Do you think the high ticket prices are justified because they play quite long shows?

[ChristmasFnatic]

Bono vs Patrick Swayze!!!

[Bono]

 Yes I'm really embarrassed that I can actually afford to pay what I need to and go see GnR on a whim. Even though there is no need for me to share this, here ya go asshole.  Whata  real person paid and how it fucked you over........  I paid $1250 per ticket for GnR this weekend. I'll fly to LA this weekend and have a major kickass time while you bitch and moan like an idiot that guys like me are ruining things for you and others. After this show next week I'll fly to NYC for 5 days and do whatever the fuck I want which includes hitting up a Chris Rock show and Jake Bugg tickets to both shows bought of resale sites because they were sold out. Then I'll fly to Montana to see the Foo Fighters also purchased on a  resale site cause it was sold out. Then fly to Vegas and catch the Killers which again was sold out so I had to buy off resale sites. Then I'm gonna take 2 weeks off at home for Christmas before flying to Minneapolis for Soul Asylum. Then I'll fly home for 3 weeks before flying to Toronto for J Roddy Walston. Then I'll fly to Vancouver to see The White Buffalo. Those shows weren't sold out so I did the honorable thing and bought the tickets at face value. I've already flown to Vancouver to see U2 this year as well as to Denver to see Metallica and Vancouver again to see Poppy. I'm definitely not embarrassed to be able to afford to see who I want, when I want, where I want. Asking someone like me to not buy tickets as if I'm gonna make a single bit of fucking difference is asinine.  It sure as shit isn't my job to help regulate ticket prices for people like you and I'm definitely not going to participate in your concert boycott when I feel like going on a  trip to see a band. The only one butthurt here is you. You sound like a piece of work. 

As for not liking this tour I have never said such a thing. Good to see you just make shit up to support your weak ass point of view. I've criticized the set list and have bitched about no new material but that's it. I know they put on a  great show because wait for it.......... I have already flown to see this tour which I also paid resale prices because the show was sold out and I wanted to go and didn't give a flying fuck what righteous people like you think of it.

I see you also never answered my question about what to do if the shows are already sold out. It's because you have no answer and you're full of shit. You think the better option is to stay home. Well sorry about that. You stay home on your pedestal and I'll have a kickass time. 

[PatrickS77]

32 minutes ago, Bono said:

 Yes I'm really embarrassed that I can actually afford to pay what I need to and go see GnR on a whim. Even though there is no need for me to share this, here ya go asshole.  Whata  real person paid and how it fucked you over........  I paid $1250 per ticket for GnR this weekend. I'll fly to LA this weekend and have a major kickass time while you bitch and moan like an idiot that guys like me are ruining things for you and others. After this show next week I'll fly to NYC for 5 days and do whatever the fuck I want which includes hitting up a Chris Rock show and Jake Bugg tickets to both shows bought of resale sites because they were sold out. Then I'll fly to Montana to see the Foo Fighters also purchased on a  resale site cause it was sold out. Then fly to Vegas and catch the Killers which again was sold out so I had to buy off resale sites. Then I'm gonna take 2 weeks off at home for Christmas before flying to Minneapolis for Soul Asylum. Then I'll fly home for 3 weeks before flying to Toronto for J Roddy Walston. Then I'll fly to Vancouver to see The White Buffalo. Those shows weren't sold out so I did the honorable thing and bought the tickets at face value. I've already flown to Vancouver to see U2 this year as well as to Denver to see Metallica and Vancouver again to see Poppy. I'm definitely not embarrassed to be able to afford to see who I want, when I want, where I want. Asking someone like me to not buy tickets as if I'm gonna make a single bit of fucking difference is asinine.  It sure as shit isn't my job to help regulate ticket prices for people like you and I'm definitely not going to participate in your concert boycott when I feel like going on a  trip to see a band. The only one butthurt here is you. You sound like a piece of work. 

As for not liking this tour I have never said such a thing. Good to see you just make shit up to support your weak ass point of view. I've criticized the set list and have bitched about no new material but that's it. I know they put on a  great show because wait for it.......... I have already flown to see this tour which I also paid resale prices because the show was sold out and I wanted to go and didn't give a flying fuck what righteous people like you think of it.

I see you also never answered my question about what to do if the shows are already sold out. It's because you have no answer and you're full of shit. You think the better option is to stay home. Well sorry about that. You stay home on your pedestal and I'll have a kickass time. 

LOL Wow. Now you're really mad. Can't even think right and differentiate. Things are not just black and white. And way too much information. But good to see others are also flying a lot to see shows. I'm not the only one. Interesting to see that for one show you paid almost twice as much as I have paid for my 6 GNR shows next year. Never did I say that you (or people like you) should stay home. I just said they shouldn't just buy at any price. Usually the prices go down to a more realistic level, come show time and only as a last resort, when tickets are still in the fantasy range you've paid, staying home would be an option (or just going without ticket, as I did before several times. Many times tickets become available on the day of the show. Of course, if you're in a group that is is not a good option and there is some risk involved. But no risk, no fun. I scored second and front rows like this). But with paying prices like this, gladly and way in advance, you're part of the problem and at the same time bitching about the industry makes you look like a fool.

Sorry, for not remembering every word of your rants. I'm not exactly following you. I just remember when there is someone bitching and critisizing, there is usually a Bono pic attached to it. 

Regarding your question about a sold out show, I must have overlooked that. Well, when the show is sold out, because the demand is high, it is sold out either way. Not much the industry can do about it. There will always be sold out shows, when the demand is high (the GNR shows do not really qualify though, as there were almost always tickets available). Then obviously you have no other choice than to try to buy from somebody else. But you still don't need to pay every fantasy price.

[Natty]

1 hour ago, Bono said:

 Yes I'm really embarrassed that I can actually afford to pay what I need to and go see GnR on a whim. Even though there is no need for me to share this, here ya go asshole.  Whata  real person paid and how it fucked you over........  I paid $1250 per ticket for GnR this weekend. I'll fly to LA this weekend and have a major kickass time while you bitch and moan like an idiot that guys like me are ruining things for you and others. After this show next week I'll fly to NYC for 5 days and do whatever the fuck I want which includes hitting up a Chris Rock show and Jake Bugg tickets to both shows bought of resale sites because they were sold out. Then I'll fly to Montana to see the Foo Fighters also purchased on a  resale site cause it was sold out. Then fly to Vegas and catch the Killers which again was sold out so I had to buy off resale sites. Then I'm gonna take 2 weeks off at home for Christmas before flying to Minneapolis for Soul Asylum. Then I'll fly home for 3 weeks before flying to Toronto for J Roddy Walston. Then I'll fly to Vancouver to see The White Buffalo. Those shows weren't sold out so I did the honorable thing and bought the tickets at face value. I've already flown to Vancouver to see U2 this year as well as to Denver to see Metallica and Vancouver again to see Poppy. I'm definitely not embarrassed to be able to afford to see who I want, when I want, where I want. Asking someone like me to not buy tickets as if I'm gonna make a single bit of fucking difference is asinine.  It sure as shit isn't my job to help regulate ticket prices for people like you and I'm definitely not going to participate in your concert boycott when I feel like going on a  trip to see a band. The only one butthurt here is you. You sound like a piece of work. 

As for not liking this tour I have never said such a thing. Good to see you just make shit up to support your weak ass point of view. I've criticized the set list and have bitched about no new material but that's it. I know they put on a  great show because wait for it.......... I have already flown to see this tour which I also paid resale prices because the show was sold out and I wanted to go and didn't give a flying fuck what righteous people like you think of it.

I see you also never answered my question about what to do if the shows are already sold out. It's because you have no answer and you're full of shit. You think the better option is to stay home. Well sorry about that. You stay home on your pedestal and I'll have a kickass time. 

If you re interested in all the artists you named and especially GNR why aren’t you so smart to register on a homepage where they send you an alarm as soon as your favorite band announces a tour and ticket sales start???

or purchase a night rain membership at 50 usd and be on the safe side regarding tickets?

you will be able to find the time to book the tickets then at a normal price but if you are too lazy to get some ticket alarms then have fun paying the triple price for nearly every show you go.. 

 

[Bono]

2 hours ago, Natty said:

If you re interested in all the artists you named and especially GNR why aren’t you so smart to register on a homepage where they send you an alarm as soon as your favorite band announces a tour and ticket sales start???

or purchase a night rain membership at 50 usd and be on the safe side regarding tickets?

you will be able to find the time to book the tickets then at a normal price but if you are too lazy to get some ticket alarms then have fun paying the triple price for nearly every show you go.. 

 

Holy fuck the stupidity in your comment is endless.  You comment suggests I always know well in advance where and what shows I wanna go to. Here's a newsflash for you. I do have memberships and I have access to my favourite bands presales.  Guess some of you have never heard of just deciding to do a spontaneous trip. Also you clearly  have zero concept of where I live. I need to fly to every single show I wanna see, so 99.9% of the time I'm planning trips and just happen to catch bands who are playing in the area at the time. What a wild and strange concept right. Why the fuck would I pay a $50 membership for Nightrain when I have zero idea if and when and where I'll even go see GnR. I planned to go see them in LA LONG after the show had sold out but I wouldn't expect someone who would make such a  simple minded comment to comprehend such a thing. Like I said I'm not gonna be ashamed for being able to afford to go where I want, when I want. 

Go facepalm you stupid ass somewhere else. 

[Bono]

3 hours ago, PatrickS77 said:

LOL Wow. Now you're really mad. Can't even think right and differentiate. Things are not just black and white. And way too much information. But good to see others are also flying a lot to see shows. I'm not the only one. Interesting to see that for one show you paid almost twice as much as I have paid for my 6 GNR shows next year. Never did I say that you (or people like you) should stay home. I just said they shouldn't just buy at any price. Usually the prices go down to a more realistic level, come show time and only as a last resort, when tickets are still in the fantasy range you've paid, staying home would be an option (or just going without ticket, as I did before several times. Many times tickets become available on the day of the show. Of course, if you're in a group that is is not a good option and there is some risk involved. But no risk, no fun. I scored second and front rows like this). But with paying prices like this, gladly and way in advance, you're part of the problem and at the same time bitching about the industry makes you look like a fool.

Sorry, for not remembering every word of your rants. I'm not exactly following you. I just remember when there is someone bitching and critisizing, there is usually a Bono pic attached to it. 

Regarding your question about a sold out show, I must have overlooked that. Well, when the show is sold out, because the demand is high, it is sold out either way. Not much the industry can do about it. There will always be sold out shows, when the demand is high (the GNR shows do not really qualify though, as there were almost always tickets available). Then obviously you have no other choice than to try to buy from somebody else. But you still don't need to pay every fantasy price.

It's a fantasy price for you maybe. For me it's reality and not a big deal. Keep chirping. Clearly you're upset I can afford and not be bothered by prices that are fantasy to you. And like I said to Natty I need to fly to every fucking show I ever see so sorry if I'm not gonna follow your mantra of taking a risk and trying to get tickets day of the show at a lower cost.  If I've decided to go to LA to see GnR I'll get my tickets in advance before I book airfare and accommodations.  If it makes you so butt hurt I buy tickets I can afford after the shows have sold out and plan my trip accordingly than tough shit. Also I don't give a flying fuck what you paid for 6 GnR shows. I'll be seeing them in LA on a  Saturday night and that's good enough for me. Enjoy your 6 shows I couldn't care less dude.  Like you said it's not black and white and clearly you and I are in different positions when it comes to attending shows, how we get there and when we decide to purchase tickets. Still saying guys like me are part of the problem is such a fucking stupid thing to say. Yes a fan who WANTS to attend a show is part of the problem Piss off. 

[Russel Nash]

16 minutes ago, Bono said:

It's a fantasy price for you maybe. For me it's reality and not a big deal. Keep chirping. Clearly you're upset I can afford and not be bothered by prices that are fantasy to you. And like I said to Natty I need to fly to every fucking show I ever see so sorry if I'm not gonna follow your mantra of taking a risk and trying to get tickets day of the show at a lower cost.  If I've decided to go to LA to see GnR I'll get my tickets in advance before I book airfare and accommodations.  If it makes you so butt hurt I buy tickets I can afford after the shows have sold out and plan my trip accordingly than tough shit. Also I don't give a flying fuck what you paid for 6 GnR shows. I'll be seeing them in LA on a  Saturday night and that's good enough for me. Enjoy your 6 shows I couldn't care less dude.  Like you said it's not black and white and clearly you and I are in different positions when it comes to attending shows, how we get there and when we decide to purchase tickets. Still saying guys like me are part of the problem is such a fucking stupid thing to say. Yes a fan who WANTS to attend a show is part of the problem Piss off. 

The Eric Cartman routine is for fun or you are really like that all the time? Anyway, some of your comments are gold.

[Nikki_Sixx]

22 hours ago, Derick said:

NITL lost all credibility as a genuine GNR tour for you and for those who chose to hate it. And I'm sorry to inform you, the amount of people who say this kind of shitty is insignificant, I dare to say that it's restricted to a small portion of a small hardcore fans group.

Ok.  Thank you for that useless information.

[Natty]

2 hours ago, Bono said:

Holy fuck the stupidity in your comment is endless.  You comment suggests I always know well in advance where and what shows I wanna go to. Here's a newsflash for you. I do have memberships and I have access to my favourite bands presales.  Guess some of you have never heard of just deciding to do a spontaneous trip. Also you clearly  have zero concept of where I live. I need to fly to every single show I wanna see, so 99.9% of the time I'm planning trips and just happen to catch bands who are playing in the area at the time. What a wild and strange concept right. Why the fuck would I pay a $50 membership for Nightrain when I have zero idea if and when and where I'll even go see GnR. I planned to go see them in LA LONG after the show had sold out but I wouldn't expect someone who would make such a  simple minded comment to comprehend such a thing. Like I said I'm not gonna be ashamed for being able to afford to go where I want, when I want. 

Go facepalm you stupid ass somewhere else. 

thx for all the bad words and insults by the way.

so you are on a gnr forum , have your ticket alarm but dont know if you want to see them. wow...that concept is really strange.

so you basically decide spontaneausly if you want to go to a concert or not? well if its related to your job then I understand . any other explanation is not understandable because the total cost (ticket plus flight) will only increase as time leaves by..so why should you want to waste your money? 

how can anyone know where you live and that you have to fly to all the shows? but buying a ticket at 250 usd instead of 1200 usd would reduce your costs and as a frequent flyer you should know which cities/flights from your home are often bargain flights.. 

I do know and organise my tix and make travel choices in time. it s not a matter of "I can or cannot afford" but a matter of using your money in an intelligent way or not.

I m working in financing institution you superhero 

 

[PatrickS77]

3 hours ago, Bono said:

It's a fantasy price for you maybe. For me it's reality and not a big deal. Keep chirping. Clearly you're upset I can afford and not be bothered by prices that are fantasy to you. And like I said to Natty I need to fly to every fucking show I ever see so sorry if I'm not gonna follow your mantra of taking a risk and trying to get tickets day of the show at a lower cost.  If I've decided to go to LA to see GnR I'll get my tickets in advance before I book airfare and accommodations.  If it makes you so butt hurt I buy tickets I can afford after the shows have sold out and plan my trip accordingly than tough shit. Also I don't give a flying fuck what you paid for 6 GnR shows. I'll be seeing them in LA on a  Saturday night and that's good enough for me. Enjoy your 6 shows I couldn't care less dude.  Like you said it's not black and white and clearly you and I are in different positions when it comes to attending shows, how we get there and when we decide to purchase tickets. Still saying guys like me are part of the problem is such a fucking stupid thing to say. Yes a fan who WANTS to attend a show is part of the problem Piss off. 

Well then. Continue to flush your, I guess, hard earned money down the toilet. I don't care. But since it's not a big deal to you, quit your blaming the industry and scalpers. They only take what the market is offering them. And you are supporting them. So you are the problem. No amount of denying and getting angry will change that fact. I will continue to enjoy my shows on a fraction of what fools like you pay though.

[dontdamnmeuyi2015]

Most concerts today are over $100 dollars plus shipping and that convenience charge.  It's just the overhead is high for everywhere especially if GNR and other bands play sports venues.

Cowboy Stadium is brand new with a roof now and parking is $60 or more and the prices of food is so damn high too. Smaller places still charge $15 for parking and a bottle of water is $5. It's crazy but that's the way most places are today.

I paid $250 per ticket the last time GNR played Cowboy Stadium in Arlington. Tickets are expensive for bigger bands these days.

[Derick]

3 hours ago, Nikki_Sixx said:

Ok.  Thank you for that useless information.

You're welcome. But I would tell you to keep this information with you..With all respect, It can be useful and prevent you from being ashamed. 

[rockphantom]

Very entertaining thread with some hilarious responses! I could imagine Eric Cartman repeatedly saying  "Respect mah authority!" while reading through the thread. Kudos to all involved for the comedic relief!

[Tonto]

On 21/11/2017 at 5:55 PM, BangoSkank said:

Standard or not, market value or not, it's detestable and wrong. 

If bands want to have VIP tickets that include buffets, lanyards, meet & greets, and floor seats that cost $750, I guess go for it, but frankly I think the concert would be better with true fans up front and not necessarily high rollers (who tend to not want to "get into" the music).

I honestly don't think a ticket should cost over $100 at face value ($120 with fees). $100 for floor and lower level seats, $75 second tier, $50 for nosebleeds. That seems fair, the band will make money, and virtually all fans can and will go.

When I see the price ranges on some of these bands I just get sad. GNR performed at six area shows last month and I skipped all of them because the prices were just unthinkable. They're one of my all-time favorites, Axl & Slash reunited, this is a historic moment in rock and roll history with them back together, and I just couldn't afford to go and I make okay money. If they'd been more reasonable, likely I would have been at all of them. Hell, they played TWAT which is a song I've been dying to hear live for years (let alone with freaking Slash) and I'm not even bothered by it because I know I had no shot at going given how pricey it was.

Imagine if you're a working class guy who wants to take his wife and two kids to see the legendary Guns N' Roses and you want to sit somewhere decent (like the middle of the arena). Four tickets with prices, fees, and everything else would be over $1,000 for just the tickets. 

I get bands have to make money and record sales are nonexistent, but Jesus, isn't there a middle ground?

Not to be an asshole, but you would have gone to all 6 shows if they were cheaper?? How cheap do you expect those 6 shows to be? Clearly cheaper than a ticket to ONE show that you didn't pay for because it was too expensive? Don't get the logic, sorry. 

It's not cheap, I know, I saw them in Peru and it cost me a lot of money, but it was worth it to me. It's a big event, like you said it's an "historic moment in rock and roll history", sorry you missed it. Really.

Edited November 24, 2017 by Tonto

[Nikki_Sixx]

16 hours ago, Derick said:

You're welcome. But I would tell you to keep this information with you..With all respect, It can be useful and prevent you from being ashamed. 

Don't worry, there's no shame in speaking my mind.  Especially when I'm just stating facts.  Thanks anyway for your continued concern.

[BangoSkank]

12 hours ago, Tonto said:

Not to be an asshole, but you would have gone to all 6 shows if they were cheaper?? How cheap do you expect those 6 shows to be? Clearly cheaper than a ticket to ONE show that you didn't pay for because it was too expensive? Don't get the logic, sorry. 

It's not cheap, I know, I saw them in Peru and it cost me a lot of money, but it was worth it to me. It's a big event, like you said it's an "historic moment in rock and roll history", sorry you missed it. Really.

Oh I've gone to several. I saw both MetLife shows last year (in the nosebleeds) and only made it to the second because we watched prices drop low the day of on StubHub and grabbed two more crappy seats for $86. I was also lucky enough to get into the Apollo for free which I did by running the drop line outside all day. But in advance I had made up my mind to not go to the MSG shows before then - just too much damn money.

And while maybe I wouldn't have been at 6 area shows, I probably would have been at most. The shows were spaced out among a pay period and if they were $100 for good seats, $75 for medicore, and $50 for nosebleeds, I could have spread it out and made it to a lot of them and I likely would have even gone for the $100 option because I can't help myself. So yeah, in a weird way, they would have probably gotten more money out of me if they were cheaper - instead they turned me off with what they wanted up front. I can justify going to four shows for $400, but not one show for $400. That only wreaks of cash-grab to me. 

My bigger point is that this is not just limited to GNR. U2, another of my favorite bands, was $790 for two lower level seats. This will be U2's third tour in as many years, they did a whole stadium run in 2017. They are one of the best live acts around, but they are not a specialty group, this is not a historic reunion tour, and they've released new material pretty regularly and yet they are priced virtually the same as GNR's big run. I spoke to a coworker about this yesterday and she said Adele, Beyonce, & Taylor Swift had similar price ranges. I don't follow any of them, but I believe it. Another guy who quoted my post said that his friend brought his wife and kids to see Bon Jovi and that they were priced higher than GNR's are. If you can and want to spend that money on Bon Jovi, that's your prerogative, the guy evidently did not complain during the show, nor should he (better to just enjoy it once you're there), but outside of probably putting on a good show, what commands a Bon Jovi concert to be priced at that level? And imagine spending that much money and getting a 2 hour show or even less, as some performers often do. 

I'm not whining, believe me, I'm grateful this is even happening. It's more the principle of the matter that concert prices in general are absurd. Yes, this is a special occasion, it's a big, elaborate show that they have to make money on, yes, album sales and radio play are dead, but $300 mid-range seats are way too expensive for one show. Just because they can charge it doesn't necessarily mean they should. It's like at rest stops in America, they charge exorbitant prices for food because they can and there are no other options (yes, a lot of that demands on who the supplier is, but I think you see what I'm getting at). This tour is the same way, incredibly high demand, people of course want to see Axl & Slash (and even Duff) together, so they're charging and paying a lot of money. It's all working well according to the market, but it just comes off badly in the broad scheme of things. 

It's getting harder and harder to justify spending this and I do feel bad for the guy who wants to make his family to see GNR only once and sit somewhere modest, he may not have $1000 to casually spend on a night out on just tickets and may have to miss Axl & Slash's reunion because of it. It's a shame. 

I encourage everyone to see this tour. It's a killer set, the band is on fire, and even if it cost a million/ticket it would still be great just to see them together again. But I am a mindless, massive, Axl nutter and GNR fan, I stuck with them through the graveyard years of 2002-2006, championed CD when it came out, justified Axl coming on at 11:15pm despite getting there at 6:20 to be in the GA line, and saw them repeatedly on the moderately-successful CD tours that followed, and if this is pissing me off, that's saying something. 

Edited November 24, 2017 by BangoSkank
Used wrong word

[Ratam]

1 hour ago, tremolo said:

The reason ticket prices are so expensive is because there is a monopoly between Ticketmaster (the ones selling the tickets) and LiveNation (the ones who own the rights to pretty much all the big venues in North America). Both companies merged a few years ago. That means that if a big band wants to tour and play stadiums or arenas (even theatres), they have to deal with LN, and that means they have to also do their business with TM.

TM artificially brings the ticket prices up. How does that happen?

- Let’s say GNR are playing a big venue in NY. The venue capacity for the show is 50,000 people.

- When the tickets go on sale, TM doesn’t release all of them, just a small portion. If there is enough demand, those tickets will sell quickly, and if you don’t act fast, they will be gone. There are still a lot of seats available, but they don’t show on their website. So, instead of risking missing the show, people go to StubHub (which is promoted on the TicketMaster website). TM pretty much tells you “boo-hoo all tickets are gone! But don’t panic, click here to go to SH where you might find tickets available” before warning you that it is a resale site, therefore tickets might be above face value. Funny thing is that TM and SH are one and the same. TM owns SH. The business model is pretty clear: they divert tickets to that SCALPER website so you pay more for your tickets.

- If tickets are not selling as quickly as projected, they will release another batch of tickets through TM. That’s why if you go to TM a few weeks after it shows there are no available tickets, you might be in for a surprise. And they do this bullshit all the way to the very same day of the show.

- They have been doing this for years, easily a decade, before TM and LN merged. They exploited that scalping system to drive ticket prices up, and it worked wonders for them, because they realized that people are willing to pay (much) more for a hot show they don’t wanna miss.

- the way it used to be before the merger: same scheme, but the prices listed on those limited tickets on TM were more fair, just at a regular price you would expect for the show you wanted to attend. But since people decided to go to SH, so they wouldn’t miss the show, and payed those inflated prices, the scumbags at TM learned their lesson and started using those inflated SH prices as their standard price through TM.

 

They are artificially driving the prices up. This is not simply a “supply and demand” thing, because they control and limit the supply to make more money out of all us. It is a legalized SCAM.

 

The big problem is that LN owns the rights to most big venues in North America (and even in South America. Not sure if it is the same in Europe), so unless the band decides to play small venues that are not run by LN, we are all screwed.

Now, in the specific case of NITL, on top of that dirty scheme, you have to add the fact that allegedly GNR are getting paid what... $2M per show? Guess where that money is coming from.

 

We have only ONE company controlling the live entertainment market (concerts, stand-up comedy, sports events, theatre, opera, musicals, etc). But it’s not just the problem of a monopoly. On top of that they maliciously manipulate the market to artificially bring the prices up using a scheme that pretty much FORCED fans to pay more and that way set a much higher standard price for shows that would otherwise be much more affordable.

 

It’s absolute total 100% bullshit.

You has very good explicative, a shame 😠

[PatrickS77]

11 hours ago, tremolo said:

The reason ticket prices are so expensive is because there is a monopoly between Ticketmaster (the ones selling the tickets) and LiveNation (the ones who own the rights to pretty much all the big venues in North America). Both companies merged a few years ago. That means that if a big band wants to tour and play stadiums or arenas (even theatres), they have to deal with LN, and that means they have to also do their business with TM.

TM artificially brings the ticket prices up. How does that happen?

- Let’s say GNR are playing a big venue in NY. The venue capacity for the show is 50,000 people.

- When the tickets go on sale, TM doesn’t release all of them, just a small portion. If there is enough demand, those tickets will sell quickly, and if you don’t act fast, they will be gone. There are still a lot of seats available, but they don’t show on their website. So, instead of risking missing the show, people go to StubHub (which is promoted on the TicketMaster website). TM pretty much tells you “boo-hoo all tickets are gone! But don’t panic, click here to go to SH where you might find tickets available” before warning you that it is a resale site, therefore tickets might be above face value. Funny thing is that TM and SH are one and the same. TM owns SH. The business model is pretty clear: they divert tickets to that SCALPER website so you pay more for your tickets.

- If tickets are not selling as quickly as projected, they will release another batch of tickets through TM. That’s why if you go to TM a few weeks after it shows there are no available tickets, you might be in for a surprise. And they do this bullshit all the way to the very same day of the show.

- They have been doing this for years, easily a decade, before TM and LN merged. They exploited that scalping system to drive ticket prices up, and it worked wonders for them, because they realized that people are willing to pay (much) more for a hot show they don’t wanna miss.

- the way it used to be before the merger: same scheme, but the prices listed on those limited tickets on TM were more fair, just at a regular price you would expect for the show you wanted to attend. But since people decided to go to SH, so they wouldn’t miss the show, and payed those inflated prices, the scumbags at TM learned their lesson and started using those inflated SH prices as their standard price through TM.

 

They are artificially driving the prices up. This is not simply a “supply and demand” thing, because they control and limit the supply to make more money out of all us. It is a legalized SCAM.

 

The big problem is that LN owns the rights to most big venues in North America (and even in South America. Not sure if it is the same in Europe), so unless the band decides to play small venues that are not run by LN, we are all screwed.

Now, in the specific case of NITL, on top of that dirty scheme, you have to add the fact that allegedly GNR are getting paid what... $2M per show? Guess where that money is coming from.

 

We have only ONE company controlling the live entertainment market (concerts, stand-up comedy, sports events, theatre, opera, musicals, etc). But it’s not just the problem of a monopoly. On top of that they maliciously manipulate the market to artificially bring the prices up using a scheme that pretty much FORCED fans to pay more and that way set a much higher standard price for shows that would otherwise be much more affordable.

 

It’s absolute total 100% bullshit.

Well. This is a good overview, but not entirely true. There isn't only one company. There is Live Nation, but there is also AEG, who probably owns the other half of major venues, like the Staples Center and the forum in L.A. and the O2 in London. So it's a duopoly.  Also Stubhub has nothing to do with Ticketmaster. Stubhub is owned by Ebay. Ticketmaster does have their own third party reseller site/sell those tickets on Ticketmaster.

[Evil Doer]

i took a friend (a casual fan) to the 2nd msg show.  our seats were lower level behind the soundboard, 180$ each.  he thought it was worth every penny.  he couldn't believe how long the band played and how good they sounded.  i've gone to 3 shows since last summer and each show was worth what i paid......to me.

[Derick]

Well since we´re talkin´about TM,LN and AEG...What happened in 2010 that the band was unable to tour in the US? Does it have anything to do with this monopoly? Anything to do with that Irving Azoff problem? At that time AEG already existed? To this ticket thing, is there only TM?

[RNRS]

No. Longer movies don't cost more either. Or longer plays.

[BangoSkank]

On 11/26/2017 at 7:52 AM, tremolo said:

The reason ticket prices are so expensive is because there is a monopoly between Ticketmaster (the ones selling the tickets) and LiveNation (the ones who own the rights to pretty much all the big venues in North America). Both companies merged a few years ago. That means that if a big band wants to tour and play stadiums or arenas (even theatres), they have to deal with LN, and that means they have to also do their business with TM.

TM artificially brings the ticket prices up. How does that happen?

- Let’s say GNR are playing a big venue in NY. The venue capacity for the show is 50,000 people.

- When the tickets go on sale, TM doesn’t release all of them, just a small portion. If there is enough demand, those tickets will sell quickly, and if you don’t act fast, they will be gone. There are still a lot of seats available, but they don’t show on their website. So, instead of risking missing the show, people go to StubHub (which is promoted on the TicketMaster website). TM pretty much tells you “boo-hoo all tickets are gone! But don’t panic, click here to go to SH where you might find tickets available” before warning you that it is a resale site, therefore tickets might be above face value. Funny thing is that TM and SH are one and the same. TM owns SH. The business model is pretty clear: they divert tickets to that SCALPER website so you pay more for your tickets.

- If tickets are not selling as quickly as projected, they will release another batch of tickets through TM. That’s why if you go to TM a few weeks after it shows there are no available tickets, you might be in for a surprise. And they do this bullshit all the way to the very same day of the show.

- They have been doing this for years, easily a decade, before TM and LN merged. They exploited that scalping system to drive ticket prices up, and it worked wonders for them, because they realized that people are willing to pay (much) more for a hot show they don’t wanna miss.

- the way it used to be before the merger: same scheme, but the prices listed on those limited tickets on TM were more fair, just at a regular price you would expect for the show you wanted to attend. But since people decided to go to SH, so they wouldn’t miss the show, and payed those inflated prices, the scumbags at TM learned their lesson and started using those inflated SH prices as their standard price through TM.

 

They are artificially driving the prices up. This is not simply a “supply and demand” thing, because they control and limit the supply to make more money out of all us. It is a legalized SCAM.

 

The big problem is that LN owns the rights to most big venues in North America (and even in South America. Not sure if it is the same in Europe), so unless the band decides to play small venues that are not run by LN, we are all screwed.

Now, in the specific case of NITL, on top of that dirty scheme, you have to add the fact that allegedly GNR are getting paid what... $2M per show? Guess where that money is coming from.

 

We have only ONE company controlling the live entertainment market (concerts, stand-up comedy, sports events, theatre, opera, musicals, etc). But it’s not just the problem of a monopoly. On top of that they maliciously manipulate the market to artificially bring the prices up using a scheme that pretty much FORCED fans to pay more and that way set a much higher standard price for shows that would otherwise be much more affordable.

 

It’s absolute total 100% bullshit.

Although a few of these details are off (apparently SH is owned by Ebay, etc.), this is a great post. The entire ticket system is dripping with bullshit.