Jump to content
Muse

Paul

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    362

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Paul

    Advice on Buying Tickets and Touting/Scalping

    in Tours

    Posted

    What I cannot fathom is why there are already bids on some tickets when they haven't even gone on general sale yet!

    Are people so dim as to not check the official ticket agencies first to see when they go on sale rather than assuming that because they're on eBay it must have sold out??:rolleyes:

     

    People ARE so dim! That's why the touts are kept in business - people are morons!

    Advice on Buying Tickets and Touting/Scalping

    in Tours

    Posted

    Ah, but the majority of these people only missed out because of the touts who bought them to resell for a profit in the first place. Granted there are some people who'd rather buy them later, closer to the date, and don't mind paying over the odds, but I'm pretty sure most try and fail to get any at the general sale, and hence have to buy them off the secondary market.

     

    Funnily enough, the laws of economy dictate that this secondary market actually determines the real price, i.e. the price people are willing to pay for the ticket, so I guess the real solution would be if every ticket (or indeed every good with a limited, finite supply) was sold in this way and therefore every penny of the profit is shared by the band and record company. However, the band/record label have collectively made the decision not to and are happy to sell at a fixed price. If this was enforced by the law of the land (like they've done with football tickets), then no one else would financially gain from the concert apart from the people involved, which is how it should be.

     

    Yes, forcing people (who genuinely cannot make the gig) to resell at face value creates an artificial price with regards to market forces of supply and demand, but then it was an artificial price to begin with anyway. I guess it all boils down to ethics really more than economics.

     

    It's ethics as well as economics.

     

    But economics is the key part - the simple matter is that the touts only exist because people are willing to pay the extortionate prices. If everyone had a similar mindset to me, the touts would not exist as nobody would ever buy from them. I'd rather not go to the gig than pay £90 for a £45 ticket.

     

    I even know of someone who bought tickets for a gig (not Muse) and the tickets then sold out. One of his friends made him an offer above face value and he accepted the offer as he wasn't that fussed. I can see you have a grasp of economics so you'll know that it's just market forces in action again, just from the other side.

     

    Ticket agencies / bands can do all they like to stop this but the touts will always find a way. The photo ID idea is probably the only way to wipe it out, but it'll be so costly that everyone will end up paying even more inflated prices anyway, and defeat the point of it.

     

    Of course I'm purely focussing on the traditional touts outside of the gig venues.

     

    Then there's eBay. Part of me says they should point blank refuse to allow people to sell tickets for anything more than face value (+ service charge) and a reasonable delivery fee (i.e. no more than £5). Allowing people to list them with starting prices of over twice the face value is horrendous.

     

    But at the same time, how is a ticket for a gig any different to any other commodity? People sell CDs for more than they cost originally. People sell first editions of novels for more than they cost originally. Does the fact the tickets have a price physically printed on them actually make any difference? It still ultimately boils down to whether people (are stupid enough to) pay for the tickets at silly prices.

    Advice on Buying Tickets and Touting/Scalping

    in Tours

    Posted

    My Muse.mu join date was a while ago. But I joined the forum/board today, so I could ask this question. Anyway, I have another chance tomorrow. Just seems like there are some tickets left today, and would be good to get it sorted today.

     

    My first gig was 3 weeks ago in Sheffield, in the standing area right up close to the stage. Can't describe how amazing it was.

     

    Well good luck for tomorrow's presale.

     

    Hopefully it'll be easier than in the past now that all the fanboys hitting refresh every 0.5s have got their tickets and gone back to bed to hibernate for 10 months.

    Advice on Buying Tickets and Touting/Scalping

    in Tours

    Posted

    Ultimately, the touts are extracting every last penny of revenue out of the market.

     

    The majority of people buy tickets at face value and obviously think it's worth it otherwise they wouldn't pay it.

     

    The touts come along and take advantage of those who are willing to pay even more, but missed out at the original sale.

     

    I wouldn't ever buy a ticket from a tout at twice the price of face value. But some people would - it's those morons who get over emotional about going to see three blokes piss about with guitars and shit that need their heads checking. £100 to see Muse? fuck me

    Advice on Buying Tickets and Touting/Scalping

    in Tours

    Posted

    I want to find out their muse.mu usernames.

     

    That was my thought too...but then again, the chances are they're not really proper members. Anyone could speculatively set up a membership and use it for this.

     

    I'm sure I've got my Keren membership there somewhere, I wonder if there's another code on that??

×
×
  • Create New...