How do secondary ticket sellers have concert tickets before presale even begins?

[jama]

The presale doesn't start until tomorrow for the Madonna concert but secondary ticket places already have seats listed for sale..How do the scalpers/ticket brokers get tickets so early??

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Sometimes they are given to certain promoters or those with exclusive rights to a project/event/initative. Others are scams.

 

[FergieTCat]

As it was explained to me by someone "in the biz", the secondary ticket sellers (aka scalpers) don't actually have the tickets in hand. They are selling what they think will be the approximate location of the tickets when they buy them. Somewhere, there would be fine print that says "location not guaranteed." After they actually buy the tickets, they can guarantee the location.

This may nor may not be the case, but it was true at the time.

 

[debster812]

I used to work for a retailer that had naming rights to several outdoor ampitheaters around the country. As part of the 'deal' our company was offered a certain number of tickets for associates to purchase, and a certain number of comp tickets. This was a deal with the venue/the promoter and us. The tickets were always in the same locations.

Some ticket brokers may be guesstimating what they will have, but some of them might also have deals with the promoters, and they know what they are getting.

 

[Micca]

The concert business is about the most customer-abusive business there is. They make you jump through hoops to get the tickets, and for the most part are priced too high. Then you get to the show where you can stand in line to get in, stand in line to get a t-shirt, stand in line for food/drink, stand in line for the restroom, and then wait your turn to drive out of the overpriced parking lot after the show. During the concert you'll likely be standing most of the time because the people in front of you won't sit down, and they like to talk on their phones or speak loudly to others in their party. At stadium shows the performers are about 1/4 mile from most seats in the house so you watch on the big screens which ironically you can do at home for about $15 when the dvd comes out. Oh, and many dance/choreography type acts aren't actually singing because you can't really do somersaults across the stage and sing very well at the same time.

Enjoy your show!

 

[asta]

The thing that bugs the heck out of me with most concerts is that a very large number of tickets are never made available to the public. A lot of the good seats are snapped up by record labels, venue workers, box holders, product sponsors, assorted VIPs, etc before they ever go on sale. I am pretty sure that some of these tickets end up with resellers. I live in Nashville and know so many people who always get ticket preferences for the best seats. I feel like a total loser every time I jump through hoops to get tickets, pay too much and sit in so-so seats while friends of insiders are sitting in the good seats.

The first thing that needs to be done in ticket reform is to mandate that acts/venues have to publish the amount of tickets that will actually be available for sale to the public before the on sale date. Then you would at least know what kind of chance you have to get non-nosebleed seats.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

And if you go to any of these concerts, please do not ever in the future complain about Disney pricing! Look at prices for Parking, refreshments, souvenirs, and especially for the cost-per-hour of the tickets.

 

[Micca]

And if you go to any of these concerts, please do not ever in the future complain about Disney pricing! Look at prices for Parking, refreshments, souvenirs, and especially for the cost-per-hour of the tickets.

WDW t-shirt prices are comparable to Goodwill prices when you compare concert shirts.

I might take issue with the admission prices. WDW is there all day every day while "the big act" may be in your neck of the woods for only a few hours on one day. Fortunately the prices of concert tickets will self-correct as acts find they cannot command the prices they might like to. They do NOT want to play to half a house.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

And if you go to any of these concerts, please do not ever in the future complain about Disney pricing! Look at prices for Parking, refreshments, souvenirs, and especially for the cost-per-hour of the tickets.

Works out to be about $175 - $250 an hour per person for me (depending on how long the concert will be) yeah, I try not to think abou that...

 

[Micca]

The thing that bugs the heck out of me with most concerts is that a very large number of tickets are never made available to the public. A lot of the good seats are snapped up by record labels, venue workers, box holders, product sponsors, assorted VIPs, etc before they ever go on sale. I am pretty sure that some of these tickets end up with resellers. I live in Nashville and know so many people who always get ticket preferences for the best seats. I feel like a total loser every time I jump through hoops to get tickets, pay too much and sit in so-so seats while friends of insiders are sitting in the good seats.

The first thing that needs to be done in ticket reform is to mandate that acts/venues have to publish the amount of tickets that will actually be available for sale to the public before the on sale date. Then you would at least know what kind of chance you have to get non-nosebleed seats.

While I'd agree with ticket reform please consider those who toil in the interest of the artists. The types of people you mentioned are sometimes instrumental in the success of the performers or associated with those who are. People who are sponsors or are employees of the venue have in one way or the other paid dearly for the privilege. As one who has benefited from free tickets for many years, please understand that we seldom get the "best" seats in the house, just "good seats." Those who are in the prime seats are seldom the recipients of freebies unless they have been given away from the performers.

That said, the whole broker thing sucks. I think there are many performers who are trying to head this off at the pass, while others may actually benefit from it.

 

[S. C.]

Last concert we went to we bought our tickets months early thru the fan club. Got 3rd row aisle seats.

 

[asta]

While I'd agree with ticket reform please consider those who toil in the interest of the artists. The types of people you mentioned are sometimes instrumental in the success of the performers or associated with those who are. People who are sponsors or are employees of the venue have in one way or the other paid dearly for the privilege. As one who has benefited from free tickets for many years, please understand that we seldom get the "best" seats in the house, just "good seats." Those who are in the prime seats are seldom the recipients of freebies unless they have been given away from the performers.

That said, the whole broker thing sucks. I think there are many performers who are trying to head this off at the pass, while others may actually benefit from it.

What ever happened to customer first? I would argue that the ticket and
record buying public are the ones responsible for the real success of an artist. If fans aren't willing to support an artist there would be no money to pay that record label office worker sponging off the good seats. I think the paying public should always get to buy seats before free ones are handed out.

 

[asta]

Last concert we went to we bought our tickets months early thru the fan club. Got 3rd row aisle seats.

I wish that option had been available for Bruce Springsteen's concerts.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

What ever happened to customer first? I would argue that the ticket and
record buying public are the ones responsible for the real success of an artist. If fans aren't willing to support an artist there would be no money to pay that record label office worker sponging off the good seats. I think the paying public should always get to buy seats before free ones are handed out.

The artists have to pay for the "free tickets", the people who are on the guest list get them for free. It's just up to the artist what price level tickets they want their guests to have. They also are not allowed an unlimited amount. There are also artists who choose not to have a guest list in which case 100% of the tickets are available for fans to purchase.

My husband is in the touring end of the businesses so we get free tickets 90% of the time, we aren't always given tickets in the top tier price range even when it's the artist themselves who hooked us up.

 

[topolino]

I'm a complete sucker when it comes to buying concert tickets. I don't even bother buying them for the box office, Instead I go on StubHub or Ebay and spend a ridiculous amount on very good seats. For example, this week I'm going to once again swallow my pride, (and open my wallet) to purchase excellent seats for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' show in Cleveland in June.

Fortunately, there are very few acts that I'd pay money to see these days, so though I do splurge to see concerts, I only do so very, very rarely.

 

[Andtototoo]

The anti-consumer practice of ticket sales infuriates me. It's not just music concerts either, the Broadway show tours that come around here are just as bad.

I had been promising my dd for years that when Wicked came this way, we'd go. Finally, it got here. I was ready online to get two tickets the minute the sales opened -- to ANY show, we were not picky. I could not get a single ticket to any show. Not one. And then, helpful Ticketmaster directs me to their "other" site, where lo and behold I could get as many tickets as I wanted to any show I wanted... for three to five times the price. (I later learned that the state of NJ was investigating Ticketmaster for this practice under RICO laws.) In the end, we didn't see Wicked because I didn't have nor would I spend $640 for two tickets that should have cost $160. I could have bought two airline tickets to NY and two tickets to the Broadway Wicked for $640!

As it happens a few months later, the fund-raisers for that particular theater called up asking for a donation and I told them, "Gee, sorry. Apparently I have to save my money to buy tickets from the rip-off agents since all of your tickets are going there. Leaves me nothing to donate. Too bad, so sad."


In so far as fan club tickets, I've never gotten a really good seat as a result. I have, however, gotten seats to a show that sold out so fast that if you weren't in the fan club, you got nothing.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

My husband always goes to see certain people when they have a concert in town.

He logs in to Ticketmaster a few minutes before the tickets go on sale and they are usually sold out in minutes. So he ends up getting his tickets from a ticket broker.

I've never understood paying to go to a concert when the music is so much better on a CD or Itunes. We went to one concert together once. It was ok but I had to get pretty rough with two people who kept trying to take my seat - while I was in it!!!! They were both really drunk and kept doing that to everyone in our row.
I have no interest in going to another concert. Ever.

 

[asta]

The artists have to pay for the "free tickets", the people who are on the guest list get them for free. It's just up to the artist what price level tickets they want their guests to have. They also are not allowed an unlimited amount. There are also artists who choose not to have a guest list in which case 100% of the tickets are available for fans to purchase.

My husband is in the touring end of the businesses so we get free tickets 90% of the time, we aren't always given tickets in the top tier price range even when it's the artist themselves who hooked us up.

I still think it is a messed up industry that values insider deals over their customers. I don't understand why your free tickets get to take precedence over a paying customer.

Regardless of this screwed up way handling tickets, I just want the concert acts and the venues to tell us ahead of the on-sale date how many tickets at which levels they have already given out. I think the paying public deserves to know how many tickets they actually have a shot at buying. It would also tell you which acts actually value and respect their fans.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I still think it is a messed up industry that values insider deals over their customers. I don't understand why your free tickets get to take precedence over a paying customer.

Regardless of this screwed up way handling tickets, I just want the concert acts and the venues to tell us ahead of the on-sale date how many tickets at which levels they have already given out. I think the paying public deserves to know how many tickets they actually have a shot at buying. It would also tell you which acts actually value and respect their fans.

Most of the time those free tickets are tech kills, which are seats that have been deemed unsellable due to production reasons. There are many reasons a seat might be a tech kill. For example, sometimes it is due to sight line (limited views) limitations or poor sound in that area.

 

[Wadecool]

We just saw Van Halen a week and a half ago and most of what everyone is complaining about is true. We paid $60 each for nosebleed seats, $7 per beer, $40 for a tour t-shirt, all outrageous for sure. But seeing David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen on stage playing all of the old stuff again made it worth every penny!