Despite taking a decidedly sharp stance against the secondary ticket market over the past year, Live Nation has begun to list information on its Web site for tickets available on broker sites, TicketNews has learned.
Fans looking for tickets on Live Nation can now see available secondary tickets, including pricing information, on the same pages where face value tickets are located. The secondary ticket data is compiled by ticket search engine company FanSnap. Virtually all artist pages on Live Nation’s site now carry secondary ticket information.
“LiveNation.com shows you tickets that brokers, re-sellers, and fans are offering. We know this isn’t for everyone as many fans don’t like to buy from secondary markets,” the Live Nation Web site states. “We understand, but we want to offer you as many options as we can in one place. Our goal is to get you to the show and deliver the concert experience that’s right for you. Some of these tickets are NOT being sold by the official ticket seller and we do NOT guarantee their authenticity. Please check the OFFICIAL tickets at the top of this page first before deciding to buy.” (See the screen shot below.)
The move by Live Nation, which is in the midst of trying to gain U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approval for its merger with Ticketmaster, would appear to show a major change in philosophy for the concert promotions giant, and it could be part of a concession package Live Nation is preparing for DOJ consideration.
At various times, however, Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino echoed the sentiments of Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff in blasting the secondary ticket market, and both executives have put a premium on shifting toward paperless ticketing and dynamic pricing as ways of ultimately eliminating the secondary ticket market.
“We’re not going to comment,” Live Nation spokesperson John Vlautin told TicketNews. FanSnap CEO Mike Janes did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment.
The Web site also states that the secondary market tickets in question “may be above actual face value,” and adds the disclaimer: “Tickets sold by brokers, re-sellers, and fans may not be artist-approved, authentic, or official Live Nation concert tickets. Please check the OFFICIAL tickets at the top of this page first before deciding to buy.”
Live Nation claims it is providing the information as a service, and that it is not reselling the tickets itself, but earlier in the year, Ticketmaster found itself in hot water when it linked to its own secondary ticket Web site, TicketsNow, following the release of Bruce Springsteen tickets. The company settled a complaint about it with New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.
(Click the image to enlarge it.)
Last Updated on December 8, 2009
11 Comments
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The secondary ticket resellers have a valid role in the marketplace but not at the expense of ticket buyers and event producers. I work for Brown Paper Tickets, we have a better of ticketing.
Brown Paper Tickets is offering a request for comment on our solution to the reselling issue at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/blogcomments/100016
Our solution is designed to close the gap between ticket buyers and the artists/event producers. I invite everyone to review our proposal and add their suggestions and observations.
the points made by brown paper ticket in their website are that it would be wrong to arrive at a steakhouse early and order all the meat and wine and resell it to patrons. This is ludicrous. The whole market created by brokers is to solve an element in the marketplace where there is a need. Ticket brokers spend most of their money in marketing the same events that promoters do. In a way you could say brokers are promoters too.
Some forward thinking promoters and venues look to the secondary market as an opportunity to sell and market more tickets. This has been successfully done with marketing deals between the two parties. Its is not surprising there are still ticket companies living in the 90s. Its a shame a new company like brown paper tickets may be starting in the new era with a mindset that will be very challenging for them to adapt to this new era of ticketing which there is little to no difference from the “primary” to “secondary” markets. They are both using dynamic prices and both selling the same product to the same consumer. It would seem companies like brown paper tickets just look at a lost opportunity to eliminate competition despite the negative effects to consumers this would cause
They would probably want you to you to pay GM money if you resold a GM car
Brown Paper Tickets, you better hope to hell the merger doesn’t go through. If it does, you, nor anyone else will have a say in how tickets are distributed and sold.
Isn’t this a good thing for brokers? Congrats to Live Nation for offering the service. This is a win-win for concert fans, Live Nation, and the other ticketing companies.
In a deal with Seatwave.
http://www.livenation.nl/tickettrade
secondary links to a show in a building they are the primary ticketer for? ON U2 The links provided go to venues where live nation does not sell primary tickets. They also have $70,000,000.00 invested in U2. They are partners. Are they just linking to events they arent ticketing themselves for a few points and some advertising dollars from Fan Snap? Or are there links out to there to Fan Snap links for shows they are ticketing themselves and I just havent found any? I went to some events I kow they are ticketing that ARE sold out and their are no secondary links or feeds from FanSnap for them notwithstanding there is plenty of inventory available.
When testifying before the Senate, Rapino said the secondary ticket market should be OUTLAWED AND SHUT DOWN.
It seems he may have lied under oath. For most of us I believe that’s a crime.
Not sure, but I think it is.
Ticket Network wishes they were the ones in bed with Live Nation.
Don is apparently not on Rapino’s speed dial.
You have made some good points there, in regards to Michael Rapino’s comments.
Actually have to laugh about the Don comment, your comment is VERY TRUE. “Ticket Network wishes they were the ones in bed with Live Nation.
Don is apparently not on Rapino’s speed dial.”
You can bet Don is ENVIOUS that LN/TB are not interested in ticketnetwork. This country does not deserve the evil version of the three goons AZOFF, RAPINO, VACARRO. The evil twins Rapino and Azoff are bad enough, Mike Domek took his money and ran. Don’t think that Donnie wouldn’t throw the brokers under the bus for his own finacial gain. He grew off the backs of brokers too.
Just because Rapino said he believed the secondary market should be outlawed doesn’t mean he doesn’t think it would be beneficial for LN to have partnerships with brokers. His duty is to his shareholders, not his personal beliefs. Regardless, what LN’s philosophy is will ultimately be more relevant than Napoleon Azoff, as LN will own Ticketmaster.
I followed the link to the Brown site, and what I saw was a Request For Comment. It really appears that they are asking questions… (probably to test an idea or product they are thinking about). But it’s an RFC, I doubt it represent a “mindset”, in fact, it implies they do not yet have a mindset on these issues, at least not a public one.
“Is access the big problem?”
“What is fair?”
“What do you think of these anti-scalping procedures?”
“At the core of the issue is: Do you believe the primary ticketing service bears the responsibility to protect against fraud and abuse?”
Seems like a good question for a ticketing company to ask considering the current issues in this field.
I think Brown Paper Tickets has worked with small and medium sized venues and shows, not the huge name concerts where secondary markets are a big part of the game. They can position as a “market spoiler” with nothing to lose.
But, as far as causing “negative effects to consumers”; a company like Brown is the least likely to stick-it to the little guy, since that’s been their bread and butter.
I would guess they are looking for the “white knight” approach to this issue; Yes, primary and secondary are the same… (They even mention a “Dutch Auction” to allow market driven pricing for primary sales, hummm)… but if you take a stab at where they will eventually come out on this issue(apply the Brown philosophy), then there isn’t a middle-man who’s making a killing on the redistribution anymore then in the primary distribution. These guys are funny about big-profit ticket distribution.
But then…. that IS creating competition. In fact, competition in the marketplace is what these guys are about, if you believe their company bio.
I think Brown is forward thinking. I would say they just think the “need” you refer to might be solved differently, someday. If you were Brown, you’d be hoping for the same thing. And if you were forward thinking, you’d be trying to figure out what that is going to look like.