Ticket Brokers

[Ilph]

Since we've all talked about our distaste for ticket brokers, I thought this would be interesting. Chris Rock was on Howard Stern yesterday morning, and here's a quote from him in relation to Clear Channel and how many tickets they give out to ticket brokers early.

“They (Clear Channel) own everything…..They own the radio station, they own the concert venues, they own the billboards. But, you know what else they own? They own the ticket broker. So some nights I’d go out there and there’s like no black people for me and I go ‘what happened?’ and I’d be talking to people backstage and they go ‘well I paid four hundred dollars for your ticket’ that they bought it through a broker that Clear Channel actually owned.”

Chris Rock
on the Clear Channel monolopy.

[ashaway1]

clear channel sux, i cant stand that if i want to see a quality concert i have to go to a clear channel owned venue, i have never understood how scalping tickets is not legal but ticket brokers are?

[moog]

You can complain to the town that the broker does business in, and if enough complaints come in about over price tickets then the ball can start rolling on opening their books. Nothing will get done here. This is in general, not to any poster in here. Chris Rock made a good observation that a few folks have made public. Will anyone listen? Most likely not.

[skink]

There was an article in Chicago Sun Times I believe about how the cubs do the same thing. They sell a percentage of Cubs tickets to brokers that they own. Supposedly there was going to be an investigation. I'd love to see that investigation extend to Clear Channel. I'll try to find the article but it was at least six months ago.

[skink]

I coudln't find the original article I was looking for, but here are three describing what the Cubs do and why it is legal (what a joke). I'd be willing to bet Clear Channel has the same kind of network setup.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/couch/cs ... reg31.html
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/c ... tix25.html
http://www.suntimes.com/output/couch/cs ... eg171.html

[Ilph]

You can complain to the town that the broker does business in, and if enough complaints come in about over price tickets then the ball can start rolling on opening their books. Nothing will get done here. This is in general, not to any poster in here. Chris Rock made a good observation that a few folks have made public. Will anyone listen? Most likely not.

Oh, I'm not trying to get anything started. Just thought some people might like to hear this. I had never heard of it before yesterday.

[Buffett PHan]

[quote][/quote]

[Buffett PHan]

Ticket Brokers are just another branch of organized crime's long arm. Chicago is one of the worst places.......many major tickets brokers are home based there. I'd bet the investigation of the Chicago Cubs ticket selling practices doesn't get too far.......it's organized crime's other arm doing the investigating. It's kinda like the 9/11 Commission Panel investigating (trying to blame/cover up) who did or didn't do what.

[PA PAR8 HED]

Wow those articles were ridiculous! Why not just raise the face value of the good seats and call it a day? Charge the brokers $250 for floor seats, there is less profit for them and they'll go out of business. And we'll sit in the nosebleeds like we always do, or have a shot at $250 floor seats if we were gonna pay that anyway.

[Buffett PHan]

The Chicago Ticket Brokers got hit hard by the Chicago Blackhawks ticket prices few years back. The Brokers used to buy up all the seats on the glass (Row 1) until the price was raised to $250.00 each. Now they have a tough time selling them above that $250 face value price when Row 2 on up are only $75.00 each. Well...., that and the Blackhawks not doing so well.........