Government report on concert ticket prices (1 Viewer)

[IFF]

Sorry if there is already a thread on this

So the government released this report
Government report outlines measures to tackle ticket touts

One of the suggestions being to price tickets like airline seats.

Where I see this idea failing is for the most popular events, they are sold out in minutes

What will happen for those ones (the big ones where this would apply)? People in the first minute pay face value, second minute pay an additional 20% etc etc?

For those ones, the organisers have a pretty good idea that it will sell out quickly, with smaller ones it can be more difficult to estimate (I remember Steve mason being moved from button factory to crawdaddy, British sea power from academy to academy 2 for example)

I think it is a bad suggestion because I feel it ignores the reality of the high demand events

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I can't see any sense in that airline plan

 

[Theseus Mock]

Other areas examined in the report include measures to tackle so-called internet “bots” which block-book large numbers of tickets.

Ticketmaster website is a mess, I can't imagine bot makers have an easy time scraping tickets. And wouldn't you need access to a large number of credit cards given there's a max per customer?

The government need to outlaw Stubhub, seatwave, all those shitty sites facilitating touting. Donedeal/adverts.ie all need policies on above face value ticket selling, it's not like they're getting a % of the sale.

 

[IFF]

Those spot the images with such and such on ticketmaster, I find them difficult

 

[Unknown Convict]

smaller ones it can be more difficult to estimate (I remember Steve mason being moved from button factory to crawdaddy, British sea power from academy to academy 2 for example)

shakin' stevens being moved from the point to the bar upstairs in the point. allegedly.

 

[rettucs]

I've been grateful in the past that ticket touts exist. It only happened twice, but as an absolute last resort to get to 2 gigs I was desperate to be at, I paid over the odds for tickets.

Point being, though touts are absolute scum of the earth, there's an argument that this is just capitalism for you. It's basic economics - supply and demand. And how is it any different from someone buying something else and selling it on? You buy a concert ticket, that's now your property. Why shouldn't you be able to sell it on?

The airline ticket analogy was an interesting one, but not in the way I expected. If you buy a seat on a plane, that isn't actually your seat unless YOU physically turn up for it. If you don't, it's reassigned. I thought maybe something along those lines could be applied here, though I haven't a clue how it might work.

Anyway, I thought this was all resolved by what happened with Radiohead/Kate Bush tickets? Whoever buys the tickets is considered 'head' of that group, and much produce ID on the night. I don't know if many of those tickets ended up being touted - not unless the tout was leading the party into the gig and sitting with them (entirely possible, I suppose).

And, how many gigs is this really still a problem with? Fuck all, I'd imagine. Anyone who didn't get U2 tickets dodged a bullet, if you ask me.

 

[thickaspigshit]

Isnt it just to appease people who were 'lifelong fans' of U2 that didnt get tickets so the government can say ' ah sure we looked at it and it was too difficult to make the photocopier work so we took the rest of the day off instead' and go back to ticketbastard selling to their own tout agencies.

Nothing will change

 

[Lili Marlene]

Make ticket touts illegal, allow people to get refunds if they can't go and put those tickets on the door on a first come first serve basis.

Why will that not work?

 

[thickaspigshit]

First point agree, 2nd point assume will never work as with most things with tickets its the bother of reselling, which isnt the venues 'problem' to have to deal with. Unless it became some pawn shop scenario where you get say 50% back on returns.

If someone has bought a ticket and paid cash money they will want cash money back.
I just think the agencies and venues and promoters dont want the hassle so dont give a fck as theyve been paid.

 

[Lili Marlene]

First point agree, 2nd point assume will never work as with most things with tickets its the bother of reselling, which isnt the venues 'problem' to have to deal with. Unless it became some pawn shop scenario where you get say 50% back on returns.

Can we not just make it their problem? I mean, it's a gig in their venue, it's not like they're not involved.

If someone has bought a ticket and paid cash money they will want cash money back.
I just think the agencies and venues and promoters dont want the hassle so dont give a fck as theyve been paid.

Right yeah, although they clearly don't give a fuck about touts as it is or they'd have done something about it years ago so i'm not too worried about hurting their feelings.

I take your point that it'll never happen though,

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Regular theatres (The Gate, Gaiety, etc) do returns, I don't see why venues can't. These big gigs are almost always bought with credit cards or from an outlet, so getting a refund shouldn't be an issue and the ticket resold with a new barcode.

 

[rettucs]

Regular theatres (The Gate, Gaiety, etc) do returns, I don't see why venues can't. These big gigs are almost always bought with credit cards or from an outlet, so getting a refund shouldn't be an issue and the ticket resold with a new barcode.

I can see why they don't do that, particularly if the tickets have already been posted. It leaves things open to people selling them on via ebay, or whereever, to some poor unsuspecting sap who won't know the tickets have been cancelled until they arrive at the venue.

Though, if you ring ticketmaster and tell them the tickets you bought never arrived, they will do exactly what you described, but the new tickets must be picked up in person at the box off, just prior to the event.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Yeah but if everyone knows that returns will be available on the night, the eBay market will be reduced anyway.

 

[thickaspigshit]

I just think they cant be bothered, theatres are probably more accommodating and need the revenue and the clientele possibly more family oriented whereas gig venues are generally young scrotes and hipsters who would just abuse a resale/buy back scenario.
Imagine if say radiohead are playing at the Olympia and the gig sold out in 5 mins. They might have 200 ppl at the door hoping for a return.
Extreme comparison probably but venues have few ppl on box office duties usually one person and to deal with buying and selling and returning as well pickups they would have a meltdown.

 

[Lili Marlene]

I just think they cant be bothered, theatres are probably more accommodating and need the revenue and the clientele possibly more family oriented whereas gig venues are generally young scrotes and hipsters who would just abuse a resale/buy back scenario.

Imagine if say radiohead are playing at the Olympia and the gig sold out in 5 mins. They might have 200 ppl at the door hoping for a return.
Extreme comparison probably but venues have few ppl on box office duties usually one person and to deal with buying and selling and returning as well pickups they would have a meltdown.

Lets say you can only return tickets up to 48 hours before the gig. There'll still be a few touts but considerably less, especially if it's illegal. If the Olympia can't handle a queue then I don't have a lot of sympathy for it, it was around long before internet booking.


In regards abuse, i'd say ultimately the venues/mcd would moan about the extra work involved and would use it as an excuse to add on an extra couple of quid to ticket prices, more so out of punishment than with any real connection to the additional costs.

People have been decent to me before; on more than one occasion the box office person in Whelans offered me my money back when I had a spare ticket by selling it to the next person who turned up to buy on the door. People wha? They can be great sometimes.

 

[IFF]

i was looking at the national tickets on ticketmaster out of interest (i'm sure i have better things to do than looking at gig listings for events i won't go to but can't think of any of them. anyway i won't be going. I have two other gigs that weekend already)

but the note on ticketmaster says this

• ALL tickets are electronic Ticketmaster Paperless Tickets ONLY.
• Ticketmaster Paperless Tickets are NON TRANSFERABLE.
• At ENTRY you must provide the CREDIT CARD USED TO PURCHASE AND VALID PHOTO ID.
• Entire party MUST enter the venue at the same time

i haven't seen this for any gig before. although maybe it might be the size.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

i was looking at the national tickets on ticketmaster out of interest (i'm sure i have better things to do than looking at gig listings for events i won't go to but can't think of any of them. anyway i won't be going. I have two other gigs that weekend already)

but the note on ticketmaster says this

i haven't seen this for any gig before. although maybe it might be the size.

I think Iron Maiden was like that and the forthcoming Radiohead concert has similar rules.