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ForeverAutumn
02-04-2009, 05:43 PM
I've questioned the legitimacy of TicketsNow in the past. I'm glad to see that someone is finally taking notice of this Ticketbastard affiliate and is investigating their sales practice.


A LETTER TO OUR FANS:
We know there was much confusion regarding Ticketmaster and TicketsNow during last Monday's on-sale dates. We were as confused as you were, as we were given no advance notice of the major changes in the Ticketmaster-TicketsNow world. (Bear in mind that we are not clients of any ticketing company, and that all those arrangements are between venues and ticketing companies.)

Last Monday, we were informed that Ticketmaster was redirecting your log-in requests for tickets at face value, to their secondary site TicketsNow, which specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value. They did this even when other seats remained available at face value. We condemn this practice.

We perceive this as a pure conflict of interest. Ticketmaster is there to ensure that we have a good, fair sale of our tickets at their face value plus normal ticketing charges. TicketsNow is supposed to be a secondary site where people who already have tickets may exchange, trade, and, unfortunately, speculate with them. We have asked this redirection from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow cease and desist immediately and Ticketmaster has agreed to do so in the future and has removed its unwanted material from their and our site.

We know the many cynical arguments some make in favor of the Ticketmaster system: There are rumors that some artists or managers participate in Ticketmaster charges--we do not. There are rumors that some artists or managers are receiving a percentage of the amount above face value at secondary outlets like TicketsNow--we do not. Some artists or managers may not perceive there to be a conflict between having the distributor of their tickets in effect "scalping" those same tickets through a secondary company like TicketsNow--we do.

While many of you have sent notes to us and your local promoters, you may also send accurate informational letters to Albert Lopez of Ticketmaster and he will try to address your questions.

A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team


STATEMENT FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF NEW JERSEY'S OFFICE
Division of Consumer Affairs
Press Release

Attorney General
Anne Milgram Division of Consumer Affairs, Director
David Szuchman

For Immediate Release:
February 4, 2009 For Further Information Contact:
Jeff Lamm, 973-504-6327

Attorney General Investigating Ticket Sales for Springsteen Concert

NEWARK - The Office of the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs are investigating Monday's sale of Bruce Springsteen concerts tickets after consumers complained about problems they encountered during attempted online purchases.

"Consumers are questioning what transpired and if they had an equal opportunity to purchase these concert tickets. We share these concerns and are investigating this matter," Attorney General Anne Milgram said.

More than 250 consumer complaints have been received as of midday today. The Division of Consumer Affairs has placed an icon labeled "Bruce Springsteen/Ticketmaster Complaints" on its main web page for consumers to link to an online complaint form. The Division's web page is located at http://www.njConsumerAffairs.gov

Consumer Affairs investigators will review submitted complaints to determine how the online sales process was conducted and whether any violations of the state's Consumer Fraud Act or ticket resale law occurred.

nightflier
02-04-2009, 05:55 PM
I for one hate TM. They strong arm concert/sports venues, particularly the smaller guys, into signing contracts that guaranty them 70% or more of the face value of the damn tickets. And for what? for printing the ticket on a glossy card and maybe a guaranteed seat? And how much work really goes into selling a general admission ticket? If I was a big name artist with a decent rep, I'd go out of my way to bypass TM. Now that they've bought out all their major competitors, and they are pretty much the only ticket sellers out there, it's not only a racket, but also a monopoly. I hope there's a politician out there with the cojones to slap a Ma-Bell-style breakup on them.