A series of six shows by indie group Dispatch has generated considerable interest and excitement among its fans. But as the band anticipates high demand for concert tickets, it has come out with a strong statement against their resale on the secondary market.

In a statement on Dispatch’s official Web site, its members write that they are “sad and disappointed” to see tickets for sale online above their primary market value of $40. The band goes on to label any tickets currently listed by third-party sites as “false inventory,” since presales and onsales have not yet begun.

The statement reads, in part, “NO tickets are on sale for shows to DISPATCH 2011 dates until January 21st… Anyone or any website that tells you they have tickets [before the presale date] is fraudulent.”

Concerts for the Dispatch 2011 Tour scattered across the nation through the month of June. The brief tour intinerary presently opens June 4 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, and concludes June 25 at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

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Presales for the summer tour begin this weekend, January 21, with public onsales opening the following week on January 28. While ticket prices start as low as $20 or $35 in select markets, the highest pre-fee ticket price on the primary market will be set at $40.

Tickets listed for resale before they have officially entered the market through primary channels (presales or onsales) — sometimes called “phantom tickets” — have been a controversial subject in the past.

In particular, former Attorney General of New Jersey Anne Milgram filed several lawsuits regarding “phantom ticket” sales during her time in office. A couple of NJ-based brokers settled a case regarding the sale of “phantom tickets” in October 2009 with no admission of fault. More recently, a related case against secondary exchanges TicketNetwork.com and CheapTickets.com was dismissed in August 2010 when the companies were found to be not at fault.

Dispatch is also not the first band to implore its fans to buy only primary market inventory. Acts such as Phish and Nine Inch Nails have, in the past, taken a zero-tolerance stance against ticket resellers and enacted self-imposed ticketing restrictions to make the resale of their tickets more difficult.

Dispatch toured and recorded from 1996 until its dissolution in 2002, though the group has reformed for one-off reunion concerts and fund raising events in 2004, 2007 and 2009. The first of the reunion concerts, held at Boston’s Hatch Shell in 2004 and billed as the band’s “last” concert, reportedly drew more than 100,000 fans from around the world.

The band’s full statement is included below:

A Statement from Dispatch on the Secondary Ticketing Market

Dispatch is sad and disappointed to see so many third-party sites selling false inventory to shows on the DISPATCH 2011 tour, lying to the band’s fans about ticket inventory that they absolutely do not have. Here are a few notes from the band’s management on how to avoid playing into their scam.

      • NO tickets are on sale for shows to DISPATCH 2011 dates until January 21st, when the Dispatch Mailing List Presale and American Express Cardmember Presale begin. Anyone or any website that tells you they have tickets is fraudulent.
      • Ticketmaster and authorized Ticketmaster box offices are the ONLY places to get legitimate tickets.
      • All other websites are secondary-market scalpers. Any tickets purchased via these outlets cannot be guaranteed. As an example, a secondary ticketing website is offering exact seat locations to Dispatch at Red Rocks. These seat locations do not even exist for Dispatch’s show.

Dispatch has worked hard to keep ticket prices low — only $40 for the entire tour. PLEASE do not support these fraudulent companies by purchasing tickets via their websites.

 

Dispatch 2011 Tour itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)

June 4 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 8 Chicago, IL Millennium Park
June 11 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
June 18 Harrison, NJ Red Bull Arena
June 21 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
June 25 Boston, MA TD Garden

 

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