Feds subpoena Ticketmaster over egregious concert ticket prices — A spokesperson for Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, said the firm doesn’t “feel comfortable” sharing information with Congress::A spokesperson for Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, said the firm doesn’t “feel comfortable” sharing information with Congress.

  • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I don’t feel comfortable with them essentially operating a monopoly that both consumers and artists detest. I don’t feel comfortable with paying exorbitant meaningless fees if I ever want to experience a live event. It’s never mattered what I’m comfortable with, I’ve always gotten fucked. I don’t care how uncomfortable they are, I hope they get absolutely destroyed by legal fees and go bankrupt.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Not just them, everyone doing it.

      We used to be able to get tickets to concerts at a small venue here by going into one of the music shops. No stupid fees, just whatever the ticket price was.

      The venue stopped selling through these stores semi recently, moved to an online service, and now there’s no less than 30% fees, sometimes as high as 40%.

      It’s absolutely ridiculous.

      • bratosch@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        “the venue” is most likely owned my LiveNation, which also owns Ticketmaster. That’s why they CAN have those insanely inflated prices, because they control everything. Like someone mentioned, Pearl Jam tried going off the beaten track and find venues NOT owned by LiveNation , which proved to be … hard

        • antizero99@lemmynsfw.com
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          1 year ago

          That’s just the beginning. Other artists have tried to avoid livenation venues but when the artist finds a venue, livenation just goes and buys said venue. That shit right there should have been taken to court.

          Funny how these legal actions against companies like this only happen under democratic presidents.

        • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          There are still some shows we go to, but 100% we’ve said no to shows we were half interested in because of the ridiculous cost caused by the fees

    • sparky1337@ttrpg.network
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      1 year ago

      Pearl Jam tried this in the 90’s and got ran over. There would have to be people in congress that cared enough.

    • cooopsspace@infosec.pub
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      1 year ago

      Not to mention they own a secondary ticket market and makes a lot of money off scalping being a thing.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Pretty sure they’ve gotten in trouble reserving seats for scalpers. They called them “premium buyers” or something because they bought an insane amount of tickets, more than any person could reasonably use.

        TM still takes their cut when an original is bought. But then they take another when it’s resold on their platform again. They make more money the more times a ticket gets resold.

        • dogebread@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I was watching this happen day of for a show in Montreal just recently. There were few seats available for weeks leading up to the show with resale tickets around 200 to 300 CAD a piece, then day of big chunks of non resale seats came available for a fraction of that.

          Artificial scarcity. Total and complete scam.

        • cooopsspace@infosec.pub
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          1 year ago

          They’re actually global epidemic. And it amazes me that you can sell a ticket to someone who doesn’t have the intention of physically putting a physical body of themselves, a friend or family in the seat. All it does is lock real dedicated fans out.

          At the very least I think artists should be able to choose to not have their tickets sold on the secondary market.

    • WetBeardHairs@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I hope they get absolutely destroyed by legal fees and go bankrupt.

      “They didn’t” -Arrested Development Voiceover

  • realitista@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Ticketmaster/Live Nation is one of the most blatant monopolies in all of history. They should be torn to shreds.

  • adaveinthelife@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Is it the kind of discomfort one feels when they need to use a bathroom but there is only one for a 10,000 person event? Or the kind of discomfort one feels when it’s a record heat wave but a bottle of water is $20 and despite advertising free water stations, there are none? Oh or maybe the discomfort in paying mystery fees that equal the price of the ticket?

    Or maybe the kind of discomfort that only an illegitimate business model about to be exposed would evoke?

    • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I don’t feel comfortable with their monopolistic and anti-competitive practices either.

  • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    When your kids say “don’t look in my pockets!” they definitely have something there you need to see.

    • SaakoPaahtaa@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      When your dog pushes back on you trying to pry open their mouth, you know where the missing family cockatoo is.

    • BeautifulMind ♾️@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Hahahaha yesterday during the pie preparations my daughter and I passed each other as I was heading back to the kitchen and she said, apropos of nothing, “I didn’t just steal any whipped cream, shut up!”

      LOL I didn’t know they’d been looting the whipped cream before that point but bless their hearts it was cute

      • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        lol nice. My 3 year old keeps saying “Dad don’t look!” It’s funny when it’s a three year old with an orange.

  • CptOblivius@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    In the early 2000s Ticketmaster began to really take off. The fees and extras really started to bother me. So I stopped going to any events that used them. Other than a few state/county fair events I haven’t been to a concert since 2001. Because of Ticketmaster. I have no regrets either.

  • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏
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    1 year ago

    Release the dogs on them. Live Nation has done nothing but rip off concert goers and harm small bands with their ridiculous fees and contractual venue restrictions, and this is without even touching on the horrible ticket scalping issues that they refuse to do anything about.

    If I’m also recalling correctly, if a venue is signed up to Ticketmaster they cannot independently host events - everything has to be done through Ticketmaster 🤦‍♂️

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      If I’m also recalling correctly, if a venue is signed up to Ticketmaster they cannot independently host events - everything has to be done through Ticketmaster 🤦‍♂️

      I may be wrong here, but I think this is an optional sign on, but they get something out of agreeing to it.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Also not sure, but I think it was something about concessions. Like if they don’t agree, TM takes a cost of beer and food which is a huge money maker.

        The option is likely just there to say it’s technically optional.

  • SaintWacko@midwest.social
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    1 year ago

    “Oh, really? Well, we don’t feel comfortable continuing your license to practice business in the United States!”

  • spiderkle@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Ticketmaster is a mafia. They pressure venues to take unfavorable deals or exclude them for tours completely, if they don’t pay extra. That should be enough for some nice charges. They are not above the law and their prices really are criminal.

  • pacoo2454@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    “After facing criticism from both fans and politicians for its failed handling of Taylor Swift ticket sales, Live Nation Entertainment announced a “Fair Ticketing Act” proposal in February that would try to combat bots and ticket scalpers in the resale market. Nothing yet appears to have come from this proposal.”

    No shit. What incentive do they actually have to make changes when the current system makes them more money?

    • Adalast@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      That’s what I was thinking. The oil and gas industry and the auto industry has a lot more pull and clout than LN/TM and they were both dragged in front of Congress. Do you think they were “comfortable” with their interrogations by unfriendly congressmen? Fuck no. Did they go without too much whining, as far as I remember.