You're seriously suggesting artists should play more gigs at the biggest venues simply to combat touts? Don't be ridiculous. Some of these bands tour for months or even years as it is. They book venues according to projected demand - they don't want too many empty seats, nor do they want to undersell themselves. Neither would it particularly solve the problem. Touts buying up tickets increases demand for the reselling market - they would do exactly the same with any additional gigs, only losing out on occasion if demand dramatically drops off, which is a gig no artist would book in the first place.


Are you suggesting there are no 'resellers' out there with banks of computers running netbots hammering the official ticket sites whenever gigs go on sale? Of course there are. As you admit, their systems are 'feeble'. And of course there are individuals and groups doing the same thing. Either way it results in the same thing: touts and opportunists denying fans the opportunity to buy tickets unless they're willing to line their pockets at inflated prices.


Which isn't what I said. I said I view you similarly. Ripping people off by any means is a scum business. I presume you wouldn't pay well over the odds for most products or services, so I'm not sure why you think touting is acceptable.


I've bought many tickets at lower than face value - late 80's/early 90's Old Trafford was a doddle for a cheap ticket 5 minutes after kick-off. But touting in those days was lower-key, lower-volume. Let's say a parent today wants to take their daughter and friends to One Direction - you think they're going to drag them all out and hang around dealing with unsavoury rip-off merchants on the off-chance they can get tickets? Of course not. Neither will most others. If they can't get them via official means they'll buy online, at inflated prices.

I've offered a solution, increase supply and you reduce demand.




Promoters do the booking and take the risk, many promoters are tied in to certain venues, promoters are interested in money and have little to bring to the table, in fact many are in cahoots with the major players.



I'm not sure you know what a netbot is or does



Security is so poor that they don't need to bother, a few PC's and a few credit cards saves hiring an hour on a botnet, many promoters don't care who buys the tickets as long as they sell.



There is no rip off, if people don't want to pay they don't have to, no one is forcing them.



Just taking part in the capitalist economy dear boy.



Ah I see, when you were getting a deal touting was fine, OK I suppose if you are going to have standards best make them double.

I'll let you into a little secret, see all them resale sites, all with hundreds of tickets for the big events? A huge amount of those high price tickets don't exist, never did. They'll never get sold either...

Just to whizz back to page one and the very first post that started all of this, the OP states that they made the decision NOT to purchase tickets from a reseller site as they were going for almost 100% markup.

Thats your answer to the whole problem right there and its also the reason why its not a problem at all.

The answer to the perceived problem is don't go to the gig if you think that the original face value price is too high and/or the reseller price is a rip-off - why anyone would then go ahead and buy something that they've already decided is a rip-off I just don't know, possibly too weak to stand by their own principles?

The reason why its not a problem is that there is a solution (see above) OR its not a problem because the service is well frequented and suits the reseller, the promoter, the venue operator and the artist by filling the venue and creating a demand - or in other words good marketing, the same sort of marketing that goes into every other consumer product that is launched to a market where the consumer doesn't yet know that he/she needs the product and can't live without it (how the hell do Apple sell a product for twice the price of all other computer technology company's).

It's no solution at all. It's a ridiculous idea on every level, as you well know.


Correct, well done. And?


Correct, well done. That doesn't make it right.


If you can't see why buying huge numbers of tickets to deny them to fans at face value and thus create demand, to then only offer them at inflated prices is a rip-off, I despair.


Aaah...the old mantra of "it's just capitalism". Because capitalism never, ever needs regulating, does it?


As I said, low-level touting as it was back then did little harm.


And many do sell.

That entire post is a contradiction. You acknowledge the OP decided not to buy due to the mark-up, yet then claim there is no problem. The OP's situation IS the problem.

The OP was denied the opportunity to buy those tickets at a fair price anywhere near face value. He decided (sensibly imo) not to fork out a fortune and therefore misses out. Why should he? Fact is, if a tout hadn't snapped up those tickets (and probably thousands of others) they could have gone to a genuine punter, but instead there are suddenly no other means of getting hold of a ticket. It's not simply a 'reselling service', it's touts and 'reselling' firms using systems to buy in bulk with the sole intention feeding on and increasing demand to sell at a massive mark-up.

The fact some people may buy at those prices doesn't mean it's not a problem, it simply means people were unable to buy in the first instance and are spending a lot more than they would have. For some people their desire to see the event outweighs even the inflated cost - but I bet if you asked most, they certainly wouldn't be happy at lining the pockets of some rip-off merchant. If there were only 10 turkeys left on Xmas Eve and you were 9th in the queue, then some bloke pushed in, bought 5 and then turned round and offered them for a £100 mark-up, you wouldn't be best pleased. That's exactly how industrialised touting works. Buying a disproportionate number of tickets, denying them to genuine punters, and then selling at a tidy profit.

That is a problem, no matter how much you claim otherwise. The entire industry needs shaking up.

A search of a few minutes will still deliver decent priced tickets. The OP is a ****tard and this whole thread is a fuss about nothing.

The entire industry don't seem to be that bothered.

In fact neither does anyone else, apart from you.

Bit of rocket science here.

I will pay what I, not anyone else, perceive as value for money.

For example, I will pay nothing to watch a live Mo & Ron Balls game no matter what it is. To me it is valueless . Others will pay over the odds and crow about it for kudos.

That's the system. It isn't perfect but its what we have. There are ways to change the system.

And the OP, and others if you read back. A cursory web search also tells me plenty of people are bothered about it and calling for change.

I find it strangely hypocritical that certain vocal left-leaning posters are seemingly content to see an industry operating in such a manner, entirely geared towards ripping off the person on the street on an industrial scale.

Each to their own.

Thats because of your own ridiculous classification of people into "left" or "right" depending on what you believe to be their political viewpoint. Truth of the matter is that sensible self-thinkers do not live their lives according to political dogma and the thought that "Would the Labour Party/Tory Party (delete which does not apply) approve of this transaction?" simply does not cross anyone's mind, apart from yours (apparently).

I've 2 front row floor seats for Mrs Browns Boys in Leeds in June
Bought from Eventim when they went on sale
The wife & I are looking forward to it, but I'm also aware that such prime tickets could fetch a fair premium, and I may test the market a week or so before the show, by posting on one of the resale sites or Gumtree
If someone is willing to pay silly prices, we'd probably sell, and wait for the DVD. I'd have no issues selling if someone wants to pay!

Anyone want to offer £200 the pair

I'd rather eat my own sh|t after a dodgy takeaway than watch Mrs Browns Boys.

After having thought about it a while I don't care about ticket touts, I want the event industry reformed to ban all God-awful events.

What classification is that then? Or perhaps reading your posts over the years has helped form a sensible, self-thinking opinion?


Actually, apparently not, seeing as I didn't mention political parties. You did.

Happy New Year



Mrs Brown's Boys? Uurgh.

LOL, I think I once voted for the Labour party, several elections ago to get rid of the Tory tw*t who had held this seat for so long that he thought it was his birthright, but thats probably the only time I did - what is your sensible self-thinking opinion of my political views then ?

Ha, nice attempt at a backtrack - let's just note again it's not me who keeps 'classifying' in terms of political parties, shall we.


Nowt to write home about.

So what is your sensible self-thinking opinion of my political views then ?

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There was an evening just before Christmas that BBC1 were showing a re-run of a previous Mrs Brown's Boys christmas special, the alternative on BBC2 was Jack Whitehall mincing around in front of his dad.

That one piece of inspired scheduling should be enough to legally refuse to renew a TV licence

Mrs Brown's Boys, anything hosted by Jack Whitehall, Citizen Khan, anything hosted by Russell Kane.
The evidence is mounting.

Before anyone says that it's aimed at teenagers I don't care it's still painfully unfunny. Teenagers are stupid when it comes to comedy. Hence the success of Two & a Half Men.

Mrs. Brown's Boys is comedy genius

It's an updated version of Old Mother Riley

So basically you didn't get tickets and you're beefing about it.

I got 4 tickets.

We'll probably look for tickets nearer the time. If we can get them at a reasonable price we'll go, if not we won't. Previous posters, in particular resident nob head Lord God Jose Mourinho saying there are tickets available are correct, it's just that there's only 1 day of the whole schedule we can all make and we need 3 together.

I'm merely pointing out that a company who sell tickets in the first instance have a sister company who then resell said tickets for a massively inflated price on behalf of the buyer (in most cases touts) minutes after they have sold. Surely even the most moronic person can see that this system is immoral and open to abuse? My big question is, do Ticketmaster sell tickets through GETMEIN for some of the high profile events without even offering them at face value first?

A mate of mine tried to get tickets recently for Carfest 2015. He was trying from the first second they went on sale but didn't manage to get them. It sold out in about 10 minutes but GETMEIN had hundreds available within minutes of it selling out at double, even triple the price.

Comedy is subjective
What the underlying fact is in this thread is people will pay whatever they feel is value, also subjective

Doesn't matter what the show/event is, it's irrelevant to the argument.
I'm quite happy to pay £40 to see Mrs Browns Boys. I wouldn't pay £100, but some people would, and I'll sell at that price

There was a high profile issue in the USA a few years ago where Ticketmaster redirected buyers, for Bruce Springsteen tickets, straight to a resale site despite tickets being still available at face value. www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... o-20100218

There was a high profile issue in the USA a few years ago where Ticketmaster redirected buyers, for Bruce Springsteen tickets, straight to a resale site despite tickets being still available at face value. www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... o-20100218

Interesting article from late November. Let's hope they go through with it. www.completemusicupdate.com/arti ... gulations/

Interesting article from late November. Let's hope they go through with it. www.completemusicupdate.com/arti ... gulations/