In the run up to the 2009 summer concert season, anticipation builds among fans for the chance to see their favorite bands live. As ticket sales commence nation-wide, so does the rankor among fans about their in ability to get good tickets (or any tickets for that matter) at a reasonable price.

It is unclear what triggered Trent Reznor to speak up on his bands community forum about the ticket pricing and scalping situation, but he did and in doing so, provided some helpful insight into the frustration and difficulties bands encounter in dealing with a system does not serve the best interests of fans.

In his note, Reznor correctly points out two issues, while failing to address one important issue:

1. TicketMaster does not efficiently sell ticket and their selling methods basically invite scalping. Even when they know for a fact that their systems practically welcome scalping, they do nothing to fix the problem.

2. Reznor correctly speculates that if the TicketMaster/LiveNation merger go through, the company would begin selling tickets via auction, which would raise prices for the best tickets.

What Trent failed to explain is why his legendary band, and others are not coming together to more aggressively counter a system that clearly does not make artists feel they are serving fans. Is the TicketMaster Live Nation machine so powerful that ten or twenty major artists cannot induce some kind of change? It is kind of sad, fans don’t like the system, most bands don’t like the system, WHO DOES want to keep things status quo and how is it that the person who drives the gravy train – the artist – is powerless?