I have never bought a ticket from a scalper. I can't see the needs for that. Usually there are always plenty of tickets (often returned ones) a couple of days before the show.
I should have bought a scalping ticket for the second show in Gothenburg in 1990 though. They were offered for mere $8 (face value $35). But I couldn't reschedule my travel...

One of the funniest/oddest/strangest ticketing selling concepts I have seen in recent time is people selling (and more oddly people actually buying) tickets on ebay. Doesn't sound strange? Did I mention the part where these are tickets to concerts that happened 20-30 years ago, which sold originally for 5-10 bucks (and included entrance to the concert) are now being for sold for many times that.

e.g. some 1978 solds

Quote
jambay
One of the funniest/oddest/strangest ticketing selling concepts I have seen in recent time is people selling (and more oddly people actually buying) tickets on ebay. Doesn't sound strange? Did I mention the part where these are tickets to concerts that happened 20-30 years ago, which sold originally for 5-10 bucks (and included entrance to the concert) are now being for sold for many times that.

e.g. some 1978 solds

People collect all kinds of things for a hobby including vintage ticket stubs. I'm sure many of them were lost or thrown away, especially since it was not uncommon for the good half to be torn off when you went in, leaving you with just the bit that had your seat location on it. I think it would be a challenge to collect old ticket stubs from some of your favorite bands.

Quote
shattered

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
It's been an issue in Canada this week. One of our most popular bands, The Tragically Hip, have announced their last tour as lead singer Gord Downie has terminal cancer. They have always been strongly fan driven, with fan club pre-sales. Tix went on sale this week to fan club members, were sold out in seconds, and on StubHub in minutes for wildly inflated charges. The provincial government is threatening an investigation. Again. At least the CBC is trying to air the last show live - it might reduce ticket demand and leave some of these thieves hanging. But this one was really supposed to be for the fans, who are gutted. It HAS to stop. Pauly - make it stop!

[www.thestar.com]

Hi STG: Any idea when they will tour the states?

They won't - Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer. This is their final tour, with their last gig in Kngston, Ontario, where they started. The last show will be broadcast on the CBC.

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl

Quote
shattered

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
It's been an issue in Canada this week. One of our most popular bands, The Tragically Hip, have announced their last tour as lead singer Gord Downie has terminal cancer. They have always been strongly fan driven, with fan club pre-sales. Tix went on sale this week to fan club members, were sold out in seconds, and on StubHub in minutes for wildly inflated charges. The provincial government is threatening an investigation. Again. At least the CBC is trying to air the last show live - it might reduce ticket demand and leave some of these thieves hanging. But this one was really supposed to be for the fans, who are gutted. It HAS to stop. Pauly - make it stop!

[www.thestar.com]

Hi STG: Any idea when they will tour the states?

They won't - Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer. This is their final tour, with their last gig in Kngston, Ontario, where they started. The last show will be broadcast on the CBC.

I can't believe this. Talk about regrets for missed shows...and to think I sat in a night class listening to sports talk and the Hip was right down the street. Saw em in Brussels '98 and absolutely excellent. Thoughts are with Gord Downie. If you go, enjoy, and the CBC is right on. Thanks STG

Quote
shattered
I can't believe this. Talk about regrets for missed shows...and to think I sat in a night class listening to sports talk and the Hip was right down the street. Saw em in Brussels '98 and absolutely excellent. Thoughts are with Gord Downie. If you go, enjoy, and the CBC is right on. Thanks STG

I did manage to score a single ticket. The first sale happened when I was in Edinburgh and I was on line before the sale opened and was shut out along with everyone but the bots. The band / promotor reconfigured the seats and opened another bunch of seats last week and, with 3 devices going and spending a half hour on line, I got one third-level seat slightly behind the stage for one of the Toronto shows. I hope the scalpers lose their money on this one, hope people refuse to buy until the seats are below face value...if that's possible.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-06-23 06:08 by SomeTorontoGirl.

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl

Quote
shattered
I can't believe this. Talk about regrets for missed shows...and to think I sat in a night class listening to sports talk and the Hip was right down the street. Saw em in Brussels '98 and absolutely excellent. Thoughts are with Gord Downie. If you go, enjoy, and the CBC is right on. Thanks STG

I did manage to score a single ticket. The first sale happened when I was in Edinburgh and I was on line before the sale opened and was shut out along with everyone but the bots. The band / promotor reconfigured the seats and opened another bunch of seats last week and, with 3 devices going and spending a half hour on line, I got one third-level seat slightly behind the stage for one of the Toronto shows. I hope the scampers lose their money on this one, hope people refuse to buy until the seats are below face value...if that's possible.

Well, you earned it. Oh Canada!

everybody does know the scalper is not some dirtbag looking shady shifty individual .Today the scalper is the likes of Stubhub and the likes with there real pretty websites .Makes me want to hurl (by the way there are many better endeavors to put your money on that will last as long as you are living)

Quote
TheGreek
everybody does know the scalper is not some dirtbag looking shady shifty individual. Today the scalper is the likes of Stubhub and the likes with their real pretty websites.

So true!

I actually appreciate the "real" scalpers, they serve a purpose and at least they are honest about what they do... versus ticketbastard and AEG and the bands colluding to hold back the... yadda yadda yadda... we all know the deal.

Almost every concert ticket I have bought in the last 15 years has been purchased from a scalper and I bought almost every one of those tickets below face value, some at face value... and only killer center section rows 1-3 for more than face.

I like scalpers who do the middleman work. I see how they do it. Most of the time they buy from someone (some poor schmuck who bought 4 tickets 6 months ago and his friends bailed on him and he needs to dump them) below face value to tthe middle man who plans on trying to sell at face or above But I drive a hard bargain (and I always have a seating chart or know it by heart) and I usually always buy tickets below face value, but the middleman still makes 10-15 bucks... and I dont mind that at all... that is less of fee than ticketbastard charges and the middleman is actually out there working for it.

The only tickets I have bought direct in the last 15 years are when I am getting spectacular seats the day instant they on sale. The way I figure concert tickets is... if I can not get great seats why in the world would I buy a ticket 6 months ahead of time? There are ALWAYS tickets available... always.

But I have been braced (every time) for the possibility that we might get shut out, that is part of the risk/return.

So I start watching about a week before... and usually wind up waiting until the day of the show to seriously start looking around and then I..... do my process... and without exception I have always been able to obtain either great tickets or dang cheap tickets.

PS
I have no idea who in the whole wide world buys those crappy upper level back of the hall seats 6-12 months ahead of time, but I guess it is a good thing that they are willing and happy to do that... and then they actually sit up there... in what I consider Hell.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2016-06-23 23:24 by jambay.

The issue rumbles on and on and on and on and ...............

[www.bbc.co.uk]

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

\ If you believe this, I have some swamp land to sale you in Fla, lol!

You might have read of the uproar related to the recent "incredible" instant official sold-outs of Springsteen and Coldplay's Italian concerts, immediately followed by huge availability of tickets on the well known secondary market sites.

I read in the news today that a public prosecutor here in Milan started an investigation to understand what happened. Apparently the tickets were purchased in mass using a software that allowed to by-pass the limit of 4 tickets per person. Some say with the collusion of the first level and secondary market distributors.

We will see what happens.

From a different point of view, some time before, Italian's Antitrust Authority opened an investigation related to the same facts to assess if first level and secondary market distributors did breach competition laws with regard to the same facts.

I do not have many expectations, but at least something is moving!

C



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-08 13:45 by liddas.

Quote
BamaStone
\ If you believe this, I have some swamp land to sale you in Fla, lol!

Or beachfront in Billings, Mt.

They have recently introduced legislation in Ontario to outlaw Bots after what happened with the Tragically Hip. Only problem - the Bots are often outside the Province or country, making it hard to enforce. But it's a start.

Meanwhile, the issue rumbles on and on ...... and yet the UK government still consistently is resisting intervening and legislating. PATHETIC !!

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

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

And again .............. today Tuesday 15th November 2016

[www.bbc.co.uk]

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

Secondary ticketing websites are enabling professional touts with "preferential schemes" for power sellers, MPs have been told.

Ticket fraud expert Reg Walker claimed that some sellers were paid in advance, and given powerful software to manage their inventories.

He said sites were dependent on "bad actors" who used computers to harvest "and resell high volumes of tickets".

"Secondary sellers are covering [for touts] in some cases," he added.

Mr Walker is head of the Iridium Consultancy, which tackles ticket fraud for a number of major UK venues, including London's O2 Arena.

Speaking to MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, he said that some sellers were "courted" by sites like GetMeIn, Viagogo and Stubhub.

"And the reason is there's a finite amount of these people that harvest tickets in bulk."

Reg Walker said ticketing websites were enabling professional touts with "preferential schemes"

Stubhub, which is owned by eBay, also gave evidence, and insisted that they carried out "due diligence on all our sellers".

However, "we do not police or monitor our site and we are not required to do so", said Paul Peake, head of the company's legal department.

You Me At Six singer Josh Franceschi was among those calling on MPs to clamp down on online ticket touts.

The 26-year-old said computer programmes known as bots, which bulk-buy tickets the second they go on sale, should be made illegal.

Those tickets often ended up being sold at inflated prices on the secondary market, he added.

"Money is been taken out of the industry and put into the hands of people who are only concerned with lining their own pockets.

"The main losers here are the fans of live music."

You Me At Six singer Josh Franceschi gave evidence to the committee

However, Mr Walker revealed that it is not just professional touts who exploit the system.

He said tickets for a recent Michael Buble tour had been handed directly to secondary ticketing websites by one of the star's associates.

"I believe that was done without the artist's knowledge," he said, "but it makes me wonder if there are other artists that this is happening to."

Arctic Monkeys' manager Ian McAndrew said he had been offered similar deals in the past.

'Maximise profits'

"I have often been approached by one of the big four resale sites asking to enter into an arrangement where I give them inventory in return for participation in the resale profit," he told MPs.

"That is a proposal I've refused on a number of occasions - but I can understand how that would be a temptation for some who want to maximise profits for a show."

Mr McAndrew also called for greater transparency from primary sellers. He said it is often "unclear" how many tickets will be available when a tour goes on sale - as venues, promoters, bands and sponsors often receive their own allocation to distribute separately via pre-sales and promotions.

"The number of tickets that then go on sale at general sale is unknown, is unclear to us. But there is increasing evidence to suggest it is far smaller than it should be."

A limited supply of tickets helped fuel the secondary market, he said.

Sharon Hodgson MP urged the government to take action on secondary ticketing

Chris Edmonds, Chairman of Ticketmaster UK, confirmed that up to 50% of tickets could already have been allocated when the general sale begins.

"We can have hundreds of thousands of consumers queuing on our site to buy tickets for an event, with no real visibility of how many tickets are left," he said.

"Wherever you have an instance where demand is beyond supply, it creates a concern and a frustration and a disappointment."

A government review of the ticketing market was conducted earlier this year by Professor Michael Waterson, economics professor at Warwick University.

Call for variable pricing

Speaking on Tuesday, he said he was not in favour of banning the secondary ticketing market, but supported the idea of outlawing "bots".

He also called for pop concerts to introduce variable pricing - as seen in opera and theatre - in an effort to deter touts.

Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on ticket abuse, told the BBC: "Fans cannot be fleeced any longer.

"I hope the government will realise that sitting on their hands cannot go on and will listen to the chorus of concerns coming from the industry, fans and Parliamentarians and finally take action."

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

[www.bbc.co.uk]

This issue rumbles on and on and on and .... except little by little the complaints get louder, more frequent, including from ARTISTS themselves, so 'one day' this scourge of the secondary market as it exists in its current form and as we know it - will be legislated against and will to great extent be eradicated ...

There's nothing 'supply and demand' about what is happening these days for tickets to 'events' of all sorts (not only music), there's just deceit, manipulation, and exploitative practice, all pursued on an industrial scale and masquerading (increasingly badly) as 'fan to fan' ticket exchange facilities. It's bollocks. Artists know it, promoters know it, punters know it, the government knows it ... it HAS to end.

I can't wait for the f***ing day !!

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

Yet another article on this unfortunate subject ......

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

A few extracts from this article ..........

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, consumers must be told of any restrictions on the tickets, all seating details and the original face value of the ticket.

This still doesn't happen. Jump on secondary site right now, you WON'T generally see SEAT NUMBERS mentioned. A clear and deliberate breach of the law

But resale sites are accused of routinely flouting these rules and of turning a blind eye to suspicious sale patterns, such as when thousands of tickets appear for resale at once and for the same price.

Some sites are even accused of courting the biggest touts by supplying them with software that makes it easier for them to sell en masse and adjust prices.

Websites that sell the original tickets, such as Ticketmaster, have also been criticised of failing to monitor and block firms that try to bulk buy.

Many of these so-called primary ticketing websites own resale websites, leading to accusations that they have little incentive to stop the merry-go-round. Ticketmaster, for instance, owns Seatwave and Get Me In! — two of the biggest resale firms.

Yup ...

MPs were so horrified by what they heard that they will launch a full inquiry in the New Year.


O right, here we f***ing go. ANOTHER inquiry, ANOTHER 'tweak' to the existing Consumer Rights Act, that will go on to be completely ignored no doubt, just like all the preceding ones .......

PATHETIC !!

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-30 11:55 by paulywaul.

Quote
paulywaul
Yet another article on this unfortunate subject ......

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

A few extracts from this article ..........

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, consumers must be told of any restrictions on the tickets, all seating details and the original face value of the ticket.

This still doesn't happen. Jump on secondary site right now, you WON'T generally see SEAT NUMBERS mentioned. A clear and deliberate breach of the law

But resale sites are accused of routinely flouting these rules and of turning a blind eye to suspicious sale patterns, such as when thousands of tickets appear for resale at once and for the same price.

Some sites are even accused of courting the biggest touts by supplying them with software that makes it easier for them to sell en masse and adjust prices.

Websites that sell the original tickets, such as Ticketmaster, have also been criticised of failing to monitor and block firms that try to bulk buy.

Many of these so-called primary ticketing websites own resale websites, leading to accusations that they have little incentive to stop the merry-go-round. Ticketmaster, for instance, owns Seatwave and Get Me In! — two of the biggest resale firms.

Yup ...

MPs were so horrified by what they heard that they will launch a full inquiry in the New Year.


O right, here we f***ing go. ANOTHER inquiry, ANOTHER 'tweak' to the existing Consumer Rights Act, that will go on to be completely ignored no doubt, just like all the preceding ones .......

PATHETIC !!

I don't understand why all ticket outlets aren't obliged to print tickets with the name of the person who bought them. Some places do, and if you want to give your tickets to someone else if you genuinely can't go the ticket seller has to re- issue the tickets with the new name. Eden project does this for its sessions gigs, I know we're talking about a relatively small venue (6000)but surely this would be a step in the right direction.

Satisfied since 1976

Quote
chriseganstar

Quote
paulywaul
Yet another article on this unfortunate subject ......

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

A few extracts from this article ..........

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, consumers must be told of any restrictions on the tickets, all seating details and the original face value of the ticket.

This still doesn't happen. Jump on secondary site right now, you WON'T generally see SEAT NUMBERS mentioned. A clear and deliberate breach of the law

But resale sites are accused of routinely flouting these rules and of turning a blind eye to suspicious sale patterns, such as when thousands of tickets appear for resale at once and for the same price.

Some sites are even accused of courting the biggest touts by supplying them with software that makes it easier for them to sell en masse and adjust prices.

Websites that sell the original tickets, such as Ticketmaster, have also been criticised of failing to monitor and block firms that try to bulk buy.

Many of these so-called primary ticketing websites own resale websites, leading to accusations that they have little incentive to stop the merry-go-round. Ticketmaster, for instance, owns Seatwave and Get Me In! — two of the biggest resale firms.

Yup ...

MPs were so horrified by what they heard that they will launch a full inquiry in the New Year.


O right, here we f***ing go. ANOTHER inquiry, ANOTHER 'tweak' to the existing Consumer Rights Act, that will go on to be completely ignored no doubt, just like all the preceding ones .......

PATHETIC !!

I don't understand why all ticket outlets aren't obliged to print tickets with the name of the person who bought them. Some places do, and if you want to give your tickets to someone else if you genuinely can't go the ticket seller has to re- issue the tickets with the new name. Eden project does this for its sessions gigs, I know we're talking about a relatively small venue (6000)but surely this would be a step in the right direction.

Chris, the bottom line here is that like so many things in life, a bad or undesirable 'phenomenon' that is left unchecked and unregulated in the hope that it will somehow 'self regulate' eventually spirals out of control and into the realms of social unacceptability. That's what's happened with the entire secondary market/ticket re-selling 'business', which is what it is nowadays. It's a 'business'. Regardless of how it might have always thought of itself, and how it might still like to sell itself or project itself to hordes of ill educated unaware and (I would argue) downright stupid people, it is not this lovely friendly and useful service platform offering people a 'fan to fan ticket exchange facility'. It is nothing of the sort whatsoever. It is deceitful, manipulative, exploitative malpractice, that is increasingly being seen as doing a monumental disservice to artist and customer alike. What has been missing until now (and still is missing - but hopefully and possibly not for too much longer) is the actual will to get to grips with the issue and implement measures that will make it so difficult and unrewarding for the practice to continue in its present form - that nature will take its course and it will cease. In today's age of technology it is perfectly feasible to come up with any number of mechanisms that could be employed to make sure that genuine punters who wish to attend events have a fair and unbiased crack at getting tickets at prices set by the artist and not marked up, and at the same time - in the event they genuinely cannot attend, to be able to effectively 'transfer' the ticket into someone else's name. If the logistics of doing this kind of stuff become too tedious, then a different form of self-regulation will kick in. The people that pursue this re-selling lark on an industrial scale will simply be put off by the 'effort' involved and conclude that the rewards are no longer there for the amount of effort required to get rid of tickets that were not bought by the eventual end user ....

But it needs serious forethought and most importantly ... the will ... to put measures in place that will actually have this desired effect and tip the balance of what currently goes on in favour of the humble 'event attendee', and not the @#$%& industrial scale scalper !!

Will the UK government actually find this will ? I f***ing doubt it !!

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-30 15:01 by paulywaul.

Check this out [www.governor.ny.gov] in regards to "ticket bots"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-30 13:23 by TheGreek.

Worth a read ... if like me you're interested in tracking the events and developments that will invariably end in 'intervention' of the legislative kind ...

[www.theguardian.com]

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

Yesterday tickets went on sale for Adele at Wembley stadium they sold out but you can get one on Viagogo for 65 grand

Nate ><

Quote
Nate
Yesterday tickets went on sale for Adele at Wembley stadium they sold out but you can get one on Viagogo for 65 grand

Nate ><

That's very reasonable ... I'll take half a dozen !!

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

I'm beginning to think that every time there's an inquiry into this, more MPs find out there's another way to make money and buy shares in Viagogo, TM, AXS etc etc ...........it's the only explanation of the continuing scandal !

I'm edging towards politics , so will stop there !

sc uk



PS The legit site AXS are even more corrupt IMO

Fascinating piece here

[www.musictank.co.uk]

I like the sound of the Fanfair Alliance #ToutsOut

Quote
johnnythunders
Fascinating piece here

[www.musictank.co.uk]

I like the sound of the Fanfair Alliance #ToutsOut

FANTASTIC article exposing the REALITY of modern day INDUSTRIAL SCALE scalping, thanks ever so much for posting !

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

Quote
johnnythunders
Fascinating piece here

[www.musictank.co.uk]

I like the sound of the Fanfair Alliance #ToutsOut

Very interesting and it's high time something is done about this.
I have never purchased a ticket from any of these secondary ticket sites but I would pay good money for 5 minutes with these mutherfxckxxs.

Nate

This should shake things up a little, it sounds like (albeit in very small incremental steps) the UK government is finally getting its head around the fact that there is a problem with industrial scale scalping/touting, and that the secondary market as represented by Seatwave, Getmein, Viagogo, and Stubhub - continues to take the P*** and flout the law with respect to the information they are supposed to provide about tickets listed with them; i.e. 'minor' details like the f***ing seat number for example !!

[www.bbc.co.uk]

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