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Why scalpers can get tickets

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Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#381

Post by TeMPOraL »

lizknope wrote: post #103
jppittma wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're going to pay thousands of homeless people to register for the fan clubs of how many artists? Nevermind the logistics of the hiring, the payment alone eats into the margin.

If the scalpers pay homeless people 10% of their profits rather than taking 100% then that's still better than the current situation.

This gets more complicated as they may go after gig economy workers first. They're a perfect target: the scalper's deal would have better reward/effort ratio than Uber, DoorDash, Deliveroo, et al.; gig workers look "normal" in ways homeless don't, and are desperate for cash to keep them from becoming homeless.

At that point, would scalper's contribution be net positive? Net better than it was? I'm not sure how to answer that.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#382

Post by WhyNotHugo »

arcticbull wrote: post #335
johnnyanmac wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>if one of the platforms “cracks down” and makes it harder to buy and sell people will prefer another platform. 1) what other platform? I'm not too intimate with this, but part of the revolt over the Taylor Swift contrversy came from how Ticketmaster as exclusive use to most of the big venues. That seems to be the other half of the issue not talked about in this article. 2) I thought this issue would be as simple as…

Yup, TicketMaster/Live Nation is fully vertically integrated. They own venues, they manage artists, they sell merch - and yes they run the ticket platforms. The contracts basically require everything to stay in the family.

Sounds like theres a lot of missing legislation. The situation creates a huge conflict of interests.

Then again, scalping itself out to be illegal; it’s just a form of exploiting someone else’s work to extract money from average folk without creating any value or meaningful work.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#383

Post by TeMPOraL »

WhyNotHugo wrote: post #382
arcticbull wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, TicketMaster/Live Nation is fully vertically integrated. They own venues, they manage artists, they sell merch - and yes they run the ticket platforms. The contracts basically require everything to stay in the family.

Sounds like theres a lot of missing legislation. The situation creates a huge conflict of interests. Then again, scalping itself out to be illegal; it’s just a form of exploiting someone else’s work to extract money from average folk without creating any value or meaningful work.

I'm honestly not sure anymore if scalping should be delegalized. I'm increasingly convinced that it's only the problem because everyone is in on it, with artists using scalpers as "heat sinks", to get more money while pretending they're the victim, and everyone is well compensated for the role they play in the scheme. If that's the case, then the entire structure is the problem, and it starts with artists exploiting the audience looking for moral/spiritual role models.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#384

Post by TeMPOraL »

bbreier wrote: post #129
supportengineer wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rolex has the exact same problem.

Rolex actively engineers this situation, though

Apparently so do artists and Ticketmaster.

This seems to be a general rule: if some problem is annoying to people with money and clout, and it persists for long, then perhaps it's not actually a problem for those people, but rather a money maker they perpetuate.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#385

Post by sireat »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #372
diego_sandoval wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile, Steve Ballmer: "Developers, developers, developers, developers. Developers, developers, developers, developers!!! Yes!!!"

That's the difference between being almost, but not quite at the top, vs. actually being there. Dean would've fared differently if he won first , and then did his scream. But either way, both Dean's and Ballmer's examples are marketing stunts , a calculated performance - that's entirely different to rich people honestly letting loose at a concert.

Over the years I've heard that Ballmer really is like that quite often.

Notice how he is at Clippers games.

Sure it is part stunt, part performance but it also personality.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#386

Post by hypercube33 »

iambateman wrote: post #215

I think there’s a massive point which gets missed on this question… A lot of these tickets get resold on the platforms themselves. If a reseller buys the ticket, and then sells it again to the end user, Ticketmaster gets paid twice. This point results in at least hundreds of millions in revenue. Now, if one of the platforms “cracks down” and makes it harder to buy and sell people will prefer another platform. So plat…

Yep. Ticketmaster makes profit from selling out to scalpers and then double dips on their StubHub and whatever other sites they own too. They also own the venues and dip out of that pool as well.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#387

Post by krisoft »

emodendroket wrote: post #246
Analemma_ wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you tied tickets to names and required ID at the venue (allowing refunds in case you couldn't make it), this wouldn't work and scalping would basically end overnight. The fact that neither Ticketmaster nor the performers nor the venues has ever taken this simple step is the proof that it's not in their interest to do so. Note that events where the promoters are actually interested in having people show up instead…

Or proof that getting in would take much longer if they did that. Anyway, there are legitimate reasons someone might want to resell, like no longer being free on the event date, so I’m not sure even legitimate buyers would prefer such a strict system.

> there are legitimate reasons someone might want to resell, like no longer being free on the event date

Which can also happen with airplane tickets. What makes it ok for an airplane ticket to be strictly tied to an ID, but not for a show?

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#388

Post by TeMPOraL »

sireat wrote: post #385
TeMPOraL wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the difference between being almost, but not quite at the top, vs. actually being there. Dean would've fared differently if he won first , and then did his scream. But either way, both Dean's and Ballmer's examples are marketing stunts , a calculated performance - that's entirely different to rich people honestly letting loose at a concert.

Over the years I've heard that Ballmer really is like that quite often. Notice how he is at Clippers games. Sure it is part stunt, part performance but it also personality.

Fair. But I'll still write this off as stuff you can get away with once you're on top, but not while on your way there.

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#389

Post by [deleted] »

Fatnino wrote: post #373
johnnyanmac wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>if one of the platforms “cracks down” and makes it harder to buy and sell people will prefer another platform. 1) what other platform? I'm not too intimate with this, but part of the revolt over the Taylor Swift contrversy came from how Ticketmaster as exclusive use to most of the big venues. That seems to be the other half of the issue not talked about in this article. 2) I thought this issue would be as simple as…

Seems to me they could ban resales by making there be a name attached to each ticket. Just like the airlines. You need ID matching your ticket to get into the venue. No more scalpers.

[deleted]

Re: Why scalpers can get tickets

#390

Post by bigstrat2003 »

d0gsg0w00f wrote: post #343
bigstrat2003 wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which, honestly, is a much more pleasant experience than going to the concerts under discussion. I don't enjoy the music as much, but I also don't have to jump through hoops, compete with scalpers, or put up with the rank smell of weed hanging over the concert venue.

Weed smell is awful. That's the worst part about decriminalization. I can't wait for society to treat burned weed with the same shame and looks of distaste as they do with burned tobacco. I smell it everywhere now. It makes me furious when I'm in a public park with my kids and clouds of nasty smoke are wafting around.

Yeah. I've always been all for legalizing weed. Hell, I've been for legalizing all drugs because I don't think the government should police what adults put into their bodies. But the ridiculously thoughtless behavior of people smoking weed in my state (CO) has really made me question those positions. In theory we should trust adults to make their own choices, but in practice it seems that enough people are antisocial assholes that maybe we shouldn't trust. I am sick and damn tired of being unable to even go run errands sometimes without having to put up with the smell of weed. Which is awful, like you said - I have no idea how anyone can stand to smoke the stuff.
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