this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023
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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.

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[–] [email protected] 263 points 11 months ago

This is how you know deregulation doesn't work.

[–] Nurse_Robot 194 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (6 children)

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 68 points 11 months ago (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 11 months ago (3 children)

"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

[–] [email protected] 30 points 11 months 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.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I bet they probably also wonder why suddenly attendance has dropped off, too.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 11 months ago

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

[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

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

[–] givesomefucks 23 points 11 months ago (4 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months 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.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago

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

"They didn't" -Arrested Development Voiceover

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[–] [email protected] 136 points 11 months ago (5 children)

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

[–] Bonskreeskreeskree 39 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Most people don't even know how many music venues the monopoly has acquired over the past 20 years

[–] slumberlust 25 points 11 months ago

It's be easier to count the ones they haven't gotten, on one hand.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I'm shocked it's been allowed. They have been a monopoly for decades.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

For sure, this shit has been bothering me for years. For as long as I can remember, Ticketmaster has been the only way of getting tickets to big events near me. And I presume it's the same for everyone else too.

How have they got away for so long without any competition?

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[–] [email protected] 96 points 11 months ago (4 children)

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?

[–] Adalast 16 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Sounds more like the discomfort of buying a ticket to a show for someone they think won't be popular when they go on sale for $20 then having your tickets cancelled the week before the show when they blow up on YouTube and the show sells out in hours for over $200/ticket.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago

I sure hope it's all of the above combined times a zillion.

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[–] ohlaph 92 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I don't feel comfortable with their prices.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 11 months ago

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

[–] firewyre 78 points 11 months ago

See what happens when you don't jail cunts that ignore congressional subpoenas?!?

[–] ilinamorato 71 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

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

[–] SaakoPaahtaa 19 points 11 months ago

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

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[–] CptOblivius 69 points 11 months 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.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 11 months ago (3 children)

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 🤦‍♂️

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 11 months ago

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

[–] pacoo2454 47 points 11 months ago (1 children)

“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?

[–] ikidd 13 points 11 months ago

That's because they're the fucking scalpers.

[–] firewyre 42 points 11 months ago

Too fucking bad, I don't feel comfortable with you existing.

[–] DarkMessiah 42 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It’s a subpoena. Comfortable doesn’t even begin to come into play.

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[–] toiletobserver 35 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Another obvious monopoly we refuse to break up.

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[–] Fades 30 points 11 months ago (1 children)

These goddamn capitalists pigs are out of control

[–] occhionaut 16 points 11 months ago

we need to harvest already, theyre shitting and squealing everywhere.

[–] TangledHyphae 30 points 11 months ago

I don't "feel comfortable" paying extortion prices, either.

[–] RoseRose56 29 points 11 months ago

Who cares if you feel comfortable? Did you ask me if people are comfortable paying high prices for tickets? You took all this money, and you keep doing it! You are a thief, my dude; you make people pay more than what they are supposed to pay. People are stupid too, instead of stop buying tickets, and report ticketmaster and live nation, they are keeping buying tickets! bravoooooo!!!

[–] RizzRustbolt 28 points 11 months ago

"Why don't you feel comfortable about sharing?"

"Before I tell you, you have to promise not to indict me."

"..."

"Promise?"

"... okay. We promise not to indict you."

"Okay, the thing is, I may have conspired with competitors to corner the market on ticket sales and bought up 85% of performance venues to lock in performers into using me to distribute tickets. Thus giving me near total control of the market."

"Yeah, that's a monopoly. We're breaking you up."

"YOU PROMISED NOT TO!"

"No, we promised not to indict you. Commerce doesn't need an indictment to pull your articles of corporation."

"Durnit!"

[–] SinningStromgald 27 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If this doesn't end with Ticketmaster getting broken up it will be an egregious miscarriage of justice.

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[–] foggy 22 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Go. Fuck. Yourselves.

With a 10 inch dildo.

I hope their fucking shareholders do time.

[–] GobiasIndustries 16 points 11 months ago

Add another 8 inches worth of services fees in there too.

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[–] BeardedSingleMalt 20 points 11 months ago

A local, small time hockey team has middle-arena ticket for $13. The price almost doubles because they use tm. $10 in cOnVeNiEnCe fees and processing and the "privilege" of using their shitty app.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Thankfully, subpoenas don’t care about how comfortable you are.

[–] BeautifulMind 14 points 11 months ago

Oh no, they're uncomfortable?

All the more reason for them to comply, really

[–] mostNONheinous 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Why aren’t you comfortable sharing information with congress?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Nice! Let’s do insurance next!

[–] reddig33 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well that only took forty years. They’ve been doing this since the 80s.

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[–] Synthead 11 points 11 months ago

$30? That'll be $180, please. -TicketMaster

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