Here’s a great mini-scam inside the big scam:
I buy a ticket as a gift to my wife. Only the ticket holder can use the ticket. So I transfer the ticket (several hundred dollars) to my wife’s account.
The concert is canceled.
They call it “delayed,” although that was over a year ago. I can’t apply for a refund because I am no longer the ticket holder. She cannot apply for a refund because they can only refund it back to the original purchaser. Transfer is locked on delayed shows.
“Robbing them blind” is right.
Fraud dispute with CC company?
If this ever happens to you, it’s important to dispute the charge immediately.
I started fighting it probably 6-8 months ago. At that time, it was outside the window that it could be disputed. Check with your credit card. It usually has to be disputed in 30-60 days. Given that it was purchased well in advance of the show and we waited to see if it would be rescheduled, it was outside the window.
Yep, go to war.
Yeah we all know this, but there’s almost no way around it
Boycott. If people stop buying, other options will appear and the monopoly will have to compete for a change to prevent their own collapse.
In the meantime people will have to settle with listening to their favorite artists from their homes and vehicles.
I hardly go to concerts any more. I know that’s not a choice everyone is willing to make but when I went to see Cosby, Stills & Nash it was under $100 for tickets. Neil Young with Crazy Horse back around '80 was probably I think sound $40-50. TSO was like $120 just a few years ago. I’m not fucking paying $1500 a seat to take my daughter to Taylor Swift.
But… I could go see Krewella in Charlotte, NC for $31. Tickets through speakeasy, not live nation. Are they fucking epic? Maybe not, but they have a platinum album and I love their music.
$23.12 today.
I’m not sure that a college show is representative, though. Artists will discount their fees for students, and whichever group putting on the show and paying the artist is funded by the college. They don’t have expenses.
Heh, reminds me of the lyrics from an old Cooper song about over-indulging while touring, From the Inside.
[Verse 2]
You’ve got your kicks from what you saw up there
Eight bucks even buys a folding chair
When I saw him in the eighties it was a bit more than eight bucks, but it was worth it. There’s no way I’d pay current ticket prices to see anyone. I have a much better time going to see small bands playing local bars.
Never have I been more glad that I mostly follow Japanese bands nowadays and live close enough to Japan that I can drop by for concerts at reasonable prices. Ticketmaster has completely fucked up the pricing where I live. Fuck Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
I don’t follow Japanese bands, but I find smaller artists, smaller venues, is a great way to avoid TM/LN. It’s also a great way to see a better show, bigger venues just suck, the crowds suck, the logistics suck, I suck, everyone and everything sucks.
It’s very easy to never attend a LiveNation event in your life.
Yes there is stay at home
Luckily, I’m old, and I’m not even remotely interested in the acts that appear at the big arena. I wouldn’t pay $10 for most of them, I’m certainly not paying 10x or more.
Instead, I’ve been seeing shows in the little cabaret space at the high-end venue for Broadway shows, classical concerts, ballet, etc. I’ve been seeing super cool jazz shows, and interesting musicians from all sorts of genres, some of which don’t even really have a genre. That’s my sort of music anyway, No more than about 75 people, I can sit within feet of the stage and performers, and tix are usually less than $50. And you can usually meet the artists at the merch table. I’d rather spend the Live Nation profit on CDs and TShirts.
I bought my first Ticketmaster tickets ever recently and was shocked at the price. First and probably last time ever doing this.
