STEWART COPELAND

by **Susan** on 09 Mar 2009 18:45

Yeah, my user name doesn't appear correctly when I log in to u2.com, and I hate that they ask you to post in a thread, which I can never find again. But this morning I received an email from U2.com with a passcode for the presales. So if you're a paid-up member, be on the lookout for that message today.

Now that doesn't mean I have tickets in hand of course but I feel a little better knowing there won't be a mad dash to get the code at the second they go on sale.

Edited to correct "up to 4 tickets over 4 shows..." as it's only for U.S. shows that you can buy tickets for more than one show, as Smudge pointed out in the post after mine.

ETA: ROTF that a band whose name is 50% a number can't have numbers in the screen names.

ETA: Anyone else find the red text on black background just slightly annoying? Can the band even see it?

by **smudge** on 09 Mar 2009 21:28

[quote="Susan"]Yeah, my user name doesn't appear correctly when I log in to u2.com, and I hate that they ask you to post in a thread, which I can never find again. But this morning I received an email from U2.com with a passcode for the presales (up to 4 tickets which you can spread over 4 shows if I read it right). So if you're a paid-up member, be on the lookout for that message today.

Now that doesn't mean I have tickets in hand of course but I feel a little better knowing there won't be a mad dash to get the code at the second they go on sale.[/quote]

NB. THe 4 tickets over 4 shows is USA only. Europe it is up to 4 tickets in one transaction.

However. Fair play to the techie people at u2.com. I still can't post on that forum, but like you I got the presale code after several weeks of 'unvalidated email address' nonsense, and copious 'HELP!' messages. Figure I'll bitch about the lack of other access once the current hysteria is over.

I've got a free account there as well (which does let me post - and which I signed up for a scant 3 days ago with no bother at all). That's how my subscription snafu got flagged (by posting in the thread that my paid subscription didn't let me in to - sheesh!), and (partly) resolved.

ETA: <geekmode> I know there were issues with non-alphenumeric characters in usernames, but I think that was only part of it. Nothing in my subscription fit any of the symptoms (no numbers, spaces etc.). I suspect there was a bit of work going on prior to the tour announcement. It has all the hallmarks of a database 'whoops - we hadn't thought of that' system upgrade. </geekmode>

by **conroy** on 10 Mar 2009 03:26

Here's a pretty good report from the local Fox station that succintly explains how f*&%ed up the whole thing is http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/entertainmen ... ces_unfair especially the part about how the u2 fans are dreading buying tickets. Reading that they will be performing at FedEx field has wiped out the waning interest I had in seeing them this year. I'll be sticking to more affordable shows at smaller, more intimate venues this year.

by **Divemistress of the Dark** on 10 Mar 2009 03:45

Did I already link that U2 article from four or so years ago that highlighted all the TM nonsense?

Pardon me if so, but just in case:

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/robo ... oid=288740

by **Susan** on 11 Mar 2009 16:05

From today's Wall Street Journal--you gotta read this one. Holy shit.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1236727 ... mod=djemMM

by **IndyGirl** on 11 Mar 2009 16:08

[quote="Susan"]From today's Wall Street Journal--you gotta read this one. Holy shit.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1236727 ... mod=djemMM[/quote]

I just saw that on the front page of the 2nd section of the paper. It grabbed my attention!

by **animal** on 11 Mar 2009 18:41

What spin will The Management put on this one. :roll:

by **Divemistress of the Dark** on 11 Mar 2009 19:16

Wow. You know, I'm glad to see the increasing number of articles on this. It's high time somebody busted Ticketmaster for its brazenly anti-consumer tactics.

by **nancyrose** on 12 Mar 2009 00:15

Gotta love this line:

Ticketmaster says TicketExchange shouldn't be considered scalping. It says the site's "goal is to give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the best tickets."

How 'bout giving those same fans access to the best tickets at the ACTUAL MARKET PRICE. They take them out of the pool of available tickets...so that "passionate" fans can only obtain them at highly inflated prices...and then want to somehow present their activity as altruistic!

Unfucking believable! Talk about magical thinking!

I'd love to see something done about this. Maybe the times are such that people will finally be pissed off enough to start a revolution!

by **TheEqualizer** on 12 Mar 2009 00:18

[quote="Susan"]From today's Wall Street Journal--you gotta read this one. Holy shit.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1236727 ... mod=djemMM[/quote]

I'm not smart enough to read the WSJ, but I saw a similar article at Rolling Stone and was going to post it here but see that I have been beaten to the punch.

That kind of shit essentially says, "We think you fans are essentially human latrines; take our shit and like it."

:evil:

by **Divemistress of the Dark** on 12 Mar 2009 05:57

Yep. Rereading:

[quote]According to several managers of top artists and Ticketmaster executives, the company routinely offers to list hundreds of the best tickets per concert on one of its two resale Web sites -- and divides the extra revenue, which can amount to more than $2 million on a major tour, with artists and promoters.

These platinum seats are sold on Ticketmaster's TicketExchange, which describes itself as a marketplace for "fan-to-fan" transactions, using the slogan "Buy tickets. Sell tickets. It's that simple."[/quote]

This just makes me -hoppin'- mad. It's one thing to scalp and gouge; it's another to blatantly lie about the origins of the tickets.

Not that I think our bought-and-paid-for elected representatives will do a whole lot about it. Here's hoping I'm proven wrong.

Another horrific article:

http://www.popeater.com/article/ticketm ... wsj_teaser

Ya know...there are some venues near me that don't use Ticketmaster to sell tickets. It's gonna be painful as hell, but if this merger goes through, I'm going to do my dead level best to support them by avoiding Ticketmaster whenever possible.

by **Susan** on 17 Mar 2009 01:36

Although today's WSJ article about ticket scalpers is not about Ticketbastard, it seems worth mentioning; this arose out of questions about tickets for the Michael Jackson concerts. AEG is the promoter; Viagogo is the ticket seller.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1236988 ... od=djemITP

From the article:
"The prospect of scalpers' dealing in so-called primary-market tickets to the shows at London's O2 arena could mar one of the highest-profile concerts in years.

On Friday, AEG scored a temporary victory in court. A judge ordered the agent, Viagogo Ltd., to agree not to offer or provide Jackson tickets to any resellers.

Viagogo Chief Executive Eric Baker didn't respond to three voice messages left on his cellphone over the weekend.

London-based Viagogo operates a Web site that is primarily used by fans and brokers to resell sports and concert tickets, much like StubHub in the U.S."

by **Chatchka** on 18 Mar 2009 22:18

Sorry, late to the party, but just read this. Hope it isn't a repeat.

http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/Art ... Greed.html

by **Divemistress of the Dark** on 19 Mar 2009 13:39

That's a good one.

You just gotta wonder what's ever gonna get done about this, if anything. On the one hand, you can see Big Music's line of thinking: with CD sales way down, and downloading/piracy, they're going to cling to whatever revenue stream they have left. In a way, it's kind of understandable. But OTOH, their blatant cheating, price gouging and anti-competitive practices make it seem like things have gone a bit too far.

by **TheEqualizer** on 19 Mar 2009 22:49

The latest Fuck up:

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/i ... ls-orders/

QUOTE

A week before tickets for Phish’s four-night stand at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre were supposed to go on sale, a Ticketmaster glitch allowed Phish fans to scoop up four-day passes to the event last night, Glide Magazine reports. However, the feeding frenzy was short-lived as Ticketmaster quickly halted the sale and canceled all orders, further angering fans who were already frustrated over Live Nation’s failed Phish ticket release last month.

Tickets to the Red Rocks shows weren’t supposed to go on sale until March 26th, but eagle-eyed Phans noticed that Ticketmaster had apparently begun selling its allotment of four-day passes early. Rumors quickly swirled that Phish may have been trying to sidestep scalpers and reward the true fans with a surprise presale. However, it became apparent that the Ticketmaster mistake was a routine glitch.

One Glide commenter points out that the Ticketmaster Contract of Service reads “If… you are able to order a ticket before its scheduled on-sale or presale date or you are able to order a ticket that was not supposed to have been released for sale, then: Ticketmaster will have the right to cancel that ticket” — which is precisely what happened. When the error was recognized by Ticketmaster, Phans began receiving e-mails saying their orders had been canceled. (Some of them may not have gotten the message yet: eBay is awash with sellers offering the four-night pass at roughly $2800-$4000 per ticket.)

Fans will now have to try again on March 26th to score tickets to the Red Rocks shows, the band’s first at the venue in nearly 13 years.

END QUOTE

STEWART COPELAND

OT: Ticketbastard Fiascos Continue

Sorry - waaaaay of topic.

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