It seems like the folks at Ticketmaster are a little confused about fair play and consumer rights. Case and point – the new “paperless tickets” Ticketmaster is requiring for the upcoming Miley Cyrus tour.
This new feature requires concertgoers to buy tickets from Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster.ca with a credit card, then use the credit card along with photo id at the gate to get in. You got that right, you and 18,000+ fans will have to wait in line while each and every credit card is scanned at the door. If you get sick or have a change of plans you cannot transfer your ticket, and for all you soccer moms, you will have to pay for parking and walk your teenage daughter all the way to the entrance for her and her friends to get in (who will be embarrassed to be standing next to you at the hottest event of the year).
Now the funny part in this sad mess is the alleged reason for implementing the paperless ticket policy. Here is the direct quote from the Miley Cyrus tour page on Ticketmaster.
“Why? To ensure fans get fair access to seats at face value-the only way to get into the event is with the credit card used to purchase the tickets.”
Well I hope the CEO of Ticketmaster Irving Azoff doesn’t have a daughter and if he does I hope she’s not a Miley Cyrus fan because Ticketmaster has been selling tickets for over face value for years!
Ticketmaster has been retailing tickets through “high bid win” type auctions on Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster.ca since 2003. Coincidentally enough Ticketmaster actually offered these auctions for the Hannah Montana Miley Cyrus “Best of Both Worlds Tour” in 2007 with seats for the Oracle Arena show on Nov 1st selling for over $2,000! Wow talk about ensuring “fair access to seats at face value”!
It gets even better… Currently you can buy a Miley Cyrus “VIP package” at iloveallaccess.com (owned by Ticketmaster of course) for $295 per ticket (face value is $79.50). Now there are amazing amenities included in this package such as a tour laminate (which doesn’t include backstage access) a pre-show party (which Miley Cyrus will not attend) and “hassle free” shopping (so you can more conveniently spend $75 on a t-shirt). And get this, these wonderful features are subject to change without notice. Since I can go to Kinkos and make a laminate for $5 and I’d rather wait in the paperless ticketing line outside the venue than attend a preshow party with no appearance from Miley Cyrus. I think I can pretty confidently say I would be paying $295 for the guaranteed first 25 row ticket to the show. An honest person might call this paying above face value for a premium seat.
The icing on the cake is Ticketmaster spent $250 million to acquire TicketsNow, a leading secondary ticketing site that sells tickets for over face value! We won’t even get into recent litigation that alleges Ticketmaster redirected potential Bruce Springsteen ticket buyers to TicketsNow and confused them into paying over face value for tickets.
To make things worse Ticketmaster has built TicketExchange, a marketplace that allows fans in the U.S. and Canada to buy and sell tickets directly on Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster.ca. Well wouldn’t you know that a vast majority of these tickets are being offered by Ticketmaster for… what do you know… over face value! They now call them “official platinum seats” and proclaim
“the goal is to give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the best tickets, while enabling artists and other people involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their true value.”
Seems to contradict their paperless ticket policy quote, cited earlier…
For over a year now Ticketmaster has been selling tickets on TicketExchange for over face value for some of the biggest artists in the biz. Elton John & Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Van Halen, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, New Kids on the Block, Steely Dan, The Eagles (just to name a few).
I know the world in 2009 is a confusing place. But I mean, c’mon Ticketmaster… Are you going to restrict consumer rights with a “paperless tickets” policy that attempts to ensure tickets are available for face value, OR are you going to sell tickets over face value on your TicketExchange and TicketsNow subsidiaries? Just pick a side and stick with it!
Too Bad Ticketmaster Makes it such a Hassle to see Miley…
Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world! Great nightlife and beautiful women to boot – what more could a red blooded boy want! Anyways, as always I want to provide you with the 411 on the best live events occurring in YOUR hometown! So without further delay, allow me to recommend the top events in Vancouver, Canada from May 15 through May 28.
Scott Weiland at Commodore Ballroom Event Tickets – The former frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver may have his problems, but the man can flat out sing. Tell me you aren’t fired up about this one my Canadians!
Saturday May 23
Jay Mohr at River Rock Show Theatre Tickets – TV sitcom and film star Jay Mohr is making his first appearance in Canada in over a year. Be there to witness this pillar of comedy kill with his ‘grey’ material.
Saturday May 24
Animal Collective at Commodore Ballroom Event Tickets – The hippest of the Hipsters from America are coming to a Vancouver near YOU! I have seen these guys perform live multiple times and will be in attendance on this night as well. Love me some Animal Collective.
As always we here at SaveFans.com are dedicated to bringing you the 411 on an event near you. Today we focus on one of my favorite cities Boston, Massachusetts baby! Beantown, we love that dirty water!
Without further delay, these are my top ticket event recommendations for Boston from May 11 through May 17.
Monday May 11
Third Eye Blind at the House of Blues Event Tickets – Do you remember these guys? I remember that they owned the video rotation on MTV when I was in high school. I also remember them being pretentious Check them out for the novelty effect bros.
Toronto is a great city. Reminds me so much of my humble home in Los Angeles, California – never a dull moment in the Great White North!
As always, we want to provide you with the 411 on the best upcoming events in an area NEAR YOU! So without further delay, permit me to recommend the top events in Toronto, Canada from May 6 through May 10th!
The City of Angels Baby, famous for playing host to the Lakers, Dodgers, and tens of thousands of beautiful women. Love this city for reel.
Your favorite events blogger wants to provide all our readers with weekly round-ups featuring the best YOUR city has to offer in live events. Whether you enjoy concerts, sports, or theater, SaveFans.com will provide the 411 and list the cheapest tickets available.
Without further fanfare, please let me introduce the Events Jump-Off for Los Angeles, California!
OK, so The Dead tickets are under performing. SaveFans.com is your favorite secondary ticket market because we provide you purchasing guidance that will ultimately save you cash.
This is a rare situation people because a lot of tickets are selling BELOW FACE VALUE. Jump on that baby!
If you will permit me, I recommend these shows in particular:
In honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday – we put together a list of the Top 10 Catholic Musicians of all time! Of course, you know we are going to focus on pop and rock and are totally going to ignore Luciano Pavarotti and all that kind of noise. So without further delay, in descending order – Your Top 10 list.
This South African idol was raised Catholic and attended their notoriously fun schools for most of his boyhood. While, he has recently declared himself to be Agnostic – which is the celebrity trend these days – I have decided to ignore his wishes and include him on our list.
I also want to inform my treasured readers that Dave Matthews Band is on tour and that we have set up a page for you to browse. Thank me later.
Number #9 Nicole Scherzinger aka Nicole Elikolani Prescovia Valiente of the Pussy Cat Dolls
OK, I admit the Pussy Cat Dolls are completely worthless. Additionally, Nicole doesn’t seem to be very talented. However, you have to admit that she has a nice rack. Truly great – it seems like the tabloids and media are really pushing this point home in recent months. And people, I am buying.
Number #8 Frankie Valli aka Francesco Stephen Castelluccio and the Four Seasons
This is my old school surprise choice and secret fascination. I mean we are talking about an ant of a guy with a woman’s voice that nonetheless was a legendary lady killer in his day. For example, how many people know that the sweet and innocent sounding “Oh What a Night” is about a one night stand…with a prostitute!
Also, I love that this guy is getting more recognition due to the success of the theater show Jersey Boys. I know it sounds funny, but you gotta see the show. Take my advice and skim the Jersey Boys tickets page we set up just for you!
While, I hate her music I happen to think Xtina is hot with a nice set of…vocal cords. Managed by the most evil guy in the biz – Irving Azoff – this former Mousekateer has moved lots of merchandise and concert tickets. A saner version of Britney Spears really.
Catholic roots – good enough for me. Then again do I even need to defend this? These guys sang about “Personal Jesus” and put together the extravagant Playing the Angels tour. Safe to say these guys have a spiritual streak.
Lucky for you dear readers, the band is on tour and we set up a Depeche Mode tickets page for you to browse. Also, try to get to these shows in particular as the industry is abuzz about some surprise.
OK, why is this French Canadian on this list I hear ya. But, let’s be honest. This girl can sing. No one has the vocal cords that she does and almost no modern singer has been able to match her commercial success. She has made untold of gobs of money putting on that show at Caesars Palace. Gotta give some respect.
I am torn about her conclusion her for two reasons. One, she abandoned the Church of Rome and is now into Kabbalah or some shit. Second, I already put her on the Five Worst Jewish Musicians of All Time list. Basically, she used to have a good career so she gets included on the “Good” Catholic list for her past achievements.
That said people, Madonna can rock out. I saw her in Los Angeles earlier this year and you need to see her live to really appreciate her music. Because SaveFans.com got the hookup we set up a browsers page for you to find Madonna Tickets near you!
The Boss, America’s Poet and all that Jazz. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band really do know how to put on a show as they demonstrated in the last Super Bowl. Take it from me. Check out his last ever tour and find the Bruce Springsteen tickets that are right for you! Look out for a few of the premier shows including their special Clearwater Concert at the Madison Square Garden featuring the Dave Matthews Band.
Who else did you think it was going to be? Bono, The Edge, and co. have been representing for Catholics for years! Whether it is fighting to end hunger, poverty, or AIDs, the boys from Ireland are center stage and constantly affirming their faith. Granted you got to wonder sometime, I mean was I the only once that saw the photos of Bono cavorting with those teenage and underdressed girls aboard his yacht earlier this year? Not that I gotta problem with that – that earns him points in my book.
Got a problem with Bono? Tell him yourself as his tour is re-routing back to the United States. We set up a U2 Tickets page for you guys and also encourage you to check out the following specific dates as these are the can’t miss shows!
In commemoration of Passover, we have put together an all-time contender list of the Top 10 Jewish musicians. We have interviewed the experts, put a lot of thought into this (15 minutes tops) and are pretty comfortable saying that this is the list that will be referenced for many a Passover to come! To add to the suspense, we are going to start with Number #10 and work our way down to el mero mero / Big Boss Number #1. Yeah – I am pumped!
Personally, I am not a big KISS fan. But, hey this is a guy who has slept with THOUSANDS of women. That is amazing and I am in awe. Additionally, I admire his savvy as a marketer. After all, we are talking about someone who many consider to be more a business man than a musician (talkin about you Bob Leftez).
Perry Farrell, currently masquerading around an LA club near you as DJ Peretz is a genius. I know that most people agree with me on this, but I still feel like he doesn’t get enough love from mainstream hacks and the casual listener. I once watched him live and I have to tell you – the founder of Jane’s Addiction, Lollapalooza brings the noise.
My surprise choice! But, hey Randy is a talented songwriter and composer with a unique perspective. Plus how many times do you hear morning talk shows and sports teams rocking out to “I Love LA” in Los Angeles? Gotta show Randy some love.
My lone group choice is going in mid-list. The boys from Brooklyn were representing Jews and white people alike in the rap game years before Eminem was around. Kudos to
Another old school choice. For those of you that don’t know, Burt Bacharach is basically the standard by which all musical writers are compared. Think “The Look of Love” and “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”. In my humble opinion, I think Burt can perform quite well and is obviously a world class pianist. Or maybe I am just saying this because my little sister is friends with his son and she said he is a down to earth guy. Whatever…
America’s favorite androgynous sweetheart. Famous for taking on the immensely creative persona of alien Mick Jagger – Bowie is a headline maker. For those of you that aren’t hip enough to know, Brazilian musician Seu Jorge – Knockout Ned from City of God – re-worked his Life in Mars album in Portuguese. Fantastic stuff.
Apart from his weak time wardrobe – Neil Diamond is a very talented man. Not exactly my cup of tea, but this guy knows how to move Neil Diamond concert tickets. Don’t mess with Neil.
I love Paul Simon. This is a musician’s musician with great material ranging from “Down by the School Yard” to that horrendous Daughter Song he released a few years back. Also kudos to Chevy Chase for appearing in his videos – that added to his credibility I am sure.
The original “America’s Poet” has been rocking out ever since he went electric. Bob Dylan is great and no one can touch him in terms of his artistic achievement. Even better he accomplished everything he set out to do without having any ability to sing! Crazy…
There are a lot of more deserving musicians who didn’t make this list (Billy Joel, Lou Reed etc). This is due to a number of reasons (alcohol, carelessness etc.) But I have to be honest – Diamond Dave is Number #1 in my book because he is a PIMP. I read his biography and was blown away. This guy ran through chicks like his name was Wilt Chamberlain. It is also inspiring to learn that you can become uber rich by completely disregarding your craft, whoring, and generally doing things your own way….the Diamond Dave way!
Name Your Own Price for Jimmy Buffett Tickets at SaveFans! While, we have tickets for all his shows, I wanted to highlight a few which I have reason to believe will be extra special!
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It seems like the folks at Ticketmaster are a little confused about fair play and consumer rights. Case and point – the new “paperless tickets” Ticketmaster is requiring for the upcoming Miley Cyrus tour.
It gets even better… Currently you can buy a Miley Cyrus “VIP package” at iloveallaccess.com (owned by Ticketmaster of course) for $295 per ticket (face value is $79.50). Now there are amazing amenities included in this package such as a tour laminate (which doesn’t include backstage access) a pre-show party (which Miley Cyrus will not attend) and “hassle free” shopping (so you can more conveniently spend $75 on a t-shirt). And get this, these wonderful features are subject to change without notice. Since I can go to Kinkos and make a laminate for $5 and I’d rather wait in the paperless ticketing line outside the venue than attend a preshow party with no appearance from Miley Cyrus. I think I can pretty confidently say I would be paying $295 for the guaranteed first 25 row ticket to the show. An honest person might call this paying above face value for a premium seat.
Check them out for the novelty effect bros.
