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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Why the Feds Should De-Fang the Ticketmaster Monster, and How An Insider Can Help

Ken Lowson chuckles.

In January 2005, he spent $200,000 using credit cards to obtain 5,000 memberships to U2’s fan club. That allowed him to participate in the Internet presale via Ticketmaster to purchase tickets for the Vertigo Tour. Using computer programming (popularly known as “bots”) he legally bought nearly every one of the 500 available general admission tickets for shows in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, respectively, sparking outrage and disbelief among longtime members of the band’s fan club. A month later, at the Grammy Awards, the band’s drummer apologized to fans, “due to circumstances beyond our control.”

Lowson says U2 and Ticketmaster effectively let him do it.

As proof, he did the same thing months later when tickets were sold for a third leg of that tour. (Here’s a dirty industry secret: many bands actually use scalpers to sell their tickets; scalpers make everyone money.)

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pearl Jam went to war with Ticketmaster in the 1990's. This has been going for a long time!

Anonymous said...

Ah, yes Ticket Master. Sells you Tickets (sercice charges! Fees! No!). I will Not!! Allow ticket master to Win my paper (dollars) !! Go and watch the Heavens instead (*stars*galacies*planets*moons*pulsars!!!) Best show = space. Molly Sirus ick.!! Say No to Ticket Masters!

Anonymous said...

take your behind to the venue to buy them and you skip the fees.

Anonymous said...

7:03-Jim Jones, how ya been?

Anonymous said...

846, not true at the Civic Center. If you pay with CC, they charge you. They also charge you a fee for what they claim is overhead and restoration.

Anonymous said...

Ah Sweet One! I see You think I am in South america (no!!!!) Here me now! I am Not jim jones (*cool ade NO!)

Anonymous said...

No I don't think you're in South America, much less planet Earth. It's just your comments are something on the same level of crazy as Jim Jones.