Azoff Apologizes

[Rockindeano]

I am loving this.

I reported yesterday to all you suckholes the unfair and corrupt like practice of Ticketmaster and good ol Irving Azoff. That fucker was basically buying up all Bruce tickets as soon as they went on sale, and putting them into Ticketmasters sister site, Tickets Now, which is supposed to be an outlet for people to sell their tickets who can't for somehow reason attend the concert. Well lookie here. Bruce gets pissed and it all changes.

An Open Letter of Apology to Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, and the Entire Springsteen Tour Team, received from Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff and reprinted in its entirety:

While we were genuinely trying to do the right thing for fans in providing more choices when the tickets they requested from the primary on-sale were not available, we clearly missed the mark. Fans are confused and angry, which is the opposite of what we hoped to accomplish. We sincerely apologize to Bruce, his organization and, above all, his fans.

We recognize that we need to change our course. We have committed to Bruce and state publicly here that we have taken down all links for Bruce’s shows directing fans from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow. This redirection only occurred as a choice when we could not satisfy fans’ specific search request for primary ticket inventory, but to make sure there is no misunderstanding in the future, we also publicly state that we will never again link to TicketsNow in a manner that can possibly create any confusion during a high-demand on-sale. Specifically, we will not present an option to go to TicketsNow from Ticketmaster without the consent of the artist and the venue, both of whom work together to bring the joy of live entertainment to millions of fans.

If any fans inadvertently purchased tickets in the resale marketplace believing in error they were purchasing from the initial on-sale, we will refund the difference between the actual purchase price and the face price of the ticket. (Please don’t abuse this good faith gesture – we did not give brokers any preferential access to tickets.)

We are committed to helping deliver the most transparent and best live entertainment experience to fans. We will do better going forward.

Sincerely,
Irving Azoff, CEO, Ticketmaster Entertainment

That's our bold above. If you feel you were suckered by a bait-and-switch, we urge you to take up Mr. Azoff on his offer.
- February 5, 2009(Bruce Camp)

Someone finally called this snake out for his bullshit practice. I think this basically cancels out the misguided decision to go the Walmart route, right Phyliss?

AWESOME- I hate you Azoff.

[Rhiannon]

How many ponies did he have to kill to force that much sunshine out of his asshole? Christ, wonderful wording. Let me get the over all jist, "We were trying to help. We're sorry. Aw, shucks... hope you're going to forget this soon. XOXO, Irv."

...Nice try. That's twice this week. The old bat is losing his touch.

[Rockindeano]

My point is Rhi, someone with stature had to call him on this. My man just trumped Azoff. It's a good day.

[RobbieG]

Mr know it all that bad practice has been going on at Ticketmaster for years. Ticketmaster has a history of this. Remember Pearl Jams fight with them years ago? Yes Azoff should have cleaned up the place before taking over. He did the right thing now hopefully that should apply to all artists.

[DrFU]

As apologies go, this one sucks donkey dicks.

[Rhiannon]

My point is Rhi, someone with stature had to call him on this. My man just trumped Azoff. It's a good day.

Oh yeah, Bruce burned his ass good on this. Team Boss!

[bluejeangirl76]

My point is Rhi, someone with stature had to call him on this. My man just trumped Azoff. It's a good day.

"It's gonna be a good day, Tater." - Ron White

[NealIsGod]

My point is Rhi, someone with stature had to call him on this. My man just trumped Azoff. It's a good day.

Oh yeah, Bruce burned his ass good on this. Team Boss!

And cost him lots of dough in the process. Good job, Boss.

[Blueskies]

That's our bold above. If you feel you were suckered by a bait-and-switch, we urge you to take up Mr. Azoff on his offer.
- February 5, 2009(Bruce Camp)

Someone finally called this snake out for his bullshit practice. I think this basically cancels out the misguided decision to go the Walmart route, right Phyliss?

AWESOME- I hate you Azoff.

Not sure if it cancels it out in my mind..I think they dropped the ball by teaming with Walmart but I'm sure glad to see they've picked it back up and scored against this player.
Way to go Boss!

[Rockindeano]

Mr know it all that bad practice has been going on at Ticketmaster for years. Ticketmaster has a history of this. Remember Pearl Jams fight with them years ago? Yes Azoff should have cleaned up the place before taking over. He did the right thing now hopefully that should apply to all artists.

Eggdick, I have no idea what your problem is, but for two years this has gone on, but no one stepped up to say a word. Some of the biggest stars on the tour circuit are Azoff clients; Eagles, Neil Diamond, Christina A.....they wouldn't dare speak a word. It took a guy associated with Live Nation to say "enough." Now, will this continue, or will this be a blip on the radar and back to normal in a few weeks? The thing is you need to be one of the top guys to make a difference, make a stand. There aren't many who are top dogs not associated with Azoff.

FUCK YOU AZOFF.

[RobbieG]

Mr know it all that bad practice has been going on at Ticketmaster for years. Ticketmaster has a history of this. Remember Pearl Jams fight with them years ago? Yes Azoff should have cleaned up the place before taking over. He did the right thing now hopefully that should apply to all artists.

Eggdick, I have no idea what your problem is, but for two years this has gone on, but no one stepped up to say a word. Some of the biggest stars on the tour circuit are Azoff clients; Eagles, Neil Diamond, Christina A.....they wouldn't dare speak a word. It took a guy associated with Live nation to say "enough." Now, will this continue, or will this be a blip on the radar and back to normal in a few weeks? The thing is you need to be one of the top guys to make a difference, make a stand. There aren't many who are top digs not associated with Azoff.

FUCK YOU AZOFF.

I would agree with but Azoff just took over Tickermaster this past year. You are right this crap has been going on at ticketmaster for years. Like I said he should have took care of this bad pratice when he took over. So actually it been fuck you ticketmaster for years. No problem here just state the facts.

[slucero]

hmm.. should make things interesting for the planned Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger...

[RobbieG]

hmm.. should make things interesting for the planned Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger...

I agree. Both suck for trying to obtain tickets fairly.

[Rockindeano]

hmm.. should make things interesting for the planned Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger...

That's what I am wondering. Will it even take place? Does it need government ok? Apparently so. Here is an excerpt from a letter from Landau and Springsteen to the fans:

http://backstreets.com/news.html

A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team

- February 4, 2009

I wonder if maybe Landau can purchase Live Nation to prevent this from taking place? maybe Bruce himself can throw a 100 million in for this.

[RobbieG]

hmm.. should make things interesting for the planned Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger...

That's what I am wondering. Will it even take place? Does it need government ok? Apparently so. Here is an excerpt from a letter from Landau and Springsteen to the fans:

http://backstreets.com/news.html

A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team

- February 4, 2009

I wonder if maybe Landau can purchase Live Nation to prevent this from taking place? maybe Bruce himself can throw a 100 million in for this.

I believe Azoff owns a percentage of Live Nation

[Rockindeano]

hmm.. should make things interesting for the planned Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger...

That's what I am wondering. Will it even take place? Does it need government ok? Apparently so. Here is an excerpt from a letter from Landau and Springsteen to the fans:

http://backstreets.com/news.html

A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team

- February 4, 2009

I wonder if maybe Landau can purchase Live Nation to prevent this from taking place? maybe Bruce himself can throw a 100 million in for this.

I believe Azoff owns a percentage of Live Nation

How can we find out?

[nolippin]

Doesn't sound like Azoff owns part of Live Nation, but Live Nation has an interest in keeping Azoff happy because of his client roster.

http://billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_disp ... 7f53?imw=Y

Live Nation, AEG Reps Discuss Azoff Deal
November 21, 2008 - Touring

By Mitchell Peters, N.Y.

Ticketmaster's blockbuster agreement to acquire a controlling equity interest in Irving Azoff's Front Line Management Group could have a big impact on Live Nation's summer amphitheater touring season, according to AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, who spoke yesterday (Nov. 20) on a touring panel at the annual Billboard Touring Conference in New York.

"I know a lot of amphitheater tours where [Azoff has] come to me to try and figure out the economics to keep out of your amphitheaters, because he does not want [Live Nation] to be handling the tickets," Phillips said. "You're being naive if you think this isn't going to be a battle."

Less than two months remain before Live Nation launches its in-house ticketing platform. Live Nation, whose ticketing deal with Ticketmaster expires at the end of this year, has partnered with German ticketing company CTS Eventim to help launch its ticketing operation.

With Azoff now serving as CEO of newly dubbed Ticketmaster Entertainment, competition between the two companies will be even more intense.

But even in his new role, Azoff will continue to "do what's right" for the clients he manages, Phillips said during the panel, but "what's right for his act may be merging with what's right for the business he's creating."

Front Line Management represents such acts as the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Diamond, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Nicks, Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Chicago, Journey and Guns N' Roses.

Azoff's client roster, which has roughly 200 acts, accounts for "about 30% or 40% of [Live Nation's] amphitheater season," according to Phillips.

But Live Nation Northeast chairman Jimmy Koplik noted that Azoff has already been in contact with him about routing Front Line clients into sheds for the 2009 summer season.

"I'm sure Irving's putting his artists into the amphitheaters of Live Nation," Koplik said. "We're talking to a couple of tours right now."
Koplik added, "If you see Jimmy Buffett next summer playing arenas, then you'll be right. I don't think that will happen." Phillips quickly responded with: "Hold on."

[artist4perry]

Mr know it all that bad practice has been going on at Ticketmaster for years. Ticketmaster has a history of this. Remember Pearl Jams fight with them years ago? Yes Azoff should have cleaned up the place before taking over. He did the right thing now hopefully that should apply to all artists.

Eggdick, I have no idea what your problem is, but for two years this has gone on, but no one stepped up to say a word. Some of the biggest stars on the tour circuit are Azoff clients; Eagles, Neil Diamond, Christina A.....they wouldn't dare speak a word. It took a guy associated with Live nation to say "enough." Now, will this continue, or will this be a blip on the radar and back to normal in a few weeks? The thing is you need to be one of the top guys to make a difference, make a stand. There aren't many who are top digs not associated with Azoff.

FUCK YOU AZOFF.

I would agree with but Azoff just took over Tickermaster this past year. You are right this crap has been going on at ticketmaster for years. Like I said he should have took care of this bad pratice when he took over. So actually it been fuck you ticketmaster for years. No problem here just state the facts.

Azoff should have been aware of their "practice" from the time he took over, a year is a long time to not be "aware" of their unscrupulous practices, seems it only became a Problemed Practice, when The Boss made people aware of it and protested it publicly........Go Bruce!

[SP Fan in Oregon]

hmm.. should make things interesting for the planned Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger...

That's what I am wondering. Will it even take place? Does it need government ok? Apparently so. Here is an excerpt from a letter from Landau and Springsteen to the fans:

http://backstreets.com/news.html

A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team

- February 4, 2009

I wonder if maybe Landau can purchase Live Nation to prevent this from taking place? maybe Bruce himself can throw a 100 million in for this.

If Ticketmaster is manipulating markets with the intent of controlling prices of tickets for music concerts, perhaps I should engage my skillls and sue him in Federal Court
under an Anti-Trust violation, to get all the ticket purchasers their money back. This is serious stuff, and most likely the backpeddling by Azoff once his lawyers found out what
was going on. Neverthless, poking around on this issue may result in discovering an actionable case. Don't tell Azoff where I live cause I don't want to get off'ed........

[Rick]

I am loving this.

You are pathetic.

You miss nothing.

[Rockindeano]

If Ticketmaster is manipulating markets with the intent of controlling prices of tickets for music concerts, perhaps I should engage my skillls and sue him in Federal Court under an Anti-Trust violation, to get all the ticket purchasers their money back. This is serious stuff, and most likely the backpeddling by Azoff once his lawyers found out what
was going on. Neverthless, poking around on this issue may result in discovering an actionable case. Don't tell Azoff where I live cause I don't want to get off'ed........

Well Counselor, Ticketmaster (Azoff), did manipulate markets, as he offered the bullshit apology letter(backpedaling), in a way of, "Oh shit, we are really sorry, we basically overlooked this," and now that he has been called on the carpet, I say push him up and over the ledge. Do you have any idea how much he stood to make just with the manipulation of the Springsteen shows? He does this to all the major ticketed shows, the artists who are all but guaranteed to sellout. People sign on to Ticketmaster expecting the big shows to sell out and sell out fast. So when a Springsteen or U2 come along and after 6 minutes, the site says, "no tickets match your request," they shrug and say "darn." They expect it. Well, now that this has been brought to light, there is proof to offer up a prosecutor launch. Stevie Wonder even can see it.

Why don't you call Landau and Bruce and discuss raping Azoff with a giant plunger. I bet Bruce would front you the retainer fee. This is your chance to attain Gloria Alred(puke), or Dream Team status as a lawyer.

The writing is on the wall. His letter basically is an act of guilt. As clear as a white Bronco eastbound at 45 mph on a sunny Los Angeles afternoon.

[SP Fan in Oregon]

If Ticketmaster is manipulating markets with the intent of controlling prices of tickets for music concerts, perhaps I should engage my skillls and sue him in Federal Court under an Anti-Trust violation, to get all the ticket purchasers their money back. This is serious stuff, and most likely the backpeddling by Azoff once his lawyers found out what
was going on. Neverthless, poking around on this issue may result in discovering an actionable case. Don't tell Azoff where I live cause I don't want to get off'ed........

Well Counselor, Ticketmaster (Azoff), did manipulate markets, as he offered the bullshit apology letter(backpedaling), in a way of, "Oh shit, we are really sorry, we basically overlooked this," and now that he has been called on the carpet, I say push him up and over the ledge. Do you have any idea how much he stood to make just with the manipulation of the Springsteen shows? He does this to all the major ticketed shows, the artists who are all but guaranteed to sellout. People sign on to Ticketmaster expecting the big shows to sell out and sell out fast. So when a Springsteen or U2 come along and after 6 minutes, the site says, "no tickets match your request," they shrug and say "darn." They expect it. Well, now that this has been brought to light, there is proof to offer up a prosecutor launch. Stevie Wonder even can see it.

Why don't you call Landau and Bruce and discuss raping Azoff with a giant plunger. I bet Bruce would front you the retainer fee. This is your chance to attain Gloria Alred(puke), or Dream Team status as a lawyer.
The writing is on the wall. His letter basically is a act of guilt.

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

[Rockindeano]

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

I would say Live Nation has enough of the market share to not have a monopoly but I don't really know.

Azoff is rich, but I am not going to automatically associate that with brains. This dumb fucker thought it was a good idea to lip sync an entire tour, and then, after fans got a whiff, decided to start yet another tour doing that shit.

Is it too late to go after his smarmy ass so we fans can get our hard earned cash back? Was that shit illegal?

[SP Fan in Oregon]

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

I would say Live Nation has enough of the market share to not have a monopoly but I don't really know.

Azoff is rich, but I am not going to automatically associate that with brains. This dumb fucker thought it was a good idea to lip sync an entire tour, and then, after fans got a whiff, decided to start yet another tour doing that shit.

Is it too late to go after his smarmy ass so we fans can get our hard earned cash back? Was that shit illegal?

Well I guess we are going to find out just how illegal it was because the New Jersey Attorney General's office is looking into it..............
Read this:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/njpolit ... 20509.html

[Rick]

If Ticketmaster is manipulating markets with the intent of controlling prices of tickets for music concerts, perhaps I should engage my skillls and sue him in Federal Court under an Anti-Trust violation, to get all the ticket purchasers their money back. This is serious stuff, and most likely the backpeddling by Azoff once his lawyers found out what
was going on. Neverthless, poking around on this issue may result in discovering an actionable case. Don't tell Azoff where I live cause I don't want to get off'ed........

Well Counselor, Ticketmaster (Azoff), did manipulate markets, as he offered the bullshit apology letter(backpedaling), in a way of, "Oh shit, we are really sorry, we basically overlooked this," and now that he has been called on the carpet, I say push him up and over the ledge. Do you have any idea how much he stood to make just with the manipulation of the Springsteen shows? He does this to all the major ticketed shows, the artists who are all but guaranteed to sellout. People sign on to Ticketmaster expecting the big shows to sell out and sell out fast. So when a Springsteen or U2 come along and after 6 minutes, the site says, "no tickets match your request," they shrug and say "darn." They expect it. Well, now that this has been brought to light, there is proof to offer up a prosecutor launch. Stevie Wonder even can see it.

Why don't you call Landau and Bruce and discuss raping Azoff with a giant plunger. I bet Bruce would front you the retainer fee. This is your chance to attain Gloria Alred(puke), or Dream Team status as a lawyer.
The writing is on the wall. His letter basically is a act of guilt.

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

They sold 142 million tickets in 2007, valued at $8 billion dollars.

They broker deals with as many venues as possible for ticketing exclusivity. They have to pay the venue a huge kickback to get that deal. Sometimes in the millions of dollars. That sounds fishy as hell. I'm pretty sure that's why we have to pay such a high "Convenience Charge" to get tickets from them. Looking at themselves in the mirror must be tough.

[SP Fan in Oregon]

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

I would say Live Nation has enough of the market share to not have a monopoly but I don't really know.

Azoff is rich, but I am not going to automatically associate that with brains. This dumb fucker thought it was a good idea to lip sync an entire tour, and then, after fans got a whiff, decided to start yet another tour doing that shit.

Is it too late to go after his smarmy ass so we fans can get our hard earned cash back? Was that shit illegal?

I REST MY CASE..............................Can you spell ANTI-TRUST? Apparently, others believe as I do.............. "doesn't pass the smell test." Live Nation and Ticketmaster just cannot merge................

http://in.reuters.com/article/entertain ... 9120090205

[SP Fan in Oregon]

If Ticketmaster is manipulating markets with the intent of controlling prices of tickets for music concerts, perhaps I should engage my skillls and sue him in Federal Court under an Anti-Trust violation, to get all the ticket purchasers their money back. This is serious stuff, and most likely the backpeddling by Azoff once his lawyers found out what
was going on. Neverthless, poking around on this issue may result in discovering an actionable case. Don't tell Azoff where I live cause I don't want to get off'ed........

Well Counselor, Ticketmaster (Azoff), did manipulate markets, as he offered the bullshit apology letter(backpedaling), in a way of, "Oh shit, we are really sorry, we basically overlooked this," and now that he has been called on the carpet, I say push him up and over the ledge. Do you have any idea how much he stood to make just with the manipulation of the Springsteen shows? He does this to all the major ticketed shows, the artists who are all but guaranteed to sellout. People sign on to Ticketmaster expecting the big shows to sell out and sell out fast. So when a Springsteen or U2 come along and after 6 minutes, the site says, "no tickets match your request," they shrug and say "darn." They expect it. Well, now that this has been brought to light, there is proof to offer up a prosecutor launch. Stevie Wonder even can see it.

Why don't you call Landau and Bruce and discuss raping Azoff with a giant plunger. I bet Bruce would front you the retainer fee. This is your chance to attain Gloria Alred(puke), or Dream Team status as a lawyer.
The writing is on the wall. His letter basically is a act of guilt.

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

They sold 142 million tickets in 2007, valued at $8 billion dollars.

They broker deals with as many venues as possible for ticketing exclusivity. They have to pay the venue a huge kickback to get that deal. Sometimes in the millions of dollars. That sounds fishy as hell. I'm pretty sure that's why we have to pay such a high "Convenience Charge" to get tickets from them. Looking at themselves in the mirror must be tough.

Rick......... That is EXACTLY, the type of anti-trust behavior I'm talking about............... that is PURE anti-Trust behavior........ EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS to close out competitors and grab market share!!!!!
You got it babe........ That's it. Then they pull this stunt of Ticketmaster to the new high priced site.......... Woo Hoo.......... Azoff's in trouble.......... Azoff's in trouble............. Azoff's in trouble........na na na na na

[Rick]

If Ticketmaster is manipulating markets with the intent of controlling prices of tickets for music concerts, perhaps I should engage my skillls and sue him in Federal Court under an Anti-Trust violation, to get all the ticket purchasers their money back. This is serious stuff, and most likely the backpeddling by Azoff once his lawyers found out what
was going on. Neverthless, poking around on this issue may result in discovering an actionable case. Don't tell Azoff where I live cause I don't want to get off'ed........

Well Counselor, Ticketmaster (Azoff), did manipulate markets, as he offered the bullshit apology letter(backpedaling), in a way of, "Oh shit, we are really sorry, we basically overlooked this," and now that he has been called on the carpet, I say push him up and over the ledge. Do you have any idea how much he stood to make just with the manipulation of the Springsteen shows? He does this to all the major ticketed shows, the artists who are all but guaranteed to sellout. People sign on to Ticketmaster expecting the big shows to sell out and sell out fast. So when a Springsteen or U2 come along and after 6 minutes, the site says, "no tickets match your request," they shrug and say "darn." They expect it. Well, now that this has been brought to light, there is proof to offer up a prosecutor launch. Stevie Wonder even can see it.

Why don't you call Landau and Bruce and discuss raping Azoff with a giant plunger. I bet Bruce would front you the retainer fee. This is your chance to attain Gloria Alred(puke), or Dream Team status as a lawyer.
The writing is on the wall. His letter basically is a act of guilt.

Dean, like Perry, I'm not looking for "status" in the white hot light of fame, but when you posted this story about Azoff, some things don't pass the smell test, and my smeller was turned on.
Kinda like a shark smells a drop of blood.......... or the saying, "where there is smoke there is fire."

How much of the music ticket sales market does Azoff or his affiliates control now and how much has Ticketmaster controlled ticket pricing in the past years? There is certainly a whiff of Anti-trust here, but I just don't know enough about music ticket sales to determine off the seat of my pants if there is something worthwhile pursuing. You all know better than me, so tell me what is going on and what HAS been going on. If there has been market manipulation resulting in much higher ticket prices to the consumer in this relevant market, then there is likely an actionable Anti-trust case, best brought in the U.S. District Court. I know how to file that kind of case... The recent ticket pricing caper Dean brought up is not an Anti-Trust violation. Anti-trust involves long term market manipulation to put your competitors out of business so you can gain enough market share in ticket sales that later you can reap your anti-trust rewards by price gouging the consumer in later years. This latest thing was immediately cured, but it raised the hair on my neck to wonder what else they are up to and have been up to over the years with ticket pricing. One classic anti-trust case has been Weyerhaeuser controlling all of the alder sawlogs in the Pacific Northwest and putting all the sawmills out of business by buying up all the Alder logs so the other saw mills had nothing to mill. Then Weyerhaueser became the only game in town through their anti-trust activity. Anyway, I hope you get the idea....... It isn't just one thing that a monopolist does, it is a series of anti-trust behavior over years that results in control of the relevant market resulting in supracompetitive pricing. So, the question is, how much of the music ticket sales market does Ticketmaster control? If it isn't substantial, likely no anti-trust violation.

They sold 142 million tickets in 2007, valued at $8 billion dollars.

They broker deals with as many venues as possible for ticketing exclusivity. They have to pay the venue a huge kickback to get that deal. Sometimes in the millions of dollars. That sounds fishy as hell. I'm pretty sure that's why we have to pay such a high "Convenience Charge" to get tickets from them. Looking at themselves in the mirror must be tough.

Rick......... That is EXACTLY, the type of anti-trust behavior I'm talking about............... that is PURE anti-Trust behavior........ EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS to close out competitors and grab market share!!!!!
You got it babe........ That's it. Then they pull this stunt of Ticketmaster to the new high priced site.......... Woo Hoo.......... Azoff's in trouble.......... Azoff's in trouble............. Azoff's in trouble........na na na na na

Yep, and it's been going on since the 80's, so there's the time factor.

[Rockindeano]

What's the chances Bruce is writing a song about this right now? Or he could be plugging Patti, I don't know. Maybe Clarence brought his big black fat ass over to watch the Devils on Bruce's 970" big screen?

[Blueskies]

It's about time this kind of thievery gets reveiled and stopped and all doing it held accountable.