Ticketmaster Wants to be Boss
Don’t you love the way big companies get to make “settlements” when they’re caught doing something crooked, without having to admit any wrongdoing? Must be nice. Today Ticketmaster made such a settlement with the attorney general of New Jersey over the company’s bald-faced effort to redirect people trying to buy Bruce Springsteen tickets to Ticketmaster’s secondary site which charges much higher prices, even though regular priced seats were still available. I’m sorry, that was a confusing explanation, wasn’t it? Let me try again: Ticketmaster was acting as an internet scalper. 22-hundred Springsteen fans complained to the attorney general’s office..
Hence the quick settlement. For a company that admits no wrongdoing, it was very nice of Ticketmaster to pay New Jersey $350,000, just, I guess, for the hell of it. Some of that will go to the people who bought the higher priced tickets (it’s not an insignificant difference; face-value, the Springsteen tickets Ticketmaster was supposed to be selling were $65 or $95 dollars; on the secondary site, TicketsNow, the prices were between $200 and $5000 dollars). Ticketmaster blamed the whole fiasco on a software glitch. Right.
As you’ve probably heard, Springsteen himself led the charge against what Ticketmaster was doing, with a statement on his website:
“We perceive this as a pure conflict of interest. Ticketmaster is there to ensure that we have a good, fair sale of our tickets at their face value plus normal ticketing charges. TicketsNow is supposed to be a secondary site where people who already have tickets may exchange, trade, and, unfortunately, speculate with them. We have asked this redirection from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow cease and desist immediately and Ticketmaster has agreed to do so in the future and has removed its unwanted material from their and our site.”
(You can read the entire statement here).
What’s kind of funny is that Ticketmaster could not have picked a worse time to pull this stunt. Tomorrow, its proposed merger with concert promoting giant Live Nation goes before a congressional subcommittee looking into whether this would violate monopoly laws. You can tell which way Bruce is leaning:
“A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing,” Springsteen writes. “If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.”
Undoubtedly, the Springsteen “glitch” will have some representatives loaded for bear when the Ticketmaster executives start testifying. Well, they SHOULD be treated harshly, if for no other reason than this: Ticketmaster tried (it certainly appears) to put one over on, not just any fans, but Bruce Springsteen fans; and they did it with Springsteen fans not just in any state, but in NEW JERSEY! Springsteen. New Jersey. HELLO! If this is as good as Ticketmaster can think things through… well, some member of Congress, preferably one from New Jersey, should tell them something along the lines of, “I got your software glitch right here.”
Comments: 15
Yay for Jim Watkins and Bruce Springsteen!
You guys got our backs!
Thanks for explaining this story to us. I have to admit, when I first saw this story developing, I was confused. I thought, "Yes, I go to concerts all the time and yes I buy tickets from Ticketmaster all the time. But I wasn't clear on the depths of Ticketmaster's deception (even when I read about the Boss getting involved personally) until I read your very clear analysis.
I know you like Metallica. You a Bruce fan too?
Thanks for making it real to this Jersey girl.
Laurie from Jersey
Welcome to my world Jim. Too bad it took so long. Ticketmaster has been playing shell games on-line since I started using the service in 1995. I could'nt figure out how 85,000 tickets could sell out in 6 minutes(happened to me). Think about it, even if the servers and ticketmaster could handle that speed, that many people can't type in the info in that amount of time. Granted, that was before the measures taken to prevent auto-mated purchases, but it could never happen. I knew the authorities would never do anything since they ignore the scalping law anyway. once again thank God for Bruce and thanks for your time. sean in clifton
It's about time Ticket Master has been told to tone it down. This time they have gone to far by using the art of redirect for profits by ripping off is costumers.
It would be great if they could redirect to a coupon site that would be amazing and have a very viral effect on ticket buyers.
Way to go Jim and Bruce looking out for the little man.
well and good for bruce fans, but how about fleetwood mac tix. purchased from tickets now in december, wanted to to exchange for idoz in rutherford rather then nassau collesium. they told me no refund or exchange. ticket price was 149.50 on e tickets i received. rec'd a bill for 589.00. who do i contact for exchange/refund? maybe help me howard?
This is standard procedure for Ticketmaster! They repeatedly post sales that start at 10, but actually start the sale an hour earlier. I have complained to Ticketmaster and MLB on this: They did the exact same thing with World Baseball Classic tickets 4 years ago.
They also have stupid rules about purchasing tickets out of state. The website advertises that you can order and then pick up locally. It even tells you where the local pickup location is. BUT really 'local' is venue based and not customer based. If I buy tickets for shows on a trip to Vegas, I cannot pick them up in NY.
When will the artists and sports teams realize that Ticketmaster is more a liability than asset? When will there be an honest alternative?
The "boss" is very angry at what is happening with the ticket sales. Ticketmaster is a scam.
Something should be done about this company scalping their own tickets. It's ironic and almost comical, how they could get away with this. I would have boycotted the concert, even if I liked Springsteen. Sometimes, people pay ridiculous amounts of money to see a concert. I know, because, once bought a scalped ticket for my daughter, when she wanted to see Michael Jackson, and, then believe it or not, won tickets in a contest. One concert was at Madison Square Garden, and one was at the Meadowlands years ago......
and at different times.
I really want to see Elton John someday, but I would put a cap on what I would pay to go to his concert in any case.
LEE *Tina Turner is a must too, but again I would not spend a fortune.
the same thing happened to me when we went to purchase tickets at ticetmaster online for a britney spears concert. they said there were no more and then forwarded us to tickets now who sold them to us for double. is there any way to be refunded?
thanks
the same thing happened to me when we went to purchase tickets at ticetmaster online for a britney spears concert. they said there were no more and then forwarded us to tickets now who sold them to us for double. is there any way to be refunded?
thanks
the same thing happened to me when we went to purchase tickets at ticetmaster online for a britney spears concert. they said there were no more and then forwarded us to tickets now who sold them to us for double. is there any way to be refunded?
thanks
Hey jim, where is Sal Marciano????
I heard Sal was given the ax.
Nice job by Jim Watkins and Bruce Springsteen. Legalized scalping by Ticektmaster. I am pleased Ticket Master got a fine. This is borderline criminal activity.
How could they "AX" Sal Marciano. That's crap. No offense to Lolita, but she is so boring when doing SPORTS.
Hey JIM, DO a blog about Sports==Men.
The sports arena is getting borrrrrring. We had enough with the ARod drama. And who the heck is Sal Marciano - the sports guru - he got the ax? -
who cares
You can take the sports icons and throw them to the lions. I'll take home THEIR TAKE HOME PAY!