHub. $70!!!
     
  15. DarkHotline

    Proud To Bathe With A Rag On A Stick Prestigious

    I honestly only Stubhub for cheap seats at a sporting event, I will not use it to get gouged just to attend a show.
     
  16. terps12

    Regular

    I agree there's a problem but I disagree with the solution. Requiring credit card entry makes these things a hassle for those of us who legitimately make changes to our orders. You buy a ticket to a show and can no longer attend -- now there's essentially no system to even give that ticket to a friend without forking over your credit card.

    Also, consumer to consumer retail (which I don't view as predatory) essentially fails to exist. There's no reason why if I have two extra tickets and want to sell those to someone else that I should be unable to. People buy collectibles that increase and decline in value -- I view Stubhub/Ebay and the like as a way for ordinary people to sell things they're no looking to attend.

    The problem is and always will be the artificial supply manipulation in this free market. Oh, that and Ticketmaster's $8-10 surcharges per ticket and the 25% BUYER fee/10% SELLER fee on stubhub (Don't forget to protect your tickets for another $10 a pop!). Those are also ridiculous culprits driving up the costs as well. Even TicketFly and TicketWeb have started to get ridiculous with their $3-4 fees on $12 shows.
     
  17. bruinrk

    Newbie

    I just experienced all of this trying to get Prophets of Rage tickets today.