Furious at this legalised ticket touting charade !!

[dannybuoy]

Ah, welcome to capitalism. People will pay those inflated prices, so people will sell them for what they can get.

Look on the bright side - at least you don't have to go and see One Direction with a bunch of screaming schoolgirls. If it were me, I'd be over the moon!

[BigRedX]

Unfortunately the over-inflated price of concert tickets is the cost of not wanting to pay for recorded music any more.

[Happy Jack]

Who on earth would want the recorded music of One Direction?

[ambient]

It's down to the record companies, now they're getting cuts from every aspect of an artists revenue, they're taking full advantage.

To be honest though, the best gigs I've been to in the last 10 years or so, have only maybe cost me £20/25. I think Steven Wilson last year and the year before was £20, No sound were about the same.

If people are willing to pay stupid money, then can you blame the artist/record company for charging it ?

[Subbeh]

You could always go to the venue on the day, the touts get pretty desperate on discounting once doors open. Had tickets for less than face value a couple of times.

[Marvin]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1418396707' post='2629903']
Unfortunately the over-inflated price of concert tickets is the cost of not wanting to pay for recorded music any more.
[/quote]

Absolutely.

[Gust0o]

I was reminded a little of this, unfortunately:

[url="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/04/09/sajid-javid-culture-secretary-ticket-touts_n_5117258.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/04/09/sajid-javid-culture-secretary-ticket-touts_n_5117258.html[/url]

Total sympathy to the OP, it feels like that market is totally dysfunctional. You wouldn't accept someone buying all the bread and then pushing you to buy from resellers at an inflated price.

[Mr Arkadin]

For anyone that may have have missed it, here's C4's Dispatches on it all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWlnL8drSdw

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='tonybassplayer' timestamp='1418340921' post='2629448']
Tried to get tickets recently to take my middle daughter to see One Direction who she is totally absorbed with but like many others I was unsuccessful and it was "Sold Out"

Well excuse my French but that is total and absolute f*****g b****x as the net including ebay is awash with stupidly over priced tickets.

These companies have obviously had the chance to block purchase tickets and then sell them on at stupid money. It really p****s me of that there is not a centralised point that all tickets are sold direct to the general public ( also known as the fans who put them there )

I know my rant won't change things but it just annoys me that such a parasitical industry is allowed to profiteer on people. The original prices are stupid enough but these others are ludicrous.
[/quote]

There was a show a few years ago on this issue (one of the investigative journalism shows like Panorama or Dispatches), and it found out that certain companies were block-buying direct from the promoter, but also, they have teams of people sitting with books filled with credit cards, and they spend their time buying tickets.

These companies then sold the tickets on at a huge markup, but they were always advertised as being a private sale i.e. not commercial.

It also showed how the companies didn't always sell all the tickets they had bought, and the unsold tickets went in the bin if the staff didn't use them.

The thing is that it's kind of a crummy business idea, and it artificially inflates the price of gig tickets. But big followers of artists/bands are willing to pay through the nose for the tickets.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Sammers' timestamp='1418369661' post='2629554']
This gets to me too, though the government is leaving up to the "industry" to govern itself
[/quote]

It should be clear enough by now to any government that markets don't govern themselves. Morals or ethics don't come into it in big business - If you see a way to make money, you're expected to grab it with both hands. Regulation is what keeps the markets from becoming morally or ethically questionable, and gives consumers some kind of protection. Need any more proof, refer to how the banks operated in the 2000s. Or the phone-tapping scandal. Or plenty of scandals and f***-ups.

TL;DR - Markets don't regulate themselves.

[Mr Arkadin]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1418402164' post='2629965']


There was a show a few years ago on this issue (one of the investigative journalism shows like Panorama or Dispatches), and it found out that certain companies were block-buying direct from the promoter, but also, they have teams of people sitting with books filled with credit cards, and they spend their time buying tickets.

These companies then sold the tickets on at a huge markup, but they were always advertised as being a private sale i.e. not commercial.

It also showed how the companies didn't always sell all the tickets they had bought, and the unsold tickets went in the bin if the staff didn't use them.
[/quote]

See link directly above your post

Edited December 12, 2014 by Mr Arkadin

[Guest BeardyBob]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1418374383' post='2629596']
Indeed. I took my seven year old daughter to see a pub blues band last weekend. She really [b][i]got[/i][/b] what the music was about and felt a real kinship with the bald, overweight, dull musicians who were going through the motions and almost staying in time. The long noodling guitar solos in E really impressed her too.

It's definitely the way forward.


[/quote]

hahaha!

if only they'd learn from the big boys... Glastonbury... now there's a system EVERYBODY loves!

[Woodinblack]

Went to NiN at scala, which was a small venue. The tickets were named +1, and handed out at the door to credit card / printed receipt that bought them.
There was a queue of people outside the door offering to buy the + 1 from people, one guy offering £200, my other half almost didn't get in

[tonybassplayer]

Whilst I have a bit of an issue with the actual ticket prices I can't really argue with the supply and demand argument but it's the "behind the scenes" shenanigans that p**s me off.

We tried last year for Glastonbury but didn't get them but reasonably satisfied that genuine attenders got them instead of us.

Makes me laugh when major concert tours are on the news as "sold out" in minutes. If only they could be bothered to really find out the truth of who bought the tickets. Think they could be a little surprised as to how many still need real owners.

[Roger2611]

I guess the internet is really to blame for the current situation, I was lucky enough to get tickets for Pink Floyd at the Nordorf Robbins gig at Knebworth Park back in the late 80's? I remember it being advertised on Radio 1 my mate rang up and booked six tickets....it sold out pretty quickly.....Radio 1 kept stating that it was sold out, there were no tickets available on the door and if you didn't have a ticket there was no point in turning up as you wouldn't get in.

When we arrived we were greeted by touts selling tickets at 4 x face value but as we got closer to the entrance touts were selling at face value and by the time we got to the entrance tickets were on sale for £10 (from memory we paid £30 for the tickets) Radio 1's message seemed to have got through and if you didn't have a ticket you didn't turn up. Obviously those were the days before the internet so tickets could not be brought and promptly put back up for sale at extortionate prices.

I am not sure what the answer is nowadays other than banning the resale of tickets and as others have suggested tickets have your name and address on them and without proof of identity and address you don't get in....the problem with that is customers are not going to be prepared to stand around for hours whilst these things are checked

[timmo]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1418409570' post='2630062']
I guess the internet is really to blame for the current situation, I was lucky enough to get tickets for Pink Floyd at the Nordorf Robbins gig at Knebworth Park back in the late 80's? I remember it being advertised on Radio 1 my mate rang up and booked six tickets....it sold out pretty quickly.....Radio 1 kept stating that it was sold out, there were no tickets available on the door and if you didn't have a ticket there was no point in turning up as you wouldn't get in.

When we arrived we were greeted by touts selling tickets at 4 x face value but as we got closer to the entrance touts were selling at face value and by the time we got to the entrance tickets were on sale for £10 (from memory we paid £30 for the tickets) Radio 1's message seemed to have got through and if you didn't have a ticket you didn't turn up. Obviously those were the days before the internet so tickets could not be brought and promptly put back up for sale at extortionate prices.

I am not sure what the answer is nowadays other than banning the resale of tickets and as others have suggested tickets have your name and address on them and without proof of identity and address you don't get in....the problem with that is customers are not going to be prepared to stand around for hours whilst these things are checked
[/quote] You are probably right about the internet. I bought my tickets for Glastonbury in the early 90`s from HMV.

[karlfer]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1418396707' post='2629903']
Unfortunately the over-inflated price of concert tickets is the cost of not wanting to pay for recorded music any more.
[/quote]

Bang on. We have a cd coming out in January and had a conversation about exactly this on Wed night.
I remember queuing for nearly 36 hours, outside Newcastle City Hall for Zep tickets. I still have a ticket, price £1, for Floyd at City Hall.
I just wont go to big gigs anymore.

We have techno progress

[The Admiral]

You are pushing against an open door with me on this, as it absolutely boils my piss. These wide boys couldn't give a sh*t about the music - it's just a commodity, and it could be watering cans or gerbils for all they care.

I know there will be plenty of people that quote 'market forces' and supply and demand being a cornerstone of capitalism, but the simplest way to stop this is to make it pointless from the touts perspective. If you ensure that its not worth it, they'll go off to find something else to do to make an easy buck. You can do that by making it an offence to sell a ticket for more than the face value plus ten pounds. That will allow the profiteering tw**s at the ticket agencies enough latitude to charge their outrageous booking fees, but ensure that the profiteering fu*kers on eBay, and the scallies outside the venues decide its not worth the hassle. That to me is a better use of the local constabularies time than nicking motorists for doing 35 in a 30 limit zone, in the middle of nowhere.

And I have to agree - it's absolutely scandalous that exclusive arrangements are in place such that one company controls the sale of tickets for a tour, and a significant amount of these tickets turn up in the hands of specialist premium 'we'll get you in' fee agents, who actually are owned by the agency with the exclusive deal. It stinks.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Mr Arkadin' timestamp='1418404412' post='2629992']
See link directly above your post
[/quote]

Ah! Nice one Cheers!

[jezzaboy]

Got to agree, it really gets on my wick so much that I would rather go and watch a pub band than a big stadium act. I also realise this isn`t ideal for a young daughter or son who are dying to see the act.

And another related point. The tickets seem to go on sale 6, 8, 10 months or so early, so all that money sits in someones account generating interest for them. [size=4] [/size][size=4] [/size]

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1418420270' post='2630191']
Got to agree, it really gets on my wick so much that I would rather go and watch a pub band than a big stadium act. I also realise this isn`t ideal for a young daughter or son who are dying to see the act.

And another related point. The tickets seem to go on sale 6, 8, 10 months or so early, so all that money sits in someones account generating interest for them.
[/quote]

I'd imagine that quite a bit of the money is paid out to venues and hire equipment months in advance too.

What I notice is that a lot of tickets go on sale this time of year, to capitalise on the Christmas market.

[molan]

I have to admit that my daughter wanted 1D tickets and I got them really easily.

They went on sale at 09:00, I waited half an hour logged in and picked up 3 seats 20 rows from the stage and had paid for them in under 10 minutes.

I think these type of gigs get loads of people claiming tickets as soon as they go on sale and then not being able to buy or screwing up the purchase so they get released again.

The whole 'legalised' tout thing does drive me crazy though. I can totally understand bands, venues and promoters trying to earn as much as they can via simple supply and demand mechanisms but I don't get the large bulk purchasing deals they allow to the ticket agencies (unless the band/promoter are actually earning extra margins by selling to these guys at a big premium).

[lurksalot]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1418415617' post='2630125']
You are pushing against an open door with me on this, as it absolutely boils my piss. These wide boys couldn't give a sh*t about the music - it's just a commodity, and it could be watering cans or gerbils for all they care.

I know there will be plenty of people that quote 'market forces' and supply and demand being a cornerstone of capitalism, but the simplest way to stop this is to make it pointless from the touts perspective. If you ensure that its not worth it, they'll go off to find something else to do to make an easy buck. You can do that by making it an offence to sell a ticket for more than the face value plus ten pounds. That will allow the profiteering tw**s at the ticket agencies enough latitude to charge their outrageous booking fees, but ensure that the profiteering fu*kers on eBay, and the scallies outside the venues decide its not worth the hassle. That to me is a better use of the local constabularies time than nicking motorists for doing 35 in a 30 limit zone, in the middle of nowhere.

And I have to agree - it's absolutely scandalous that exclusive arrangements are in place such that one company controls the sale of tickets for a tour, and a significant amount of these tickets turn up in the hands of specialist premium 'we'll get you in' fee agents, who actually are owned by the agency with the exclusive deal. It stinks.
[/quote]

This is absolutely true , but parting a fool from his money is the capitalist philosophy

[Bassman Sam]

Funnily enough, I picked up 2 tickets for tomorrow's The Who gig in Manchester off of Stubhub for 90 quid. The face value of them both is £140. No booking fee either.


Edit, got the price wrong.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Bassman Sam

[tonybassplayer]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1418425052' post='2630256']
I have to admit that my daughter wanted 1D tickets and I got them really easily.

They went on sale at 09:00, I waited half an hour logged in and picked up 3 seats 20 rows from the stage and had paid for them in under 10 minutes.

I think these type of gigs get loads of people claiming tickets as soon as they go on sale and then not being able to buy or screwing up the purchase so they get released again.

The whole 'legalised' tout thing does drive me crazy though. I can totally understand bands, venues and promoters trying to earn as much as they can via simple supply and demand mechanisms but I don't get the large bulk purchasing deals they allow to the ticket agencies (unless the band/promoter are actually earning extra margins by selling to these guys at a big premium).
[/quote]

I was on from nine till ten ish for Manchester dates with no joy whatsoever but going to keep trying. Bound to be something crop up between now and October.