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.
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.
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.
Steve DelBianco
Executive Director of the NetChoice Coalition
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.
Posted by: Miley Cyrus Fan | July 29, 2008 at 08:34 PM