The Boss is steamed

[col_tom]

http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2009/02/the_boss_is_hot.php

Mark Lacter

A ticket glitch over the weekend has Bruce Springsteen up in arms - so much so that he's blasting Ticketmaster in a letter posted on his Web site. Apparently, fans wanting to purchase tickets on the primary Ticketmaster site were redirected to the company's secondary site called TicketsNow, which generally sells tickets at above face value (especially for popular artists). New Jersey’s Division of Consumer Affairs is looking into the matter, which Ticketmaster says was just an innocent mix-up. From his letter, posted on the Rolling Stone Web site:

There are rumors that some artists or managers participate in Ticketmaster charges–we do not. There are rumors that some artists or managers are receiving a percentage of the amount above face value at secondary outlets like TicketsNow–we do not. Some artists or managers may not perceive there to be a conflict between having the distributor of their tickets in effect “scalping” those same tickets through a secondary company like TicketsNow–we do.

All this comes as Ticketmaster and Live Nation, both based locally, are reportedly nearing a merger agreement. Springsteen is none too pleased with that development either.

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. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

Between all the antitrust concerns and an immediate outcry among fans, don't assume that this deal will go through.

:rolleyes:

[col_tom]

An Open Letter of Apology to Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire
Springsteen Tour Team:

While we were genuinely trying to do the right thing for fans in providing more
choices when the tickets they requested from the primary on-sale were not available, we clearly missed the mark. Fans are confused and angry, which is the opposite of what we hoped to accomplish. We sincerely apologize to Bruce, his organization and, above all, his fans.

We recognize that we need to change our course. We have committed to Bruce and state publicly here that we have taken down all links for Bruce's shows directing fans from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow. This redirection only occurred as a choice when we could not satisfy fans' specific search request for primary ticket inventory, but to make sure there is no misunderstanding in the future, we also publicly state that we will never again link to TicketsNow in a manner that can possibly create any confusion during a high-demand on-sale. Specifically, we will not present an option to go to TicketsNow from Ticketmaster without the consent of the artist and the venue, both of whom work together to bring the joy of live entertainment to millions of fans.

If any fans inadvertently purchased tickets in the resale marketplace believing in error they were purchasing from the initial on-sale, we will refund the difference between the actual purchase price and the face price of the ticket. (Please don't abuse this good faith gesture, we did not give brokers any preferential access to tickets.)

We are committed to helping deliver the most transparent and best live entertainment experience to fans. We will do better going forward.

Sincerely,

Irving Azoff, CEO, Ticketmaster Entertainment

:rotflmao:

[Dyck Spreh]

Frame it!!! An apology from Ticketmaster???
Don't kid yourself folks, if they want a merger, they'll get it whether we like it or not..
http://www.super-smileys.com/images/smileys/529.gif (http://www.super-smileys.com)

[col_tom]

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/582713

Bruce DeMara
Entertainment Reporter

The hottest concert ticket in North America is once again raising red flags about how difficult it is for music fans to get tickets at affordable prices.

There was a flurry of political activity in the United States yesterday after scores of New Jersey residents said they were unable to buy tickets to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band online from Ticketmaster.com, the exclusive agent, and were redirected to another site owned by Ticketmaster, TicketsNow.com, where prices were several times the original face value.

Bill Pascrell Jr., a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, demanded theFederal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice investigate the consumer complaints.

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram also promised to investigate, even as rumours hit the news of a merger between Ticketmaster and its competitor, Live Nation, which promotes the world's most successful bands.

Springsteen voiced his own objection yesterday to any merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation.

A deal to create a single system "would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now," the singer/songwriter said in letter to his fans posted on his website, brucespringsteen.net.

Springsteen said the creation of a single Ticketmaster-Live Nation system would be "returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing."

In Toronto, Springsteen fans are anxiously awaiting noon tomorrow, when tickets for the May 7 Springsteen concert at the Air Canada Centre go on sale.

But a spokesperson for the Consumers' Association of Canada – a volunteer advocacy group – warns concertgoers not to get their hopes up for tomorrow as tickets for popular major events have often sold out within minutes. "We have heard many, many complaints over time that almost immediately tickets are sold out if it's a very popular concert and (people) can't get them," CAC vice-president Mel Fruitman said.

That leaves consumers with only one option: to buy tickets through companies like TicketsNow at much higher prices.

Adding another wrinkle to the Springsteen concert saga was the appearance yesterday morning of 164 tickets, ranging in price from $257 to $909, to the Boss's Toronto concert before tomorrow's online sale. But by the afternoon, those offers on TicketsNow had vanished.

Ticketmaster in Canada and the U.S. and TicketsNow did not respond to questions about the Toronto presale tickets or other issues yesterday.

Bloomberg News yesterday quoted Ticketmaster spokesperson Albert Lopez saying his company receives a 15 per cent commission on tickets sold by its subsidiary, TicketsNow.

Fruitman said the fact that TicketsNow was selling tickets for the Toronto show in advance of tomorrow's online sale "interesting."

"The obvious question is how did (TicketsNow) get them?" he asked. "There's a very strong suspicion that what Ticketmaster is doing is flipping a significant number of tickets over immediately to TicketsNow, where they are reselling them . . . at much higher prices," Fruitman said. In the past, Ticketmaster officials have strenuously denied doing that.

"Ticketmaster claim that they are simply a service provider with TicketsNow, providing a site for people who have bought tickets who decide they don't want them or can't use them to sell their tickets," Fruitman said.Springsteen said yesterday that Ticketmaster is in a conflict of interest. He said he and his band members are "furious" at how fans are being treated and are seeking assurances that Ticketmaster will no longer redirect fans to TicketsNow.

Ticketmaster came under criticism in Canada last year when an AC/DC concert in Vancouver sold out in minutes, only to have high-priced tickets show up on TicketsNow a short time later.

The Canadian Press reported last month that some tickets for a recent Killers concert in Toronto, originally priced at $44, were resold on TicketsNow for as much as $1,999.

Fruitman said the CAC has tried without success to persuade the federal Competition Bureau to investigate Ticketmaster and its relationship to TicketsNow, which it purchased a year ago.

"If that isn't something the Competition Bureau should look at, I don't know what is," Fruitman said.

Competition Bureau spokesperson Marilyne Nahun said the agency cannot comment publicly on complaints or investigations.

"What I can say, in general, is that monopolies in and of themselves aren't a contravention of the Competition Act," Nahun said.

"Under our laws, prices to consumers aren't really a consideration. Firms are generally free to set prices as they choose. We're not a consumer protection agency. The (Competition) Act is more to protect the market."

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that a merger may be imminent between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which are both based in Los Angeles. The Journal said neither of the companies' boards has signed off on a deal and it was not clear which company would be taken over.

The colonel says: Acts are usually accorded a block of premium seats for venues like this. Some (or most) end up on reseller sites like Tickets Now. Things that make you go hmmmmmmm. Can we say collusion? :Hummer: