By Stacey Willets
It’s been a rough week for the ticketing industry. If you expected the outrage over record-breaking Hannah Montana sell-outs would just blow over, think again. Empty-handed parents left struggling to understand how their best efforts resulted in broken promises are prompted to ask What exactly is going on here?
Odds of Getting Hannah Tickets: One in a Million?
Reselling tickets to children’s shows is a delicate business, especially when the “kid concert” is one of the best-selling music sensations of the year. In the case of Hannah Montana, the reaction goes further than brokers receiving hate mail. With angry Kansas City parents leading the initiative for consumer protection, the entire ticketing industry has been put under the microscope . . .
When Hannah Montana’s December 3 show at the Sprint Center sold out in minutes, parents were so incensed they compelled the City Council of Kansas City to take action. This anger was not reserved solely for the “scalpers.” Their scrutiny of the ticketing industry began with the primary sellers. Fingers were pointed at Ticketmaster, leader of this week’s Top Primary Sellers which include Tickets.com at two, LiveNation.com at three, TicketWeb.com at four, Etix.com at five, Telecharge.com at six, TicketsWest.com at seven, Tix.com at eight, GrooveTickets.com at nine, and BrownPaperTickets.com at ten.
Because tickets immediately appeared on secondary websites – first-ranked StubHub.com, second-ranked TicketsNow.com, third-ranked TicketLiquidator.com, fourth-ranked ABCtickets.com, fifth-ranked GoTickets.com, sixth-ranked RazorGator.com, seventh-ranked CoasttoCoastTickets.com, eight-ranked TickCo.com, ninth-ranked CheapPricedTickets.com, and tenth-ranked OnlineSeats.com all list seats for the performance – consumers cried conspiracy, suspecting Ticketmaster and the Sprint Center of an alliance with brokers that would give resellers first dibs on tickets.
What was eventually discovered was that of the 11,000 tickets released for the show 3000 went to the artist, suite-holders, and promoter AEG Live and 4000 went to fan club presales, meaning only 4000 were made available to the public on September 15.
Consider this: Only 4000 tickets are available for purchase. Kansas City consumers are aware of the difficulty involved in getting tickets, so most potential buyers enlist the help of multiple friends and relatives, some using multiple computers and phones while others wait in line at the box office. Additionally, parents in neighboring areas that couldn’t get tickets to their local venue are doing the same thing, prepared to take a road trip to appease their heartbroken brood. And because the performances aren’t going to be populated by unaccompanied minors, tickets aren’t being bought in singles or pairs, but in blocks. Ticketmaster was bombarded with hundreds of thousands of requests the moment tickets went on sale. Also consider that because multiple people were often involved in a single buy attempt, customers lucky enough to secure tickets sometimes wound up with extras. Is it hard to see how all the tickets disappeared? The brokers’ efforts to acquire tickets certainly didn’t help the citizens of Kansas City, but even if resellers were removed from the equation, not everyone who wanted a ticket would have gotten one.
Supply and Demand: Bigger Than Us
If Hannah Montana herself isn’t the talk of the town, current ticket prices for her show certainly are. Everywhere you look it seems there are reports of tickets advertised for thousands of dollars. While the market value of Hannah Montana tickets are well above the modest $26 – $56 face price per ticket, you don’t necessarily have to fork over the equivalent of a mortgage payment to get a seat.
On TicketLiquidator.com, seats for the aforementioned Dec. 3 show at the Sprint Center ranged from $145 – $1785, with only three groups of tickets over the hefty $1000 price tag. On StubHub.com, seats ranged from $155 – $1795, again with three sets of floor tickets in the over $1000 category. While hundreds of dollars is still pretty pricey, we’re still months out before many of the shows. Traditionally in this market, the closer the event date gets, the more ticket prices come down. RazorGator.com and TickCo.com are already showing reduced prices on some performances. Though patient ticket buyers aren’t likely to see Hannah tickets plummet back to face value, they can expect to see prices lower as the showtimes near.
Yes, as critics will tell you, even at the reduced rates seats bought on the secondary market cost a lot of money. Unfortunately, that’s supply and demand. The average consumer did have a chance, albeit a slim chance, to obtain tickets for the $26 price. To the protests that now only the rich will be able to afford tickets when everyone should have the same opportunity to snatch up front row seats, sadly that’s the way of the world. Democracy doesn’t mean Lamborghinis and Bentleys for everyone. With only a limited supply of tickets to dole out to an enormous fan base, not everyone can be entitled to a seat, less mind a seat covered by paper route earnings.
The irony is that even as consumers condemn the resellers for their greed, surplus tickets from some buyers’ own frenzied attempts at purchasing enough seats for their families are popping up on the secondary market at eBay and Craigslist.
Hannah’s hit single says it all: Nobody’s Perfect. The ugliness caused by the ticket demand debacle makes it all too clear. There are those that dwell on the flaws in the ticketing industry and criticize the business of brokers. There are those that chastise the parents for catering to “spoiled brats” and overlooking their children’s real needs. There are those that complain the promoter should add more shows to satisfy their city’s demand despite the fact that Miley/Hannah already has a rigorous schedule and is only fourteen years old. The Best of Both Worlds Tour doesn’t appear to be bringing out the best in anyone.
In the end, investigators will probably not provide jilted buyers with the answers they want to hear. “Back door technologies” and unscrupulous alliances are not at the core of the issue. The problem is the devastatingly simple fact that there just aren’t enough tickets to go around. It’s been a harsh initiation for parents who hoped to bring smiles to their kids’ faces. However, the industry is not bereft of empathy for the families of Kansas City and the other stops along Hannah’s tour. Ticketers are making efforts to offer consumers advice on finding best value seats, and ultimately hope to educate the public about the ticketing business.
To see all the Top Tens rankings, check out the press release in the Daily Buzz section of TicketNews.com. Visit the Industry resources section of TicketNews.com for full lists of the Top Twenty Secondary Ticket Sellers and the Top Twenty Overall Ticket Sellers, or to read an explanation of how we calculate the rankings.
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Here in Chicago the Allstate Arena show was sold out in minutes. No one I know purchased tickets. Now we know that scalpers use outfits like RMG Technologies (Steubenville, Ohio) to purchase thousands of tickets with computers. Then they turn around and scalp them. This is all worse than it was 30 years ago when scalpers used homeless people to stand in line for tickets. The worst part is scalping is “legal” in Illinois. Of course a bunch of our state legislators passed laws allowing this. Gee, I wonder why? This is all a scam and scalping should be banned and made illegal again.
How pitiful the rich in this country are the only ones who will see the show. It’s a sad day when a person on stage for 90 minutes, pretending to be someone else, makes more than a teacher, firefighter, police officer or 911 dispatcher makes in one year.
I also was guilty of trying to get tickets for my neices for the Hannah Montana show and was shut out like everyone else. I also refuse to pay these crazy prices to a “broker”. What a shame these losers buy up tickets to a kids show when I’m sure most of them don’t even have kids (probably 28 year old men living in their parents’ basement) and basically screw people who actually are interested in taking their kids.
I joined the stupid fan club and still couldn’t get tickets. I will be challenging the charge on my credit card when it comes in because I didn’t get what I was trying to purchase.
Good idea!
I also joined the fan club and couldn’t get tickets. When I tried to buy them they said tickets were on sale a month BEFORE the fan club had a chance to buy them. I will also challenge the charge on my card.
I know how you all are feeling. I did the same thing joining her mileyworld fan club. I also promise my girls that we would go to her concert, thinking I would have a good change getting her tickets, ( WHAT WAS I THINKING) I think we should write to DISNEY CHANNEL and let them know how we ALL feel about this situation. Also maybe our local news. Maybe it would air and expose all the scalpers
If you do not like capitalism, move to China or some other communist nation where the government dictates prices. We live in America. The prices for Hannah Montana tickets are dictate by the market. Google “supply and demand”! People who cannot afford luxury items (i.e. event tickets) would be better off spending their money on things like: college funds, mortgage, groceries, etc. etc.
Contrary to the notion that ticket brokers live in their parent’s basement, many agencies are large operations with many employees.
I think that the percentage of tickets that can be bought by secondary ticket brokers should be limited somehow. That was the average joe (or josephine) can still get a ticket without going through a broker.
Oh and they forgot to mention ShowTimeTickets.com, although they aren’t SO big, that’s the broker I have experience with here in Vancouver and they are good, but I just wonder sometimes… the whole point of the brokers is to sell off the exclusive tickets, because they buy them the fastest… What if these brokers didn’t exist? My guess is we’d still be dealing with individuals through eBay to get the premium seats.
Get over it. Miley chose to be a performer. Teachers choose to be teachers. Firefighters choose to be firefighters. I chose my profession too and I think it sucks Hannah makes more money than I do. So what! Stop crying about LIFE!
OK, So are you going to sell your house for exactly what you paid when you move? You wouldnt dare charge more would you? What are you a communist?
who is this person?
Oh I get it, just another vapid, talentless nobody in this society of everyone is a star because we say so… pathetic.
actually sadly it would be cheaper to move to China than to go to a 2 hour concert that my little girl would of absolutely done anything to go to…. These People are pathedic lowlifes
A house is a bit different than a little girls dream to see the person on TV that she lives and breathes,reads her books buys her CDs, constantly watches her shows over and over, Wears her clothing Where as a house you put on sale you have done updates to (well most people have you know landscaping renovating putting a pool in etc… ,therefore they should charge more since it is more of a home than a house when sold. This is supposed to be America where dreams can come true but for who???????????? Hell cant even take your kids to concerts because only the rich should go or what???????This is freaken pathetic
yeah at least the homeless got a couple meals out of it and people still had a chance to get tickets it should be banned and all the tickets online that are going for more than value should be fined I know certain things such as INDY 500 tickets couldnt be sold for more than face value because if caught thier were consequences such as losing your seats why should it be any different for anything else.
If there are any NJ parents outraged at the prices of Hannah Montana tickets, could you pls call Star-Ledger reporter Nawal Qarooni at 973-951-4030? Thanks.
You know not only the rich got these tickets. I did the same as everyone else, joined the fan club a few days before. I was online that morning, credit card in hand. At 10 am it started by 1005 I had my tickets. I had fast fingers and was prepared. I also am VERY VERY LUCKY. I am a nurse with a normal salary, we don’t make that much. Miley is not to blame for this, she has promotors and people who set these things up, not even her father!!. I think everyone should just lay off this kid. She has a one in a million life, let her live it.
i am zac effrons sister cbut we have diffrent last namesand i mileys sister to
i have read the comments and it is sad that a average working mother can not afford the price of these tickets but i do believe that hannah does have some control over this. remember her one hit wonder dad. till he made a huge comback with his daughter he tried to get rich over night by doing things like this too. thought he was better than.
I read that there is a class action suit against miley world fan club and they should be forced to return money because it failed to deliver what was promised so shame on hanah montana but the real question is compaines like tickemaster who optain the sole rights to sell these tickets, If ticketmaster is not able to provide enough security to stop high tech preditors then they should not be in the ticket selling business, the state needs to keep a close watch on ticketmaster and other brokers and impose stiff fines and if warrented close down time compaines that gouge the public, If the goverment can take your home away from you and give it to private developers then they can regulate a industry.
You all should grab a box of tissue and cry about it. This is the way things are now and if you dont have the drive and skill to find tickets at a reasonable rate, then you in fact are the idiots. There are plenty of other ways to to geet tickets. They are out there, and just like ‘Tickle Me Elmo’ or Wii’s, people are getting them at cost every minute of eveyday. Suck it up and stop whining about how much money you make!
That comment you made really stinks. I speak for many who have the drive and skill to find more than just tickets, those you call idiots. Since you don’t have the brains to understand let me break it down for you. It’s not about how much money we make, its about how much money we are willing to let scumbags like you rape us for. Just because we want to give our kids the opportunity to see their favorite pop star doesn’t automatically give you people the right to rob us blind. It’s jerks like you that don’t remember what it was like to have a dream to see a favorite band/star whatever. But guess what, it’s also jerks like you who no matter how much money you make off of the poor parents who have good intentions for their kids, will never have enough money to claim a wealthy status. So go ahead and keep making your low, worthless comments. Just don’t forget that what comes around goes around and my dear you are no exception to that rule.