danthemjfan23 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 just got this e-mail from my Metro (chicago) subscription. CONCERT FANS BEWARE There's a train wreck about to happen and consumer groups say YOU will be the victim - if the two most powerful corporate interests in the live concert business get their way. But you can help stop the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The government needs to hear from music fans now. Tell the Department of Justice that you're against these monopolies amassing illegal power over consumers, before it's too late. As a concertgoer you have already felt the pain, and if Ticketmaster and Live Nation get their way, it'll get worse. In the last 12 years, since Live Nation and its predecessor started its widespread take over of the concert industry, concert tickets have shot up 82% while the consumer price index has gone up just 17%*. We are concerned that if the two concert industry behemoths, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, were permitted to merge, the variety and quality of artists coming to local venues would be affected, and your prices could rise further and faster. Five of the nation's most prominent public interest groups called on the Department of Justice to block the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. In the consumer groups' and lawmakers' words: "Consumers deserve a fair deal in the entertainment marketplace, not the fewer choices and higher prices that would result from this merger," said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America. "This merger is an insult to both musicians and consumers," said James Love, Director of Knowledge Ecology International. "We cannot envision a remedy that would ease this chilling impediment to competition... In the absence of other effective, expeditious remedies, the proposed transaction should be prohibited." American Antitrust Institute White Paper As described by Senator Herb Kohl (WI) in the Senate Antitrust hearing, "This merger will not only expand Ticketmaster's control of the ticketing market by eliminating a competitor, but it is also creating an entity that will control the entire chain of the concert business - from artist management to concert promotion and production to ticketing and ticket resale." "This merger would be a disaster for consumers. Nothing short of blocking this takeover of the ticket market by two industry behemoths will be acceptable," said National Consumers League Executive Director Sally Greenberg. "As president, I will direct my administration to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement. I will step up review of merger activity and take effective action to stop or restructure those mergers that are likely to harm consumer welfare...," said Senator Barak Obama when he was campaigning for the presidency. If you agree with the consumer groups and lawmakers, make a difference and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NOW. If you are tired of paying exorbitant ticket prices and service charges and paying for parking on a per head basis and dealing with the gouging, unregulated secondary ticket market in an effort to get good seating. If you are disgusted with paying more and more every year for the live concert experience THAN ACT NOW, CLICK ON THE LINK IMMEDIATELY BELOW AND SEND A MESSAGE TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE URGING THEM TO STOP THIS MERGER! To email your concerns click below: [email protected] To learn more click below: www.ticketdisaster.org Signed, Metro / Smart Bar and The 9:30 Club, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Jam Productions, Metropolitan Talent, Another Planet, Frank Productions, Stone City Attractions, Rams Head Live, The Black Cat ...... and independent concert promoters and venue operators nationwide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravitylovesdrunks Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 7" split between live nation and ticketmaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchrudder Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Sadly, this doesn't surprise me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 the Metro is very late to this party, their plan to merge was announed almost a year ago and has already taken effect in Turkey and Norway. i think the UK recently approved the merger too. but how this is not a monopoly is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan999 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Yea, I thought this already happened. These two companies whether joint or separate will do the same damage/business. Venues just need to sell their tickets on their own site through Paypal or smaller "will call" ticket agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcamps Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 sucks so bad, fuck their fees, bullshit, venue control, and making me bike all the way up to the commons for box office tickets everytime i want to see a show at the house of blues (which is a three minute bike ride away from my doorstep) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I had to pay a 40% "fee" of the total ticket fee to see Brand New through live nation. It was ridiculous. I hate sites like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayeffscene Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanukichu Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 ^ I love the Boss even more for calling them out on their shit. I'm so glad that I got R5 Productions. They dropped TicketWeb now and now sell their tickets through an independent vendor. I'm fairly certain the Trocadero's working on doing this as well. Hopefully venues will wise up and start taking matters into their own hands. You got to think that Ticketmaster/Live Nation is taking money out of the venues' pockets as well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
controlthebleeding Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 i rarely ever go to shows that promote through both of these companies, so it doesn't effect me. but it does suck for everyone else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar71888 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 i normally just buy tickets at the venue, or nearby record store. i dont know how much of that goes to TM/LN since all that dumbass charges aren't added though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmythescumbag Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 i normally just buy tickets at the venue, or nearby record store. i dont know how much of that goes to TM/LN since all that dumbass charges aren't added though. This. Besides, I only attend a few shows a year, tops, that require a TM/LN ticket. Edit: Yeah, I would think that, in this day and age, a venue could DIY their own tickets and have it work pretty damn well. I could be wrong though. One thing's for sure, Eddie Vedder is pissed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamlikesmusic Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 ^ I love the Boss even more for calling them out on their shit.I'm so glad that I got R5 Productions. They dropped TicketWeb now and now sell their tickets through an independent vendor. I'm fairly certain the Trocadero's working on doing this as well. Hopefully venues will wise up and start taking matters into their own hands. You got to think that Ticketmaster/Live Nation is taking money out of the venues' pockets as well too. TicketWeb isn't too badly priced, at least for shows around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayeffscene Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Adam: there's a 'Where's Waldo' game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
destroyingthescene Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Their surcharges at over 30% of the ticket cost are making me skip AFI, but I think they're probably doing me a favour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamlikesmusic Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Adam: there's a 'Where's Waldo' game? It's a computer game, but yeah. "Games for Windows Live", so it links up with your gamertag. It's pretty "eh". Kind of fun, but not really worth the $7.50. (And that was the sale price - regularly $15) Oh, and for relevancy, Ticketmaster isn't very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quinncallahan Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 yeah, the great part is with stubhub and craigslist everyone thinks they are a scalper so if you go to shows or surf craigslist afternoon of the show you can normally get tickets for less than face let alone paying these silly fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adammuzzy Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 the other day i was looking at tickets online for a show, and they had like 20 dollars worth of fee bullshit (almost 40% of the ticket price) so i took a car into springfield to buy them at a store, and they had all the fees there too. so lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selfreliable Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Last time I paid any surcharge on a ticket was at a show at the Paladium, I believe it was Reggie and The Full Effect, My Chemical Romance, and someone else. The show was 18 dollars, the ticket master charges were 16. That was before MCRs second cd came out. Since then I have avoided TM like the fucking plague. Unfourtunatly there is no stopping them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan999 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 TicketWeb isn't too badly priced, at least for shows around here. TicketWeb is owned by TicketMaster, so unfortunately its not a better solution. They are a little cheaper though, but I've paid $6 in fees on top of a $10 ticket through them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 When Pinhead Gunpowder played at the Troubadour last year the face value of the ticket was $5. The only way to get tickets was online through Ticketmaster. Total value for ONE ticket when it was all said and done: $12. No bullshit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonix Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 bought trio tickets yesterday through E-ticket.. 25$ a peice and ended up paying 60 total for the pair, not bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.