The Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger is less than a month old and the newly combined company is already raising ticket prices.

Ticketsnow, the secondary ticket market subsidiary of Ticketmaster, announced today that they will be increasing service charges on buyers to an astounding 18.5% post transaction!

As a point of reference, the average price of a ticket sold on Stubhub in 2008 was $133. Assuming prices increased about 5-10% over the past two years we can say that the current average ticket price on Ticketsnow is about $150. And since most people buy a pair of tickets, a transaction on Ticketsnow could run you about $300. Tack on that 18.5% service fee and that’s an extra $55! At SaveFans! we only charge $5. Do Ticketmaster and Live Nation really need this additional $50? I thought this newly merged company was supposed to LOWER the cost of tickets???

We have been reporting on a variety of Ticketmaster – TicketsNow complaints:

- Ticketmaster and TicketsNow have been using websites masquerading as affiliates of venues, promoters, teams, and artists to trick the public into paying OVER face value for tickets thinking they were getting them FOR face value direct from the source. Full Story»

- During an on sale for Bruce Springsteen tickets last year Ticketmaster claimed they had a site malfunction and redirected buyers to Ticketsnow where tickets were offered for prices higher than face value. Curiously Ticketmaster was informing these buyers that the show was sold out when it was not. Full Story»

A few weeks back we told fans about TicketDisaster.org, a website urging ticket buying consumers to sign a petition blocking the proposed Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger. Well it seems like TicketDisaster is not the only organization opposed to the deal which will in effect give one company control over all aspects of the live events industry.

And guess how Ticketmaster and Live Nation deal with opposition??? Pay them off!

TM-LN are so desperate to push their merger through congress that Live Nation has reportedly offered to sell some of their venues for BELOW MARKET VALUE to Anschultz Entertainment Group (AEG). This is in response to AEG CEO and president Tim Leiweke calling the merger “troubling” and “not good for the industry.”

As a condition of selling these marked down venues Ticketmaster and Live Nation are asking AEG to drop their opposition to the merger. Isn’t this called corporate bribery?

As if this story isn’t troubling enough here are some other things you should know about Ticketmaster business practices that could only get worse if the merger goes through:

- Ticketmaster and TicketsNow have been using websites masquerading as affiliates of venues, promoters, teams, and artists to trick the public into paying OVER face value for tickets thinking they were getting them FOR face value direct from the source. Full Story»

- Ticketmaster secretly sells tickets on behalf of artists for over face value through their “official platinum seats” program on Ticketexchange. Full Story» (plus screen shot proof)

- Ticketmaster secretly offered over $1.5 million worth of Britney Spears tickets on Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster.ca through this Ticketexchange program. The price Ticketmaster listed for her show in Las Vegas was as high as $2,698.44 per ticket!!!!!! Full Story» (plus screen shot proof)

- During an on sale for Bruce Springsteen tickets last year Ticketmaster claimed they had a site malfunction and redirected buyers to Ticketsnow where tickets were offered for prices higher than face value. Curiously Ticketmaster was informing these buyers that the show was sold out when it was not. Full Story»

One can only imagine what post-merger Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and TicketsNow is capable of…

Look who’s in the news AGAIN? Wouldn’t you know its the darkest dynamic duo in the world of tickets… Ticketmaster and TicketsNow.

In the latest episode of Ticket Wars the Illinois Attorney General office has uncovered a dastardly plot by Ticketmaster to defraud consumers. The evil geniuses at Ticketmaster and TicketsNow have been using websites masquerading as affiliates of venues, promoters, teams, and artists to trick the public into paying OVER face value for tickets thinking they were getting them FOR face value direct from the source. Over 100 websites have since been shut down and TicketsNow has been ordered to pay $50k for consumer fraud enforcement and education.

Original photo by Adam Bronkhorst

Damn and we thought they were bad with their TicketExchange deception…

It appears as if these guys hide behind more masks than Darth Vader and The Green Goblin combined. And just like in comic books our newest villain TicketMASKer just wont go away. Luckily we are here to serve and protect. So until next time fans… Same SaveFans! time, same SaveFans! blog.

As I’m sure many of you know the recent Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band shows at the Izod Center caused quite a big ticket controversy. At the center of this controversy was Ticketmaster’s handling of these sold out shows, redirecting unknowing buyers to Ticketsnow where they could purchase tickets for over face value (I guess this is better than them secretly selling tickets on TicketExchange – but that’s a whole different blog post).

Well a recent report based on data from the Open Public Records Act shows an even more compelling story. Apparently The Boss himself is responsible for a large quantity of tickets that were held back from the ticket buying public. According to this data 2262 tickets were withheld from fans with 1018 out of 1126 best tickets (the four closest sections to the stage) not being available during the public sale.).

Where did these tickets go? You got it… Bruce’s band, agent, family, record label, and New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority! And guess what? This is ILLEGAL. NJ state law allows for an artist to withhold a maximum 5% of an arena for family, record labels, fan clubs etc. Bruce’s camp scooped up a whopping 12% of the building. And to top it off not one of these tickets were located in the upper deck, only the very best for Springsteen and his posse.).

So it appears as if Bruce Springsteen doesn’t want his real fans anywhere near the stage. And obviously Ticketmaster wants them to buy tickets for the maximum possible price on Ticketsnow and TicketExchange. The solution? Just go to SaveFans! and pay what YOU want for tickets!

If you want a better view than this try trading tickets with Bruce’s uncle. He is sitting in one of the 1,018 floor seats not released by Ticketmaster.

Source Credits:

Concert Photo by Alex Hempton-Smith

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…

Source Credits:

Miley Cyrus Concert Photo by Vicky Sedgwick

No Access Badge Photo by landacollectible

Screenshot of TicketMaster TicketExchange page source

Hannah Montana, TicketMaster, TicketsNow, and TicketExchange are trademarks of their respective owners.

I know I mostly write about concerts, but I love me some sports and I am extra excited about the 2009 NBA Playoffs. This is a magical time of year and this year’s race is wide open. I mean I love LeBron James, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are the Top Seed in the East? Spare me! Anyone has a chance this year baby!

SaveFans.com has you covered for any round or game of the NBA Playoffs you want to see. That said we do have some special recommendations for all you lovely people across the country.

NBA Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at American Airlines Arena on April 18
NBA Western Conference First Round Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 18
NBA Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Staples Center on April 18
NBA Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18

There you go people. The lowest prices and cheaper rates than StubHub or TicketsNow. Four great games in Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. Thank me later.

So, I was watching TV today – hungover and tired from last night’s escapades. Flipping the channels and lo and behold everyone’s favorite feel good film Almost Famous pops up on HBO. It was the scene where the kid reporter was freaking out when suddenly Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” hit’s the airwaves. Before long Billy Crudup and the less talented actors were chiming in and all is right in the world – fantastic.

Anyways, my point is simple. Elton John is great and he is even better in concert. Get your Elton John Event Tickets at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas or see him in concert with Billy Joel. We think it is worth your time, so I want to recommend a view venues for the Elton John and Billy Joel spectacular myself.

Elton John & Billy Joel Event Tickets at The Palace of Auburn Hills on May 21
Elton John & Billy Joel Event Tickets at Quicken Loan Arena on May 23
Elton John & Billy Joel Event Tickets at Air Canada Centre on May 26
Elton John & Billy Joel Event Tickets at Air Canada Centre on May 30

There you have it. Four shows in three cities (Detroit, Cleveland, and Toronto). Cheapest prices and rates for real buddy.

Enjoy Tiny Dancer!

Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, America’s Poet, King of Jersey is coming to a city near you! Don’t miss his final concert tour.

The SaveFans.com marketplace always has the hookup people! We have the cheapest prices and rates that are guaranteed cheaper than StubHub and TicketsNow. Additionally, I am always going to be here to guide the hardcore fans and give them the 411 on the most coveted Bruce Springsteen tickets!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 15
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 16
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at the TD Banknorth Garden on April 21
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at the TD Banknorth Garden on April 22
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at the Wachovia Spectrum on April 28
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at the Wachovia Spectrum on April 29
Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews Event Tickets at Madison Square Garden on May 3
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Event Tickets at Air Canada Centre on May 7

Eight shows in five cities (Los Angeles, California, Boston, Massachusetts, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Canada) . Ladies and Gentleman Bruce Springsteen live from Paris, France – Born in the USA music video !

Say what you will but the boys from Canada can move concert tickets! So many Nickelback shows sold out already…never fear because SaveFans! is here.

We got the cheapest Nickelback tickets on the market. Additionally, as always I want to recommend of a few specific shows that will make you the envy of your friends. Not sure what else I can do people!

Nickelback Event Tickets at Alltel Arena on April 19
Nickelback Event Tickets at Jacksonville Memorial Veteran Center on April 22
Nickelback Event Tickets at Sound Advice Amphitheater on April 25
Nickelback Event Tickets at Ford Amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds on April 26

That’s right four shows in Arkansas and Florida. Dirty South in the house.

One more treat…