By Alfred Branch, Jr.
Government officials in Tennessee and Colorado, like sharks sensing blood in the water, are circling around proposals to add new legislation to the ticketing industry in those states. The two states would join a growing number of jurisdictions that are considering legislation in light of the Hannah Montana ticketing controversy.
In Tennessee, Republican State Rep. Curry Todd is planning to propose a bill this month aimed at restricting the actions of ticket brokers and others who are reselling tickets to entertainment events, according to published reports. Among the new restrictions the state legislator is considering include outlawing brokers from using software programs such as those sold by RMG Technologies that utilize “bots” to scoop up large blocks of tickets; a four-ticket limit on the number of tickets a broker can sell for an event (which would not apply to sporting events); a $500 licensing fee for brokers that would also require a $10,000 bond. The bond would be required for brokers who utilize surrogates to stand in lines at venues to buy large quantities of tickets.
"We're doing some research and will introduce the bill and try to work on it, smoothing it out after the session starts," Todd told the Germantown News. "We're looking at what other states have done, and we will try to come up with something that will work."
In Colorado, Republican Attorney General John Suthers is looking to stop the type of cyber attack that crippled ticket sales during the World Series that featured the Colorado Rockies.
Suthers is recommending the state criminalize the use of similar software programs and categorize that use as “a deceptive trade practice” under Colorado law. Violators could face civil penalties, fines and possible misdemeanor prosecution under the proposal, according to published reports. He is also proposing a four-ticket limit on sales.
The Colorado AG is joining Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and others in attempts to corral ticket brokers and discourage them from charging what the officials believe are exorbitant resale prices for tickets.
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I'm not sure why they'd be considering limiting ticket brokers to selling only 4 tickets per event. Does the state limit how many pairs of Nike sneakers WalMart can sell? Money is made there too, right?
I've been constantly reading up on what people have proposed as solutions to the ticketing controversy in light of the Hannah Montana issue.
In today's world we utilize technology to help make business processes more efficient in many applications. Since ticket re-selling has become legal in most states, the secondary ticketing market essentially has become a thriving business on it's own.
I believe it's original intention was to promote users that had extra tickets and couldn't get rid of them, but unfortunately, how do you create any piece of legislation that can determine whether they had "extra" tickets or are an actual broker? In the same light if such legislation would pass, actual non-brokers that actually do just have "extra" tickets to sell have to go through carry out this license-fee and bond as well? Where is the line drawn?
Frankly, I'm not saying "don't do anything" and let the market determine how everything will sort out, but I don't believe creating reactionary (or impulsive) legislation will necessarily solve anything and perhaps worsen things.
Lastly, I am truly sorry to hear that many young Hannah Montana fans were locked out of tickets. One fact that i believe still holds true in the ticketing market that applies to many markets - supply and demand. Ticket brokers will naturally sell the tickets at ridiculous prices, but if no ones buys the tickets, then the prices have to drop. Therefore, I'm a bit disappointed to see such a controversy come out when this exact issue has been a problem for awhile now. You don't see this controversy coming out of the Garth Brooks concerts do you?
Yes, Hannah Montana is for children and it is unfortunate that they have been caught in the middle of this, but let's try to discuss the points and not use the children as the leverage.
I've been constantly reading up on what people have proposed as solutions to the ticketing controversy in light of the Hannah Montana issue.
In today's world we utilize technology to help make business processes more efficient in many applications. Since ticket re-selling has become legal in most states, the secondary ticketing market essentially has become a thriving business on it's own.
I believe it's original intention was to promote users that had extra tickets and couldn't get rid of them, but unfortunately, how do you create any piece of legislation that can determine whether they had "extra" tickets or are an actual broker? In the same light if such legislation would pass, actual non-brokers that actually do just have "extra" tickets to sell have to go through carry out this license-fee and bond as well? Where is the line drawn?
Frankly, I'm not saying "don't do anything" and let the market determine how everything will sort out, but I don't believe creating reactionary (or impulsive) legislation will necessarily solve anything and perhaps worsen things.
Lastly, I am truly sorry to hear that many young Hannah Montana fans were locked out of tickets. One fact that i believe still holds true in the ticketing market that applies to many markets - supply and demand. Ticket brokers will naturally sell the tickets at ridiculous prices, but if no ones buys the tickets, then the prices have to drop. Therefore, I'm a bit disappointed to see such a controversy come out when this exact issue has been a problem for awhile now. You don't see this controversy coming out of the Garth Brooks concerts do you?
Yes, Hannah Montana is for children and it is unfortunate that they have been caught in the middle of this, but let's try to discuss the points and not use the children as the leverage.
If you are going to limit the number of tickets a broker can sell (and good luck enforcing that BTW), then you should also limit the number of tickets the Rockies, Nuggets, Broncos, Ticketmaster, et al can sell to a given customer. If brokers are only allowed to sell four tickets to a show, then no venue, distributer, team, etc. should be allowed to sell more than four tickets to one customer. Seeing how the secondary market has become a legitimate market, we should apply the same rules to the primary market as well.