Control vs. Fans Rights

Control vs. Fans Rights

Earlier this afternoon, a panel discussion at Ticket Summit in Las Vegas entitled, ‘The Merger” was held to discuss the Live Nation / Ticketmaster merger that was approved by the Justice Department earlier this year. The panelists included Jeff Kline of Veritix, Doug Lyons of Tickets.com, and Don Vaccaro of ticketnetwork. For ticket brokers, the timing of the panel discussion could not have been better as almost simultaneously, Live Nations stock price is being hammered by news of a revenue dip…

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Resale Prices: What Goes Up…

Resale Prices: What Goes Up…

This article is a follow-up on a concern often expressed by readers and friends alike that for one reason or another, a particular concerts ticket prices will not come down because everyone want tickets to that show! Most recently, I have been asked specifically about Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. During my research, which was a few years ago, I observed resale ticket prices on the internet for more than 150 concerts over the course of a two year history….

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SOLD OUT? Three Strategies for Getting Tickets

SOLD OUT? Three Strategies for Getting Tickets

It’s been about three years since I originally wrote this post. I came back here to check it for relevance and made a couple of light edits. This is still by far one of the most common questions that are posed when people ask about tickets. Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Madonna, [insert] your favorite team… in each case, the below are consistently applicable methods for finding tickets for events where tickets are not available for sale on Ticketmaster.com…

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N.Y. State Ticket Report: Where’s the Data?

N.Y. State Ticket Report: Where’s the Data?

New York City is an exceptionally vibrant market for secondary market ticket sales. In the U.S. the Big Apple is nearly head to head with Las Vegas in scalping activity and high resale prices.  It is no secret that New York has sought to curb ticket resale through various forms of legislation over the years. In June 2007 the states position changed when then Governor Eliot Spitzer opened ticket resale to the free market. The bill is presently extended through June…

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Wiseguys Tickets: Good for Fed’s, Bad for Resellers

Wiseguys Tickets: Good for Fed’s, Bad for Resellers

The recent allegations against Wiseguy Tickets represents a step forward for law enforcement in the illegal and unfair practice of hacking primary ticket seller websites to get the best tickets. Simultaneously, this case represents a step backward for ticket resellers.

Q&A: Best Time to Buy on the Street

Q&A: Best Time to Buy on the Street

This post is in reply to a message from my email bag. Elie asks the question, “How late may I show up after the face-off of an NHL game and be able to grab cheap tickets?” This question was asked in follow up to my article titled “Buying from a Scalper”. This question is a bit tricky. The best time to buy a ticket from a scalper at any event – regardless of the kind of event – is dependent…

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Battle of the Ticket Geeks

Battle of the Ticket Geeks

While doing ticket resale research in 2006, I met with some friends at Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square to discuss the possibility of starting a website that aggregated ticket price data to find the best resale values. I knew it would be a cool idea, but the revenue model was fuzzy so I let it go by the wayside. Lucky for ticket buyers, others armed with similar ideas were willing to see the vision to fruition. There are two I…

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Do Journalists Understand Ticket Resale?

Do Journalists Understand Ticket Resale?

A consistent trend in ticket resale journalism is the “drive-by” nature of reporting on the topic. Many journalists write about ticket resale (a.k.a. ticket scalping) with a seemingly narrow and incomplete understanding of the subject matter. The result is reporting that is less than complete and a public that does not truly understand what really fuels the secondary market and how it may or may not benefit the general public. A good example of incomplete reporting is John Seabrook’s piece…

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Ticketmaster’s Net Down 70%: Good News for Fans

Ticketmaster’s Net Down 70%: Good News for Fans

This past week, TicketMaster reported it’s second quarter earnings were down seventy percent (70%!). This news combined with recent reports that resold ticket prices for popular acts are selling well below face value means it is ‘super value ticket’ time for fans. Here are a couple of pointers for playing into these market dynamics. First, if you prefer to buy from Ticketmaster or Live Nation and do not see the seats you want onsale right away, return to the site…

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Resold Tickets Pose New Challenge

Resold Tickets Pose New Challenge

At last weeks Ticket Summit in Las Vegas, the leaders StubHub, Ticket Network and Razor Gator each explained that resold ticket prices are dropping on increased supply. Don Vaccaro, CEO of Ticket Network stated that “average [resold] ticket prices were down 15%.” This story is consistent with StubHub’s statement that average ticket prices are down $20 to $140 from last year. Lower prices coupled with increase supply suggests that growth in the secondary market means better values for fans. It…

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