No tongue in cheek comments, please.

Take into consideration, that the promoters want to
earn some money. Otherwise it´s unrealistic

OK.

Here´s mine:

Bring the diehards into the tonguepit for 50 GBP each.
For example, find them via the main Stones Boards (IORR, ROCKS
OFF, DOUG). Or ask those first who downloaded all Archive releases.
Or those who run a Stones website. Or...

Pit: Standing and/or seated, take 100 GBP. An OK price for a
Stones show in 2012.

All seats around: Take 150. First come, first served.

Bring the four shows as birthday presents to the fans!
(first time ever that someone has to pay for a present,
but I could live with it )

And now your suggestions, please.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-17 12:08 by TooTough.

If there were an iorr- RocksOff- or shidoobee presale (or any other group really, none of them are official) for a fanbase contingent of tickets, believe me, the fight would be no less. Only difference is that we would fight eachother instead of ticketmaster.

Hell, I would subscribe to any odd board to be allowed to fight for a 100 pounds ticket. Anyone can do that. Who's gonna tell if you're a real fan? People would join boards just to get in. So all in all, it would make no difference with any presale going on now! There would just be another artificial shortage created and noone benefits from those.

But to answer your question.

I would have done excactly the same:

Try to get as much as possible for a ticket by (1) making up fancy overpriced package deals , (2) creating panic by being cunning, and (3) creating confusion by being non-transparant.

Unless:
A. Legislation wouldn't allow me to, and/or
B. The Rolling Stones wouldn't allow me to, since they feel a moral obligation towards their fanbase not to bankrupt them or stress them out (which I, as a businessman, do not have to feel).

Since both exclusions A and B most likely would not apply, nothing would change with my interference.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-17 13:02 by Limbostone.

I would have:

Fan club, O2 arena etc presales in "an old fashioned way".
Tickets from 60 (standing pit) up to 450

Travel/Fan asulym packages "in an old fashioned way"

VIP packages from 650 to 5000. The most expensive ones would also include
meet and greet with the band and a signed souvenir.

Public sale
Tickets from 60 (standing pit) up to 450
Most of the tickets would cost aroun 150-200



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-17 13:14 by JK.

I would say, having the MAJORITY of fans in mind, would've been nice.

£100 tops is enough for the best seat for the best acts.

Stuff the promoters. The Stones don't need a promoter promising them untold riches - how many more millions do they need.

The solution is simple, but it NEEDS LEGISLATION !!

1 - outlaw ticket re-selling AT ANYTHING ANOTHER THAN FACE VALUE

2 - outlaw ticket re-selling THAT DOES NOT SPECIFY THE FULL PRODUCT DETAIL, which in the case of a ticket is simple, it's called BLOCK, ROW, and the bit that is ALWAYS missing - the f***ing SEAT NUMBER(S) !!

Job done.

1 - gets rid of the profit motive, but not the act of "re-selling" a ticket per se, it just that means that you would have to sell it at FACE, and not a markup !!

2 - guarantees that that you KNOW what you're buying, not GUESSING at what you're buying.

What the f**k is so difficult about implementing either of these measures ? NOTHING at all, it just needs the WILL, which for reasons that increasingly are a total mystery to me, there seems not to be. at least that's the case in the UK.

Seems that more and more people are getting hacked off with the whole "secondary site" phenomemena, and yet the will to actually get to grips with the issue and try and stamp it out just isn't there. In recent times we've had television documentaries about it, just within the context of these two Stones shows we've had a thread in which there's links to countless press articles about it, and yet ............................ ???

F**K all changes !!

Once these shows are over and I've regained my composure, anyone based in the UK want to join me in OFFICIALLY lobbying an MP to table a motion in parliament for getting this problem debated and addressed ? I'm serious. LET ME KNOW !!

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-17 14:23 by paulywaul.

like the 2007 Zep gig in London : a giant lottery on the Net.

@paulywaul:

While you're at it, let's take on airline and train services too. They also sell seats by rule of panic and non-transparency. Exactly the same way.

I'm with you on this, but unfortunately most national and european governments worship american style liberalism to the point of orgasm. Moneymaking is seen as the essential virtue and people who do are widely admired. Consumer organisations have no say but to go to court, which they either won't win or won't lead to a lasting change in attitude. The time that Europeans were proud of their social structure is long gone.

They should price it as cost neutral - if they're doing it for the fans charge enough to cover costs, donate a percentage to a local charity, and stream each concert on their .com site for registered users. Max ticket price on the day £100.

This way the band do something good for the community, and they reach out and say thanks to those long standing fans suffering financially who can watch it on the net for free.

Why would you ask DREAMTIME?

Quote
TooTough
Take into consideration, that the promoters want to
earn some money. Otherwise it´s unrealistic

The Stones would not have to demand 16 million sallary for 8 hours on stage at the first place. There is no point in thinking about how should the seating chart and tickets distribuion be handeled without that.

I don't want to sound bitter (because I am not really), I pretty much don't care about the whole thing because what it is, but I don't understand people congratulating those who "scored" tickets and writing they are happy for them. I can not really feel happy for anyone of those people, because the main point is that those people are justyfying the whole thing, proving The Stones to do it right.'Not that I would wish them to have a bad night or anything, but I can not pretend to be happy for anyone who is either so snobbish or insane (no other option, really). This is not about music or entertainment or anything like that. Not for the band clearly.

Arguments like - it's only money and this is once-in a lifetime experience is just so funny. Even if I was in the position, that I would not mind spending million pounds on a ticket, I would not be able to be part of this "attraction," I would not be able to enjoy it, knowing that those up on the stage are laughing in my face.

As was noted in other threads, this might set the standandard for organising rock shows from now on, or at least set the direction and so this is one of the most embarrasing moments in the rock'n'roll history, that's what it truly is.

Yes, there is still the possibility that they will make it up to all of us notmal fans the next year, I don't want to speculate on this one, we will see.

I have just "scored" a ticket for Clapton by the way. FOS for 63 Euro. I have never seen him and I think I have to see as many shows and acts as possible now, before they all go insane :-)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-17 16:06 by Happy24.

Quote
dcba
like the 2007 Zep gig in London : a giant lottery on the Net.

Yes, and all profit went to Ahmet Ertegun's charity.

Quote
dcba
like the 2007 Zep gig in London : a giant lottery on the Net.

That would work.

For these 4 shows only, a lottery where each seat costs exactly the same with a limit of 2 per person (more expensive tickets are reduced but cheaper seats are increased). So when you purchase the tickets you have no idea where you are sitting until you receive your tickets. You also have to pick up your tickets the day of the show, to cut down on the scalping.

Quote
The Worst.

Quote
dcba
like the 2007 Zep gig in London : a giant lottery on the Net.

Yes, and all profit went to Ahmet Ertegun's charity.

This time the profits will go to Mick and Keith's fav charities : their own spoiled children! ><

Quote
Limbostone
If there were an iorr- RocksOff- or shidoobee presale (or any other group really, none of them are official) for a fanbase contingent of tickets, believe me, the fight would be no less. Only difference is that we would fight eachother instead of ticketmaster.

Hell, I would subscribe to any odd board to be allowed to fight for a 100 pounds ticket. Anyone can do that. Who's gonna tell if you're a real fan? People would join boards just to get in. So all in all, it would make no difference with any presale going on now! There would just be another artificial shortage created and noone benefits from those.

Simple. You have a cut off point for registration. Say, 1st October.

Can you imagine how many people registered for stonesarchive.com since Monday?

And look what's happened on that site this week.

1) the presale is for an unaffordable item that was already on public sale from Monday.

2) the store just happens to launch a new Stones archive show available for download.

It shouldnt be too hard to join the dots and see the master plan there!

Quote
Gazza

Can you imagine how many people registered for stonesarchive.com since Monday?

And look what's happened on that site this week.

1) the presale is for an unaffordable item that was already on public sale from Monday.

2) the store just happens to launch a new Stones archive show available for download.

It shouldnt be too hard to join the dots and see the master plan there!

I myself registered for StonesArchive on Monday. Probably I already was registered (I bought all the previous archive releases + other stuff), but I wanted to be double sure.

I don't know if there is a connection between the presale and the download, but for sure Stones Archive didn't notify none of the two "events" ...

C

There were e-mails about the 'presale' (should that be 'post pre-sale?') last night and this morning.

Googlemusic released the new archive download yesterday, which means that it should be available on stonesarchive sometime today, and certainly no later than tomorrow. Thats been the pattern with every release so far.

Unquestionably a ruse under the guise of a worthless presale to direct traffic (and therefore potential buyers) to the archive store.

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-17 19:28 by The Worst..

As for how I would have handled the ticket sale, it depends very much on what kind of costs I have to cover before being able to gain a profit.

If I can't change the venue, and the Stones ask what they ask to play, well, I don't see many options: I would charge as much as I can. At the end of the day, the price of the ticket is not a problem. As a matter of fact, in THE WHOLE WORLD there certainly are at least 20,000 persons/companies/ whatever that can afford spending 400 £ for the event. My goal, as the organizer, is only to reach these persons/companies/ whatever that can afford spending 400£ by "creating" the event.

Ok, but how do I feel when I think that the people I address with my marketing campaign might not be "true fans"?

The "true-fan-does-not-deserve-this-treatment" is an argument that I don't buy. I consider myself a "true fan" and I prefer being able to spend 400£ AND be sure to be in the house, rather than having to fly to London, pass the night in front of the box office and HOPE to get a ticket. Once you know the rules of the game, the "sacrifice" that defines you being a "true fan" is putting together the amount you need to buy the ticket rather than standing in a line for 24 hours.

Call us the "true-vegas-era-fans"!

OK, now that I am awake, the true issue is not if the whole shit above makes sense (it does if you are the Rolling Stones, if you work for the Rolling Stones, and if you are a "true-vegas-era-fan").

The issue is, do I WANT to be a "true-vegas-era-fan" this time around, with the crisis and all?

I am struggling more with this. One side of me is saying "the Titanic is sinking and we are all about to die, we may as well dance and party". The other side just goes on saying "be serious, for once"!!!

C

Several popular bands have legitimate fan websites where they charge membership fees anywhere from $10 to $40 per year and it includes exclusive pre-sales to their shows. These include bands like Tom Petty, Green Day, AC/DC. Always get decent tickets this way because the promoter makes (at least a good % of the) best seats available to the fans (which we know is not always the case). 2 to 4 ticket limits per show could help and so would either ticketless entry or will call to help prevent sales to brokers.

Then there's the Pearl Jam method where your seats are based on how long you've been a member and you don't know where you are sitting until you arrive at the show.(I wonder if they give you a choice if there is GA on the floor?)