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Ticketmaster melt-down frustrates Bruce Springsteen fans
Bruce Springsteen fans are in an uproar after tickets for his upcoming tour disappeared in a matter of minutes, leaving many fans facing the prospect of paying as much as 20 times face value to snag tickets to the concerts.
While the prospect of a sold-out concert is hardly a new situation, in the case of Springsteen's upcoming "Wrecking Ball" tour, it appears that the instant sell-out wasn't a simple case of too many fans trying to buy too few tickets. Rather, it appears that an influx of computer "bots" jammed Ticketmaster with purchases, causing a significant number of fans to be locked out of the system.
According to reports from New Jersey, customers who attempted to purchase tickets through the Ticketmaster Web site experienced a webpage freeze, with a message stating that they had a "15 minute wait time until purchase," which was displayed for upwards of two hours. Ticketmaster immediately released a statement, acknowledging that the site was malfunctioning and stating that the company was "investigating the source of the problem."
Ticketmaster's subsequent investigation found that traffic on the site was two and a half times greater than the amount seen previously for a concert of a similar level of anticipated popularity. According to Ticketmaster, the source of the traffic was computer bots. "Scalpers were using sophisticated computer programs to assault our systems and secure tickets with the sole intention of selling them in the resale market," stated Ticketmaster in a released statement.
This is not the first time Springsteen ticket sales have sparked controversy. In 2009, fans who attempted to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster reported that the site was redirecting them to Ticketmaster's secondary sales Web site TicketsNow, even though Ticketmaster was still selling tickets at face value to the concert. That incident sparked an investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General.
Currently, the only way for fans to purchase tickets to the affected Bruce Springsteen concerts is on the secondary market, where prices for some tickets have topped $7,000. It is not yet known if any legal action will be taken, either on the part of Ticketmaster or fans that were unable to purchase tickets.
However, New Jersey state representative Bill Pascrell told NJ.com that he intends to re-introduce legislation that would take steps toward protecting consumers from future ticket sale issues such as this. "We've got to take a very, very careful look at the use of high-tech computer programs. While many fans were unable to get tickets today, many brokers were able to get their hands on good seats ... and put them up on secondary ticket sellers' websites," Pascrell told NJ.com.
If the Bruce Springsteen ticket debacle spurs legislation that once again changes state resale laws, the secondary ticket market could be forced to adapt once again.
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Okay, I've read all the spin on this, so now here's mine. The haves' say all is well, while the average diehard fan is once again out of luck. The paperless ticket idea has merit only if it is strickly enforced. I've gone to several secondary sites, including Stubhub, only to find that they have several "paperless" tickets for sale. I thought these tickets weren't for re-sale? If they really can't be re-sold, then Bruce needs to hold a press conference stating that anyone who buys paperless tickets from a secondary source WON'T BE ADDMITTED TO ANY SHOWS!!! Forget the blame game. Let's fix the problem. Yes, you would feel awfully stupid spending $2000 for a ticket you can't use, but if you've got $2000 for a rock concert, I'm sure you can absorb the loss & contact your attorney.
Too many fans trying to buy too few tickets…
Especially because of the limited number of tickets Ticketmaster puts on sale compared to the high demand for those tickets.”
With all the presales, fan clubs, artists selling tickets on the secondary market and tickets held for venue patrons such as season ticket holders, popular shows sell out quickly due to the limited number of seats actually put on sale.”
Ticketmaster should be forced to provide full disclosure as to the allocation of the tickets it sold and how many were actually made available to the general public.
Ticketmaster’s excuse that computer "bots" jammed Ticketmaster is just a way to spur legislation to change state resale laws to give them even MORE unfair advantages in the market.
This whole "bot" fantasy has gotten out of control. It's a mass hysteria created by Ticketmaster and other primary sellers to prompt legislation to give them even MORE unfair advantages in the market. Are there bot programs? Of course. Will most brokers use them with all the attention they've gotten in recent years? No way. Is there any reason whatsoever to use a bot when all the premium sections on the Springsteen tour are paperless? Nope. The scourge of the ticketing industry are the primary sellers. They're fleeced the public the artists and the legislators. It'll come out in the open someday.
Avoiding problems like this is simple. Simply sell the tickets at near market value in the first place. It must hurt to live in the skin of someone who simply refuses to acknowledge market realities. If you want to be charitable, great, just donate money to charity, or to recipients of your choice, or give them an option they prefer less, but might satisfy your ego more, like free tickets to a concert which they can then sell, but quit with the silly charades that just complicate the process by which the tickets will end up in the same hands anyway.
2/8/12 The San Jose show at HP Pavillion is NOT SOLD OUT through TicketMaster! I just checked before posting this comment. They are mostly seats behind stage with some obstruction. The GOOD tickets were sold as "ticketless" tickets & a credit card with your name on it with matching government issued ID (like driver license) must be shown. Ticketmaster fine print (under faqs Other Restrictions) state credit card gift cards are not allowed for purchase. Many scalpers have bought with a credit card (Visa, MC, Am Ex) & resold these tickets/gift card on eBay & probably on some ticket broker resales that aren't holding sellers accountable. For example check out Stub Hub, they won't let you post for sale any "ticketless tickets & areas for those tickets is blocked out." The only way a person could resale "ticketless tickets" is if they attend the concert with person(s) who bought tickets. Everyone has to be at entrance to event at the same time. This is fine for friends going together. NOT for scalpers, I really feel sorry for some people paying a lot of money thinking the gift cards will work for admittance. If you can get any additional information from Ticketmaster or Promoter for Springsteen Concerts would be helpful.