There’s a new website that popped up recently and it’s starting to gain a lot of attention on the news. Ticketdisaster.org is a new site aimed at informing the consumer about the truths of the upcoming Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger. The site was put together by other ticketing broker agencies, so it’s easy to see what their agenda is, however, the bottom line is true no matter what the agenda – this merger is bad for everyone except Ticketmaster and Live Master.
Anyone who has read this blog more than once knows about my open disliking of Ticketmaster, especially the ridiculous, borderline criminal, fees, s it’s no surprise that I’m all for promoting ticketdisaster.org. Personal feelings aside, let’s review some of the past wrongs that would only get worse with this merger.
Both Ticketmaster and Live Nation block other venues from getting access to major artists, which virtually guarantees that all the major acts will have to go through them to set up concerts and sell tickets. The fees they charge would make a loan shark blush and the way they try to hide them is just wrong. Convenience fees, facility fees, printing fees, parking fees…they fee you to death! The average fan pays $28 in fees per ticket by the time it’s all over!
And just who is getting those plush floor seats? I’ve purchased many a ticket for a concert and I’ve almost never ended up on the floor. And I’m logged in the second tickets go on sale. And yet, there are always a plethora of great seats available on the secondary market for an astronomical price. One of those secondary markets is even owned by Ticketmaster. How is this possible for a fair trade business?
Ticketdisaster.org would like to block the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation and create more competition in the marketplace. This is a step in the right direction, but we’d still be a long way from getting a fair service to buy concert tickets.
Personally, I’d love to see the government step in and regulate the heck out of Ticketmaster, but I know they have bigger issues to concern themselves with (like the economy). Something needs to be done. This monopoly has choked us long enough.
What do you think? Are you for the merger? Against it? Do you just roll over and take the abuse, paying whatever fees you have to? Or, have you found yourself attending more club shows, visiting venues not controlled by Ticketmaster, and even not attending specific concerts, opting for the DVD instead?
Comments are open. I want to hear your thoughts on this one!
For more information visit http://ticketdisaster.org/
Anyone who has read this blog more than once knows about my open disliking of Ticketmaster, especially the ridiculous, borderline criminal, fees, s it’s no surprise that I’m all for promoting ticketdisaster.org. Personal feelings aside, let’s review some of the past wrongs that would only get worse with this merger.
Both Ticketmaster and Live Nation block other venues from getting access to major artists, which virtually guarantees that all the major acts will have to go through them to set up concerts and sell tickets. The fees they charge would make a loan shark blush and the way they try to hide them is just wrong. Convenience fees, facility fees, printing fees, parking fees…they fee you to death! The average fan pays $28 in fees per ticket by the time it’s all over!
And just who is getting those plush floor seats? I’ve purchased many a ticket for a concert and I’ve almost never ended up on the floor. And I’m logged in the second tickets go on sale. And yet, there are always a plethora of great seats available on the secondary market for an astronomical price. One of those secondary markets is even owned by Ticketmaster. How is this possible for a fair trade business?
Ticketdisaster.org would like to block the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation and create more competition in the marketplace. This is a step in the right direction, but we’d still be a long way from getting a fair service to buy concert tickets.
Personally, I’d love to see the government step in and regulate the heck out of Ticketmaster, but I know they have bigger issues to concern themselves with (like the economy). Something needs to be done. This monopoly has choked us long enough.
What do you think? Are you for the merger? Against it? Do you just roll over and take the abuse, paying whatever fees you have to? Or, have you found yourself attending more club shows, visiting venues not controlled by Ticketmaster, and even not attending specific concerts, opting for the DVD instead?
Comments are open. I want to hear your thoughts on this one!
For more information visit http://ticketdisaster.org/
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