Did you score Hannah Montana tickets?

The show of the year (at least for 10-year old girls) is upon us. Were you able to get those most coveted Hannah Montana concert tickets? If not, figuring out who to blame may be as elusive as getting the tickets in the first place.

For parents out of the concert scene, this new Internet-induced world of ticket sales has been a real eye-opener. Ticketmaster, the company responsible for selling the tickets in the first place, is placing the blame solely on a technology company named RMG and the ticket brokers that use their technology. RMG’s technology enables these brokers to jump to the head of the line and snag the majority of tickets to hot shows.

Clearly, this technology and the ticket brokers that use it are making the process less fair for families looking for tickets; however, focusing solely on new technology will not solve anything. Unfortunately, the state attorneys general who are now investigating this issue are following Ticketmaster’s lead and not looking into the much deeper issues involved.

With music sales slumping, concert promoters are using every trick possible to create “hype” for upcoming concert tours. According to Billboard Magazine, “given production considerations and ‘holds’ for fan clubs and other constituencies, the actual number of tickets that may be available to the general public for a given show may be only a few thousand, even if the listed capacity of the venue is 18,000 or more.” Much like an empty nightclub keeping a line of potential customers waiting outside, these promoters are focused on building hype through manufactured scarcity.

To make matters worse, Ticketmaster has done relatively little to police its site and implement new technologies that ensure fair ticket sales. If they had taken the necessary to steps to stay ahead of RMG’s technology, parents may have had a better chance of getting one of the few tickets actually sold through Ticketmaster.

So, what’s a parent to do? Many have turned to the secondary ticket market, a place that gives fans another option for purchasing the tickets they couldn’t get through Ticketmaster. But many ask, at what price?

Like any other open market system, supply and demand drive price. Some tickets may command prices that are well in excess of face value, however, what is often overlooked is that 40% of all tickets resold on the secondary market are sold for less than face value. In the end, the online marketplace is a fair and convenient way for consumers to access tickets if they were unable to get them directly from Ticketmaster or are looking for lower prices on less popular shows.

Much can be done to improve the fairness of the current ticket system. Promoters can ensure that more than a few thousand tickets are available to the general public, and Ticketmaster can do more to prevent ticket brokers from getting an unfair advantage. It may not put Hannah Montana tickets in your hand this time around, but there’s always the next tour.

Steve DelBianco
Executive Director of the NetChoice Coalition

Comments

[Miley Cyrus Fan]

Having only, up to this point, enjoyed Miley Cryus's music on the television and internet, I've never given much thought to the troubles and hassles of obtaining concert tickets via Ticketmaster or anywhere. I appreciate this information being posted.