Ticketmaster, Live Nation in merger talks

[MacMan]

NEW YORK (Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE5130LN20090204)) - Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc and Live Nation Inc are close to a merger that would combine two of the most powerful forces in the music industry, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Website Tuesday citing people familiar with the matter.

The new company would be called Live Nation Ticketmaster, marrying the world's biggest concert promoter with the dominant ticketing and artist-management company. The companies have ties to more than 200 major artists such as the Eagles, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, Madonna and Jay-Z.

The paper, citing the unnamed sources, said the boards of both companies have yet to approve a merger and sticking points remain in the negotiations.

The deal, which will not involve any cash transfer, could be announced as early as next week, according to the Journal story.

Ticketmaster spokesman Albert Lopez declined to comment. Live Nation officials were not immediately available for comment.

Last year Ticketmaster acquired Front Line Management, which represents around 200 major clients.

Irving Azoff, head of Ticketmaster, and Live Nation Chief Executive Michael Rapino both are expected to remain at the combined organization but their exact roles have not yet been nailed down.


------------------------------------------------------
NewYorkPost (http://www.nypost.com/seven/02032009/business/just_the_ticket_153394.htm)

In a blockbuster deal that will realign the music industry's balance of power, concert-promotion giant Live Nation and Ticketmaster Entertainment, the nation's largest ticketing operation, are planning to merge, The Post has learned.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, talks between the two companies are at an advanced stage and a vote on a deal could be put to Live Nation's board as soon as Wednesday.

The source cautioned, however, that talks are at a delicate stage and could fall apart amid last-minute wrangling over finer points of a merger.

The source said the deal is currently seen as a merger of equals, with the board of the combined company totaling 14 members to accommodate equal representation from both companies.

Barry Diller, CEO of Ticketmaster parent company InterActiveCorp, will serve as chairman of the combined company, while Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino will be chief executive.

It's unclear what responsibilities Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff, the legendary manager of The Eagles, Guns N' Roses and other acts, will have in the new company, though it is assumed he will have some role.

Representatives for Live Nation refused to comment. Ticketmaster and Diller did not return calls and emails for comment.

The impending merger comes as Live Nation and Ticketmaster were about to go head-to-head on the ticketing front, as Live Nation spent much of last year building the infrastructure to support its own ticketing business.

That, in turn, prompted fear on Wall Street about Ticketmaster's prospects, particularly since the company has only recently been spun out of IAC as a standalone business.

Indeed, Diller brought Azoff to Ticketmaster in part because Azoff's control of artist-management firm Frontline Management would help even the playing

field against Live Nation.

While Live Nation's foray into ticketing was cheered by Wall Street, its rich deals to sign top acts like Madonna and Jay-Z were roundly criticized.

Live Nation's stock fell precipitously as a result of the bad publicity and an ugly internal power struggle between Rapino and former chairman Michael Cohl erupted into public view.

Rapino won the battle, and if he can sign the deal with Ticketmaster, he may have won the war. Without question, a combined Live Nation-Ticketmaster will be able to deal with the major record labels on its terms rather than vice versa.

[LukeA]

Can't say I'm surprised, but.. ugh.

[HejiraNYC]

Oh, hell no. Anyone on the FTC who sees this as anything other than a MONOPOLY is seriously delusional or corrupt. I can just see $50 "convenience fees" tacked onto ticket prices...

[animal]

And it just goes round & around...

Phish fans got the shaft last week...

When tickets for Phish’s reunion tour went on sale Friday, the event became the first major test for Live Nation’s new ticketing service — and according to reports across the Internet, the concert giant failed to deliver as countless fans encountered a system unready for the throng of Phishheads scrambling for tickets to one of the year’s most anticipated tours. Massive traffic to the Live Nation page caused the site to freeze up, often during purchases, resulting in users losing the tickets they were in the process of buying.


http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/02/02/phish-fans-furious-as-live-nation-fails-first-major-ticketing-test/

Then Bruce Springsteen Fans...

Springsteen Fans Left Out after Ticketmaster Glitch


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- A New Jersey congressman is demanding an investigation after Bruce Springsteen fans were unable to buy tickets from Ticketmaster's Web site -- which then promptly offered them more expensive tickets from a subsidiary it owns.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell of Paterson wants the federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to investigate possible conflicts of interest involving Ticketmaster and a ticket reseller it also owns called TicketsNow.

When tickets for Springsteen's Meadowlands show went on sale Monday, some fans got an error message on their computer screen that shut them out from buying tickets. They also saw an ad for TicketsNow, offering tickets for hundreds of dollars more than their face value.

A Ticketmaster spokesman says the system did not fail, and that only a small handful of potential purchasers had problems.

Live Nation = Evil Nation

TicketMaster = TicketB*st*rd

A merger produces Evil B*st*rd :laugh:

[GypsyGirl15]

I was so pissed off when I found I could only get my ticket from one company or brokers. Here we have several different companies providing concert tickets. :distress:

[animal]

This just got posted on Springsteen's fan site from Jon Landau after yesterday's disasterous presale for Bruce shows:


A Letter to Our Fans:

We know there was much confusion regarding Ticketmaster and TicketsNow during last Monday's on-sale dates. We were as confused as you were, as we were given no advance notice of the major changes in the Ticketmaster-TicketsNow world. (Bear in mind that we are not clients of any ticketing company, and that all those arrangements are between venues and ticketing companies.)

Last Monday, we were informed that Ticketmaster was redirecting your log-in requests for tickets at face value, to their secondary site TicketsNow, which specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value. They did this even when other seats remained available at face value. We condemn this practice.

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.

We know the many cynical arguments some make in favor of the Ticketmaster system: 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.

While many of you have sent notes to us and your local promoters, you may also send accurate informational letters to Albert Lopez of Ticketmaster [[email protected]] and he will try to address your questions.

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

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team

[Nicks Fan]

Go get em Bruce!!! This is very shoddy business practices on the part of Ticketbastard.

Matt

[MacMan]

An apology from Irving Azoff, CEO, Ticketmaster Entertainment:

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

[trackaghost]

I don't know, I think this is what ticket sales are going to be like in the future, I mean they can't argue against Bruce because he's one of the biggest concert draws right now but smaller acts won't be able to fight against Ticketmaster especially if they merge with Live Nation. Pearl Jam tried it years ago and lost.
I honestly don't remember having such trouble getting tickets as little as 10 years ago, now even shows you wouldn't expect to sell out do and it's all because of sites like eBay and Tickets Now. I realise some people here think that's all fine and dandy, the right to sell your ticket to the highest bidder and all that, but I think it's sad. Real music fans are losing out because now they can't afford tickets that, if sold at face value, they should be able to afford.

[LukeA]

If this merger goes through, I can't wait to see what AEG or Jam will do... because I can't see either of them merging with Live Nation, nor do I see either of them (ESPECIALLY Jam) readily willing to line LN/TM's pockets by selling their shows through their ticket system.

[HejiraNYC]

An apology from Irving Azoff, CEO, Ticketmaster Entertainment:

(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

What a load of crap! If they did not give TicketsNow preferential access, then how could they be scalping tickets the very second tickets went on sale? There seriously needs to be an FTC investigation into this practice! It is creating an artificial scarcity in a market that is being manipulated by a monopoly. Bruce should now take this up to Capitol Hill. In an era where the music industry is dying and people are suffering, we don't need ruthless monopolies like Ticketbastard to gorge themselves on the carcasses of artists and consumers.

[BTFLCHLD]

and the Azoff open letter of apology to fans is located where?

[kathy1]

i also think that they should charge one price for all the seats even the floor and then more people could afford to go. i don't think that they should charge different prices for different sections. i think they should check into that also. i have been saying this for along time and they still sell expensive tickets even more now with the way the economy is right now. does anyone else agree or disagree. thanks kathy

[HejiraNYC]

i also think that they should charge one price for all the seats even the floor and then more people could afford to go. i don't think that they should charge different prices for different sections. i think they should check into that also. i have been saying this for along time and they still sell expensive tickets even more now with the way the economy is right now. does anyone else agree or disagree. thanks kathy

Well, that's how it used to be 20 years ago. While it sounds fair in theory, what often ended up happening was that the good seats would go straight to the scalpers anyway, who would then be able to get away with a huge mark-up. In recent years, I think a lot of artists/promoters started charging much higher prices for the choice seats to deter ticket scalping- they effectively started scalping their own tickets pre-emptively. Although I don't like paying a lot for concert tickets, I would rather pay big bucks to the artist rather than the scalper.

[BTFLCHLD]

I refuse to purchase tickets (with the exception of Lindsey solo) unless they are indies...

11. TICKET PRICE
The agreed ticket price will not be changed. Purchaser agrees to not lower or raise ticket price from what was agreed upon. Ticket price will remain the same to all persons, regardless of age. In the event Purchaser raises the ticket without agent’s approval, the Artist reserves the right to refrain from performing until all persons are refunded the ticket difference in cash immediately and in an orderly manner.

That last bit would go over well at an FM show...haha.

[LukeA]

i also think that they should charge one price for all the seats even the floor and then more people could afford to go. i don't think that they should charge different prices for different sections. i think they should check into that also. i have been saying this for along time and they still sell expensive tickets even more now with the way the economy is right now. does anyone else agree or disagree. thanks kathy

Ticketmaster (or any ticket seller) has zero to do what a certain ticket in a certain section costs, so there's nothing to "check into".

As for the strategy you're suggesting, most people would have a problem with the fact that they paid the same price for their seat located towards the back of the arena as the person in the front row.

[Nicks Fan]

What bothers me is artists like FM, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Eagles etc who just play the same old hits and then charge you an arm and a leg to hear those same old tired hits year after year. We are in a reccession ,but try telling those baby boomer rockers that. It is a shame that the average family can't go to most shows these days as they are WAY overpriced. 200 dollars for the Eagles, 275 for the Face to Face Tour with Elton and Billy, 125.00 for Bon Jovi, 350 for Madonna. Just outrageous!!!

Matt

[LukeA]

What bothers me is artists like FM, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Eagles etc who just play the same old hits and then charge you an arm and a leg to hear those same old tired hits year after year. We are in a reccession ,but try telling those baby boomer rockers that. It is a shame that the average family can't go to most shows these days as they are WAY overpriced. 200 dollars for the Eagles, 275 for the Face to Face Tour with Elton and Billy, 125.00 for Bon Jovi, 350 for Madonna. Just outrageous!!!



I agree... but they wouldn't charge it if they couldn't get it. If they didn't get it, they would adjust their prices. All things equal, its not incumbent upon them to lower their prices- its incumbent upon us (the ticket buying public) to not buy tickets to see their show. That's the only way it will come across to acts & their promoters.

[Lisa1769]

What bothers me is artists like FM, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Eagles etc who just play the same old hits and then charge you an arm and a leg to hear those same old tired hits year after year. We are in a reccession ,but try telling those baby boomer rockers that. It is a shame that the average family can't go to most shows these days as they are WAY overpriced. 200 dollars for the Eagles, 275 for the Face to Face Tour with Elton and Billy, 125.00 for Bon Jovi, 350 for Madonna. Just outrageous!!!

Matt

Exclude Bon Jovi from that list! I could never tire watching that man perform.:D:D

[Lisa1769]

As for the strategy you're suggesting, most people would have a problem with the fact that they paid the same price for their seat located towards the back of the arena as the person in the front row.

This is what AC/DC did. Every seat $92.50. They also used the paperless ticket system for the "better" seats. I would say it helped keep brokers to a minimum.

[MacMan]

Looks like it's a done deal!

LOS ANGELES (dpa) - Two of the largest concert and event companies in the U.S. announced Tuesday that they had agreed to merge, creating one of the largest live entertainment companies in the world.

The $400 million deal will see Live Nation take over Ticketmaster to form a new company called Live Nation Entertainment with an estimated value of $2.5 billion including debt.

The new company is expected to sell more than 150 million concert tickets a year, promote 22,000 concerts annually, and own more than 140 venues globally.

It will also handle more than 200 big-name artists including U2, Shakira, Madonna, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus and the Eagles. The concert companies, which also control marketing and recording rights for some of the artists, are seen as a growing force in the music world.

As sales of recorded music have declined because of the internet, touring revenues have increased.

However the deal faces significant anti-trust hurdles with one key legislator already coming out against it.

"This merger would give a giant, new entity unrivaled power over concert-goers and the prices they pay to see their favorite artists and bands," said New York Senator Charles Schumer, in a statement. "It must be viewed skeptically and scrutinized with a fine-toothed comb by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission."

The announcement of the deal comes after both companies have suffered negative publicity in recent weeks on charges that they inflated ticket prices for popular acts such as Bruce Springsteen.

But in a release announcing the deal, Ticketmaster and Live Nation said the merger would improve access to tickets, reduce prices and increase attendance at events.

The companies said that Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino will run the new company as CEO while Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff will be executive chairman. Ticketmaster chairman Barry Diller will be non-executive chairman.

[Steviefan49]

Oh, hell no. Anyone on the FTC who sees this as anything other than a MONOPOLY is seriously delusional or corrupt. I can just see $50 "convenience fees" tacked onto ticket prices...

And that - my friend would be getting off easy.. LOLOLOL.. I'm sure there's also going to be other mysterious taxes and fees attached as well, and I can't even begin to think about that.. as it makes my stomach do flipflops! LOL.. Long live Stub Hub! LOL:laugh:

[Steviefan49]

Go get em Bruce!!! This is very shoddy business practices on the part of Ticketbastard.

Matt

Amen Matt.!. It surely is.. So I'm thinking that this should be WAY more business for places like Stub Hub, who don't necessarily charge 2 arms and 2 legs, along with other body parts for a friggen concert ticket..:rolleyes:

[Ench]

What bothers me is artists like FM, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Eagles etc who just play the same old hits and then charge you an arm and a leg to hear those same old tired hits year after year. We are in a reccession ,but try telling those baby boomer rockers that. It is a shame that the average family can't go to most shows these days as they are WAY overpriced. 200 dollars for the Eagles, 275 for the Face to Face Tour with Elton and Billy, 125.00 for Bon Jovi, 350 for Madonna. Just outrageous!!!

Matt

That's why I only go to smaller acts, now.

I saw Andy White before. Cost us £5 per ticket plus drinks. Great show, with support, and we got to speak to the artists afterwards. Not 40 people playing, it was the main artist playing guitar and pedal bass, and a percussionist playing ... "things". But just as enjoyable.

Have a listen to this and tell me that I'm losing out massively! Particularly since some of my favourite songs of his ("Acoustic Guitar", "Long Time Coming") aren't there.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=60965840

Hmmm.... Looks like I'm spamming Andy White here. But my point is that the big artists cost such a massive amount, and you're so insulated from them. With these ripoffs meaning that the ticket prices are, practically, even higher, and with tour DVDs an inevitability, it just doesn't add up for me.

[bikerchic]

Do you think FM is aware of this or even cares :shrug: Should we all write them and voice our outrage like Springsteen fans?

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2167479/


Canadians sue Ticketmaster over prices

Mon. February 09, 2009; Posted: 07:39 PM
New! Day Trading

TORONTO, Feb 9, 2009 - Giant ticket broker Ticketmaster Monday was slammed with a $500 million class-action suit accusing it of violating Canada's anti-scalping laws, lawyers said.

The civil suit contends Ticketmaster, which has its headquarters in West Hollywood, Calif., conspired to divert tickets to popular events from its main Web site to www.TicketsNow.com, a ticket auction Web site it owns, Canwest News Service reported.

"Customers have voiced concerns over the fact that tickets for the most popular events can ostensibly sell out in minutes, only to become immediately available in the secondary market at much higher prices," Luciana Brasil of Branch McMaster, one of the two law firms handling the case, said in a news release.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of all Ontario customers who bought tickets through Ticketmaster or TicketsNow.com since Feb. 9, 2007.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating Ticketmaster as well.

"I am deeply disturbed that Ticketmaster may be exploiting its market dominance -- funneling consumers to its subsidiary in order to inflate profits," Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal has criticized a planned merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, another major ticket selling operation.

"This possible $6-billion music mega merger -- combining two already-powerful companies -- creates a singular and dangerously dominant force in the industry that threatens to illegally cut competition and consumer interests," he said.

[LukeA]

Do you think FM is aware of this or even cares :shrug: Should we all write them and voice our outrage like Springsteen fans?


Springsteen fans have an especially large beef and reason for outrage, based on the ticketsnow.com re-routing during last week's onsales.

This lawsuit in Canada seems a bit frivolous, since the re-selling of tickets above face value is legal in most cases.

In the end, I think that Live Nation/Ticketmaster will have to ditch ticketsnow.com in order to get the merger to go through. There's just too much of a conflict of interest to plausibly rationalize its existence.

[bikerchic]

Springsteen fans have an especially large beef and reason for outrage, based on the ticketsnow.com re-routing during last week's onsales.

and same thing is happening to us Fleetwood Mac fans, so I don't understand.


This lawsuit in Canada seems a bit frivolous, since the re-selling of tickets above face value is legal in most cases.

But it is illegal in Ontario, which is where the lawsuit is being filed (as well as two other provinces).

[MacMan]

and same thing is happening to us Fleetwood Mac fans, so I don't understand.

But it is illegal in Ontario, which is where the lawsuit is being filed (as well as two other provinces).

I thought it was illegal in all but two Provinces (BC and AB) I may have misread it as two Provinces besides Ontario where it's illegal.

Any.... In other light news:

Live Nation to acquire Ticketmaster for $2.5 billion, plus $700 million in convenience charges :lol:

[LukeA]

But it is illegal in Ontario, which is where the lawsuit is being filed (as well as two other provinces).

Its not illegal if the seller isn't a resident of Ontario... and I'd venture to guess that most of the re-sellers on ticketsnow.com selling tickets to events in Ontario are from elsewhere.

If the system/software is facilitating illegal transactions, then of course the lawsuit has merit and should proceed.

[bikerchic]

Its not illegal if the seller isn't a resident of Ontario... and I'd venture to guess that most of the re-sellers on ticketsnow.com selling tickets to events in Ontario are from elsewhere.

If the system/software is facilitating illegal transactions, then of course the lawsuit has merit and should proceed.

But the "re-sellers" on TicketsNow is Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster owns TicketsNow and are illegally scalping the tickets themselves and calling it a "ticket exchange". Shady, shady.

[bikerchic]

I thought it was illegal in all but two Provinces (BC and AB) I may have misread it as two Provinces besides Ontario where it's illegal.



I believe its illegal only in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta :shrug:

[BTFLCHLD]

Any.... In other light news: Live Nation to acquire Ticketmaster for $2.5 billion, plus $700 million in convenience charges :lol: :laugh: :wavey: :laugh:

[LukeA]

But the "re-sellers" on TicketsNow is Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster owns TicketsNow and are illegally scalping the tickets themselves and calling it a "ticket exchange". Shady, shady.

Don't confuse the people who own the tickets (the re-sellers) and the forum/marketplace that facilitates the transaction (TicketsNow). And, pardon me if this seems like a dumb question, but are there actual examples of where Ticketsnow is illegally facilitating the resale of tickets above face value?

As listed on their site (http://www.ticketsnow.com/info/faq.html) :

Is it illegal to sell tickets for more than face value?
No. It does generally require a license and set of standards to follow. In Illinois, where TicketsNow is licensed, it also requires a $100,000 cash bond for consumer protection to be held either privately or through an association. We are licensed to sell in 98% of the markets and will notify you if we cannot. All transactions that we handle meet all state and local provisions.

Really, my only problem with Ticketsnow is the concept of Ticketmaster redirecting consumers when tickets are still available (it should be redirected ONLY if the show is completely sold out). But, it seems that the Springsteen clusterf*ck fixed that problem.

You can argue that its in poor taste that a ticket seller/distributor would have a vested interest in the resale of their product but, in the end, its not illegal (except, when it is, of course... but in most cases, its not). Its a viable business model involving in-demand aftermarket commodities- the only reason why ticket scalping is vilified vs., oh, I don't know, IPO trading is because of the emotional component that tends to be involved with music/sports.

HOWEVER, if the merger of Live Nation & Ticketmaster goes through, then they absolutely need to dissolve Ticketsnow, or at least disallow any Live Nation promoted events being listed on the site. Artists/managers won't allow it... or will want to make sure they're cut in on the transaction somehow.

[bikerchic]

Don't confuse the people who own the tickets (the re-sellers) and the forum/marketplace that facilitates the transaction (TicketsNow). And, pardon me if this seems like a dumb question, but are there actual examples of where Ticketsnow is illegally facilitating the resale of tickets above face value?

As listed on their site (http://www.ticketsnow.com/info/faq.html) :



They're selling Mac tickets for over $2,000 each on that site. Is that not over face value? And they have this note posted right above the ticket for sale: Tickets may be sold for more than the price listed on the ticket.

[LukeA]

They're selling Mac tickets for over $2,000 each on that site. Is that not over face value? And they have this note posted right above the ticket for sale: Tickets may be sold for more than the price listed on the ticket.

Again, Ticketsnow is *not* the party selling the tickets. They don't own the tickets- the re-seller ("scalper") does. And, again, in the majority of cases, its not illegal to sell tickets above face value.

[bikerchic]

Again, Ticketsnow is *not* the party selling the tickets. They don't own the tickets- the re-seller ("scalper") does. And, again, in the majority of cases, its not illegal to sell tickets above face value.

Ticketmaster *is* the party re-selling the tickets, through Ticketsnow. They own the tickets, they are the re-seller (scalper). They are "ticket flipping". There is no actual consumer buying and re-selling the ticket. Allegedly.

[LukeA]

Ticketmaster *is* the party re-selling the tickets, through Ticketsnow. They own the tickets, they are the re-seller (scalper). They are "ticket flipping". There is no actual consumer buying and re-selling the ticket. Allegedly.

That is completely false, and amounts to pure paranoia. I can't believe I'm a position where I'm defending Ticketmaster/Ticketsnow/etc., but you are WAY off base.

[MacMan]

Personally, I don't believe for one second that your average everyday concert goer is re-selling their tickets on TicketsNow... If it's not Ticketmaster doing the reselling themselves, then they sure as hell are providing an outlet for scalpers to do so - how else can you explain numerous tickets (and we're not just talking a few tickets) show up on TicketsNow's site immediately after the official ticket sale?

[LukeA]

Personally, I don't believe for one second that your average everyday concert goer is re-selling their tickets on TicketsNow... If it's not Ticketmaster doing the reselling themselves, then they sure as hell are providing an outlet for scalpers to do so - how else can you explain numerous tickets (and we're not just talking a few tickets) show up on TicketsNow's site immediately after the official ticket sale?

Oh, of course... I completely agree with you. No argument there.

[MacMan]

If anyone is going to investigate anything... that's what they need to be looking at... Who is posting those tickets for-sale on TicketsNow... Once that's determined 100% either way whether it's Ticketmaster themselves, or a legitimate ticket holder then I think the argument will be settled. Taking it a step further would be determining how those TicketsNow sellers managed to get some of the primo seats right off the hop!

[bikerchic]

That is completely false, and amounts to pure paranoia. I can't believe I'm a position where I'm defending Ticketmaster/Ticketsnow/etc., but you are WAY off base.

What? You trust Ticketmaster? So you're saying that there's no way that a huge company like Ticketmaster would never do anything immoral or illegal? Please. Does the collapse of wall street ring a bell? Those huge corporations did nothing but lie, cheat and steal from people every day.

TicketsNow is nothing more than a front for Ticketmasters "illegal scalping" business.

[trackaghost]

TicketsNow is nothing more than a front for Ticketmasters "illegal scalping" business.

Personally, I think the Springsteen incident makes a good case for this because otherwise why would it immediately re-direct to a re-seller?

It's funny, in the UK it's actually illegal to re-sell tickets for sports events but not concerts. I've never understood the logic why one is acceptable and one isn't.

I do wonder though why the likes of Fleetwood Mac aren't more outraged by stuff like this because they aren't getting a cut in the profits gained from the re-sale. I'm sure if someone explained that to Mick he might get involved. ;)

[Erin]

I used Ticketsnow last year to see Stevie. Basically I was connected over the phone to a ticketsnow agent who arranged with the seller for me to purchase the ticket. The agent told me it was a law firm (she even told me the name of the law firm and where it was located) who had purchased a bunch of tickets for clients, but apparently Stevie is just not that popular! This was on the day of the show, and I was able to get a ticket for $50 below cost (be patient and let the resellers sweat it out is my motto). My point is there are "clients" reselling their tickets, but one wonders how they got all the good tickets in the first place. That's where the shady part comes in. I always surmised that Ticketmaster sold off all the good tickets to these types of clients and then put them on sale to the rest of us plebs.

[LukeA]

What? You trust Ticketmaster? So you're saying that there's no way that a huge company like Ticketmaster would never do anything immoral or illegal? Please. Does the collapse of wall street ring a bell? Those huge corporations did nothing but lie, cheat and steal from people every day.

TicketsNow is nothing more than a front for Ticketmasters "illegal scalping" business.

That's all well and good. However, in my case, I actually have a background of knowledge and experience of which to base my opinions on, rather than following popular opinion, a frivolous & meritless class action suit, and, well, idle speculation.

I've promoted literally hundreds of shows where ticketing was controlled by Ticketmaster. A few happened to be pretty hot shows that sold out in a minute or two. Out of pure curiosity, I pulled complete Ticketmaster audits for these shows, (especially after I saw some tickets listed on eBay). I was able to account for each and every one of those prime, premier seats- how they were made available, who they were sold to, where the tickets were sold, etc.- and, to make a long story short, there wasn't a conspiracy. Just a bunch of fans & amateur scalpers.

The whole Ticketmaster conspiracy bull**** (in regards to getting tickets in the on-sale) is SO tiring. I've pretty much given up trying to explain things logically to people, because there's such an emotional component to trying/failing to get tickets online ("even though I was logged in right at the top of the hour!!!!") that there has to be a conspiracy when scalpers get tickets and you don't. (Never mind the fact that there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of people trying to get tickets to the show online, just like you are) But, there simply can be no other explanation, it seems.

[trackaghost]

Wow.

Anyway, I'm not sure why you belittle the "emotional component". Seems to me to be a pretty important factor that differentiates it from selling and re-selling, say, a lamp.

Personally, I don't believe that Ticketmaster in the past has been in league with touts (or scalpers), they have just got the tickets online or on the phone like the rest of us (although the more professional scalpers hire lots of people to do this when the tickets go onsale ). But Ticketmaster re-directing to TicketsNow on the first day of sale when tickets are still available certainly seems rather fishy to me.

[LukeA]

Wow.

Anyway, I'm not sure why you belittle the "emotional component". Seems to me to be a pretty important factor that differentiates it from selling and re-selling, say, a lamp.

I didn't mean for it to sound like I'm belittling the emotions that people have for their favorite band/sports team. When you do everything in your power to get the best tickets possible and fail, of course its disappointing. That said, just because it seems that scalpers got "most" of the premier tickets for a show doesn't mean that Ticketmaster had anything to do with it other than facilitating the initial transaction.

For most high profile events, there are FAR more amateur/professional scalpers trying for tickets than fans. They buy tickets to all the high profile events, so they're more familiar with how the site works, which call centers/outlets to use/avoid, etc. It doesn't mean that fans don't end up with great seats in public on-sales, but, in the end, its a numbers game. There's more of them than there are of us, is what it boils down to... which is something less fantastical than some of the conspiracy theories we've all read.

I think we will soon see a shift to where the top tier (in Fleetwood Mac's case, ~$150) is all will-call, or ticketless (swiping credit cards at the gate, like AC/DC). I think Azoff will be smart enough to install this procedure (or something similar) at all of Live Nation/Ticketmaster's high profile events, because it makes too much sense for all involved.

Personally, I don't believe that Ticketmaster in the past has been in league with touts (or scalpers), they have just got the tickets online or on the phone like the rest of us (although the more professional scalpers hire lots of people to do this when the tickets go onsale ). But Ticketmaster re-directing to TicketsNow on the first day of sale when tickets are still available certainly seems rather fishy to me.

I completely agree with you- especially when the show isn't even sold out yet. It gives the false (in most cases) impression that tickets are scarce, or even completely sold out.

[Heidi1968]

Two VIP tickets and a backstage pass to Fleetwood Mac Unleashed Tour!

To help parents meet their children's educational needs, the supergroup Fleetwood Mac is auctioning off VIP tickets and meet-and-greets as a fundraiser. The auction benefits Hilltop Nursery School in Silver Lake, California, a parent-participation, cooperative pre-school founded over 50 years ago. Pairs of tickets for each show on the band's Unleashed tour--plus face time with Fleetwood--are up for auction on eBay now and the charity auctions will continue throughout the tour.

Along with a pair of tickets in the first 25 rows, each auction winner and their guest will get a meet and greet the legendary drummer Mick Fleetwood before the show– A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the true fan.

To bid on this auction go to www.ebay.com/hilltopla

[skcin]

^ All the bidders names look awfully similar. Looks like the scalpers are going to grab these too.

[bikerchic]

The whole Ticketmaster conspiracy bull**** (in regards to getting tickets in the on-sale) is SO tiring. I've pretty much given up trying to explain things logically to people, because there's such an emotional component to trying/failing to get tickets online ("even though I was logged in right at the top of the hour!!!!") that there has to be a conspiracy when scalpers get tickets and you don't. (Never mind the fact that there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of people trying to get tickets to the show online, just like you are) But, there simply can be no other explanation, it seems.

I guess time will tell. Hopefully the truth will come out in the courts. I do know though, that the law suits are coming out of the wood work (in Canada and the U.S.).

[LukeA]

^ All the bidders names look awfully similar. Looks like the scalpers are going to grab these too.

A bunch of them look like total bargains at this point (even with a few days left to go)

[skcin]

A bunch of them look like total bargains at this point (even with a few days left to go)

Yeah, I noticed that too. Hmmm...

[LukeA]

The political fight against the merger begins in earnest tomorrow, with my old boss speaking on Capitol Hill. Must See (webcast) TV, for sure.

---

http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2009/02/washington_begins_the_process.html

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing on the proposed merger of the controversial ticket broker Ticketmaster with the giant national concert promoter Live Nation tomorrow, and the scheduled witnesses include Jerry Mickelson, co-founder of Chicago-based Jam Productions, one of the largest of America's few remaining indie promoters.

Though it is now in the minority among major U.S. cities, Chicago remains a deeply competitive market for live music, with Jam and Live Nation often vying for major arena shows, and Jam maintaining a firm grip here on smaller theater gigs. In 2005, Jam won a $90 million verdict against Live Nation in a highly publicized anti-trust suit after testimony that included executives at the larger company boasting that they'd love to "crush, kill and destroy" the regional promoter.

Also scheduled to testify in Washington, D.C. are Irving Azoff and Michael Rapino, the Ticketmaster and Live Nation executives set to become the reigning braintrust at the new Live Nation Entertainment, and David A. Balto, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a self-described "think tank dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and action, combining bold policy ideas to help shape the national debate to expose the hollowness of conservative governing philosophies."

Presumably, the Center for American Progress group stands in solidarity with Jam in opposing the merger, though Mickelson has so far declined to comment on the issue.

The subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights is chaired by Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and its members include Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has called for an investigation into Ticketmaster's handling of ticket sales for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen tour, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT, an outspoken critic of music piracy who also dabbles in music-making himself as a singer.

Entitled "The Ticketmaster/Live Nation Merger: What Does it Mean for Consumers and the Future of the Concert Business?," the session begins at 2:30 p.m. Eastern and will be Webcast on the committee's site at http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=3674.

[BTFLCHLD]

yum thanks for the heads-up

[MacMan]

Well THIS should be interesting.

[BTFLCHLD]

confirmation azoff's an ass....run, Lindsey, run. :blob1:

[MacMan]

Attorney General Announces Settlement with Ticketmaster on Sale of Springsteen Tickets

Tickets will be made available for thousands of consumers shut out by Ticketmaster and steered to a more
expensive ticket re-sale website

NJGOV (http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases09/pr20090223b.html)

Attorney General Anne Milgram announced today a settlement with Ticketmaster to resolve more than two thousand complaints filed by consumers with the State Division of Consumer Affairs this month in connection with the sale of tickets to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts scheduled for May at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The agreement also mandates reforms to Ticketmaster’s business practices.

The settlement creates a random drawing for 1,000 consumers who filed complaints against Ticketmaster with the Division of Consumer Affairs as of last Tuesday, February 17th, to purchase two tickets each to one of the two concerts scheduled for May 21st and May 23rd at the Izod Center.

In addition, those consumers who filed complaints but are not chosen in the random drawing for the opportunity to purchase tickets to the May concerts will be given a $100 Ticketmaster gift certificate and will be given the opportunity to purchase two tickets to a future Springsteen concert in New Jersey prior to a general ticket sale.

For those consumers identified by the state and Ticketmaster whose credit cards were charged for ticket purchases but the transactions were never completed because of technical problems, Ticketmaster agreed to complete the transaction and provide consumers with the tickets.

For those consumers identified by the state and Ticketmaster who within the first five hours that tickets went on sale went from the “No Tickets Found” page of Ticketmaster’s primary website to Ticketmaster’s wholly-owned subsidiary TicketsNow.Com and purchased tickets at a higher price, Ticketmaster agreed to refund the difference between the purchase price and the face value of the tickets.

The settlement, known formally as an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, places a wall between Ticketmaster and its ticket re-selling subsidiary TicketsNow.com for at least a year for all shows and entertainment events Ticketmaster handles. After the conclusion of the year, Ticketmaster will need prior approval from the Attorney General for any links between its “No Tickets Found” Internet page to its TicketsNow re-sale website.

Ticketmaster agreed not to engage in paid Internet search advertising that would lead consumers searching for “Ticketmaster” on Internet search engines to its TicketsNow re-sale site. In addition, Ticketmaster confirmed and agreed that all tickets it receives for sale to the general public will be sold on its primary market website. Ticketmaster also agreed not to allow the sale or offer of sale of any tickets on the TicketsNow.com re-selling website until the initial sale begins on its primary website.

“This settlement swiftly and fairly resolves a significant issue for thousands of loyal Springsteen fans in the Garden State who believe that Ticketmaster tilted the playing field against their efforts to purchase tickets to the May concerts,’’ Attorney General Milgram said. “Everyone deserves an equal chance to buy tickets on a primary ticket selling website and shouldn’t be steered to a re-selling website where the prices can be substantially higher.”

“Because of the excellent cooperation of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the agreement will make tickets available for many of those who filed complaints with the Division of Consumer Affairs as of last week,” Milgram added. “I also want to thank Bruce Springsteen and his management in our efforts to hammer out this agreement. He was as outraged as anyone over the circumstances surrounding the sale of tickets to his concerts.”

“Significantly, Ticketmaster has agreed to change its business practices and not allow any link from its No Tickets Found Internet page to re-sale Internet sites for at least one year, and after that any proposed linkage will not be permitted unless approved by my office,” she said.

Dennis Robinson, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, said, “On behalf of our Chairman, Commissioners and staff whose dedication to customer service have made the IZOD Center one of the world’s most successful concert venues, we deeply appreciate the Attorney General’s commitment to bringing about a solution to the issue which occurred with these ticket sales.’’

The 2,000 tickets – 1,000 tickets for each show – are being made available for purchase through the random drawing by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. All Ticketmaster fees and service charges will be waived.

An investigation by the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs into Ticketmaster’s sales practices began with the immediate uproar over the sale of Springsteen tickets when they were made available for sale on Feb. 2. The Division of Consumer Affairs created a link on its website to receive complaints. As of Tuesday, Feb. 17, approximately 2,200 complaints were filed concerning the Springsteen concerts. Complaints filed by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, will be covered by the agreement.

Consumers complained that sales were blocked on the Ticketmaster website and they were re-directed to the ticket re-selling website called TicketsNow.com where tickets were available at substantially higher prices.

The state receives a settlement of $350,000 to cover investigative, attorney and administrative fees and to support New Jersey consumer protection initiatives.

[BTFLCHLD]

cool...missed this yesterday...thanks MacMan.

[michelej1]

Here's an article on the merger from Time Magazine. Phillips is the CEO of AEG, one of the big concert promoters. This is an excerpt from the article.

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1903447,00.html

Can the merger result in lower ticket prices for the public? Phillips said Live Nation has a history of being "aggressive" with pricing. "We walked away from bidding on Fleetwood Mac because we thought the guarantee was too high and what we'd have to charge the public would be too much," he said. Mickelson noted that Live Nation's new ticketing company introduced service fees that were even higher than Ticketmaster's: "A Coldplay ticket at a Ticketmaster building had a $15 service charge, and the same Coldplay ticket at a Live Nation ticketing venue had a $21 service charge."

[BTFLCHLD]

Azoff said he supports efforts to clean up the ticket-reselling business, which he calls "the Wild, Wild West of the business" and hints that Ticketmaster may sell its TicketsNow resale entity if the merger goes through. "The furor about the secondary market really has nothing to do with this merger," he said. Azoff said he would ultimately like to see the merged entity offer dynamic pricing, whereby front-row seats are offered in the primary market at prices well above the average — possibly up to $1,000 — while nosebleed seats are sold below the average price for as little as $20 a pop.

Just when I thought I couldn't like Azoff any less.

[MacMan]

No wonder shows don't sell well with this kind of mentality... This idea will hit the wall eventually.

[trackaghost]

What a lovely thought: all the rich and privileged at the front and all the working class people up in the nosebleeds.

[LukeA]

its official...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/business/26ticket.html

--

Justice Dept. Clears Ticketmaster Deal

By BEN SISARIO
Published: January 25, 2010

Ending a yearlong investigation, the Justice Department on Monday announced its conditions for accepting a proposed merger between Ticketmaster Entertainment and Live Nation, a deal that could significantly remake the live entertainment business by combining touring, management and ticketing into one company.

The decision, widely seen as a litmus test for the Obama administration’s attitude toward antitrust regulation, was greeted with cautious optimism by consumer groups who feared that the combination of the two music giants would stifle competition and lead to higher ticket prices.

Under the Justice Department’s conditions, Ticketmaster must divest itself of one of its ticketing divisions and also license its software to a competitor. In addition, for 10 years the combined company will be subject to what the Justice Department called “tough antiretaliation provisions” to prevent abuse of its power over concert tours, artist management, ticketing and theaters.

“After a rigorous investigation, we concluded that the transaction, as originally proposed, was anticompetitive,” Christine A. Varney, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, said in a news conference. “We were prepared to litigate this case, and I told the parties that. The required divestitures and behavioral prohibitions alleviate our concerns.”

Both companies issued statements on Monday indicating that they had accepted the Justice Department’s terms and completed the merger.

The deal will unite two of the most powerful entities in music. In 2008, Ticketmaster sold 141 million tickets worth $8.9 billion, and the company also owns a controlling interest in Front Line Management, whose more than 200 clients include the Eagles, Neil Diamond and Miley Cyrus.

Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, owns or operates about 120 theaters. The combined company, to be called Live Nation Entertainment, would have an estimated $6 billion in annual revenue.

David Balto, a former antitrust lawyer at the Justice Department who is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said that the Justice Department’s extensive study and tough stance reflected the changed priorities of the Obama administration.

“In the Republican administration this might have sailed through with hardly a nick,” he said. “They gave a careful, thorough evaluation and novel approach to remedy which hopefully will work.”

To preserve competition, the settlement — which is subject to approval by United States District Court in Washington — calls for Ticketmaster to sell Paciolan, a ticketing company it bought three years ago, to Comcast-Spectacor or another firm. It must also license its ticketing software to Anschutz Entertainment Group, whose concert division, AEG Live, is Live Nation’s biggest competitor.

Timothy J. Leiweke, AEG’s president and chief executive, said in a statement that the company would sell tickets for its own concerts as well as those produced by other companies.

David B. Kestenbaum, an analyst at Morgan Joseph & Company, called the ruling a big win for Live Nation Entertainment because it would be able to hold on to Front Line, which plays a significant role in setting ticket prices. But he added that the concessions, particularly the licensing of ticketing software, could be a benefit for consumers and for the industry at large. “They could go out and create a new competitor,” he said.

The merger, announced last February, has faced vocal opposition from consumer groups, politicians and independent concert promoters.

“We pressed really hard to block the merger,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League. “This is the next best thing. They seem to have imposed tough conditions. However, the conditions are only as tough as the enforcement, and this will require close monitoring and enforcement” by the Justice Department.

The National Consumers League, along with the American Antitrust Institute, the National Association of Ticket Brokers and other groups, have campaigned against the merger through their Web site, TicketDisaster.org, which describes the merger as being “to the detriment of the average fan.” In July, 50 members of the House sent a letter to Ms. Varney urging the Justice Department to oppose the deal.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation have argued that by combining they would be able to reduce inefficiencies in the marketing and presentation of live events, which would help to revive the ailing music industry and ultimately benefit consumers.

Although concerts are seen as the more profitable part of the business for performers, the margins are thin for the companies that produce and market the events. To compete with other large promoters, Live Nation often pays high fees to touring artists — 90 percent of the ticket price, or more, is common — and is left to seek most of its profit from parking, concessions and other ancillary revenue sources.

“The music business is in far worse shape than most people realize,” Irving Azoff, Ticketmaster’s chief executive, said last year in a hearing called by the antitrust subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “We cannot keep doing things that no longer work. This merger will allow the live music industry to avoid repeating the mistakes of the record business.”

Canadian regulators reached an agreement in parallel with the United States. The decision comes a month after British regulators approved the merger.

[MacMan]

This will be interesting. Can't see where this will help the consumer. Sure it will make them more efficient, but that's a benefit for their bottom line, and why would they pass on that savings to the public - that would be unheard of LOL If anything it'll give them more money to play with to book the acts. If anything it might keep ticket prices where they are today for awhile longer without increasing.

[Macfanforever]

Well,here goes the next FM/Stevie concert tickets.the prices probably go through the roof.and a real pain in the rear to get good seats.