Azoff Apologizes

[Rockindeano]

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

I would laugh hysterically if Bruce gave all the Walmart money to SP Fan in Oregon to fund the hunt on Irving.

Die you bastard!

[Rick]

My ONLY question is this. Why haven't they been sued for this yet, if it's been going on for so long?

Azoff can probably smell it coming.

[Rockindeano]

My ONLY question is this. Why haven't they been sued for this yet, if it's been going on for so long?

Azoff can probably smell it coming.

You dense fucker. This tactic only works with the BIG BIG artists. The artists who can sell out a show in a 1/2 hour. That, coupled with the fact that many artists who are huge are signed to Azoff himself, thus they wouldn't say a word would they? Now you have Springsteen, who is not tied to Irving, and he is big and he speaks up. Uh oh. Azoff should have known better than to pull this with BS's shows. He should have done it with another artist who isn't so active in seeking fairness and justification.

With bands like Styx, Journey and the like, this tactic doesn't work. The shows stay on sale too long and if Tickets Now were to buy face value seats, and they don't sell, then they eat them. With Springsteen, Tickets Now(really TM), buys a shit load, knowing full well the fans are a bit more crazed and they will buy them, even at 200-300% of the face value. Got that?

[Blueskies]

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

I would laugh hysterically if Bruce gave all the Walmart money to SP Fan in Oregon to fund the hunt on Irving.

Die you bastard!

According to that article linked the New Jersey State Attorney Generals office is already on the case.

[RobbieG]

My ONLY question is this. Why haven't they been sued for this yet, if it's been going on for so long?

Azoff can probably smell it coming.

You dense fucker. This tactic only works with the BIG BIG artists. The artists who can sell out a show in a 1/2 hour. That, coupled with the fact that many artists who are huge are signed to Azoff himself, thus they wouldn't say a word would they? Now you have Springsteen, who is not tied to Irving, and he is big and he speaks up. Uh oh. Azoff should have known better than to pull this with BS's shows. He should have done it with another artist who isn't so active in seeking fairness and justification.

With bands like Styx, Journey and the like, this tactic doesn't work. The shows stay on sale too long and if Tickets Now were to buy face value seats, and they don't sell, then they eat them. With Springsteen, Tickets Now(really TM), buys a shit load, knowing full well the fans are a bit more crazed and they will buy them, even at 200-300% of the face value. Got that?

This has been going on for years not just because of Springsteen. . Happened with 2 of the biggest Disney Stars the last 2 years Jonas Brothers and Hanah Montona. Shows soldout within 3 minutes. This has happened before in the New York area for Springsteen shows. Wonder why Springsteen never said nothing before until now?????

[Rockindeano]

My ONLY question is this. Why haven't they been sued for this yet, if it's been going on for so long?

Azoff can probably smell it coming.

You dense fucker. This tactic only works with the BIG BIG artists. The artists who can sell out a show in a 1/2 hour. That, coupled with the fact that many artists who are huge are signed to Azoff himself, thus they wouldn't say a word would they? Now you have Springsteen, who is not tied to Irving, and he is big and he speaks up. Uh oh. Azoff should have known better than to pull this with BS's shows. He should have done it with another artist who isn't so active in seeking fairness and justification.

With bands like Styx, Journey and the like, this tactic doesn't work. The shows stay on sale too long and if Tickets Now were to buy face value seats, and they don't sell, then they eat them. With Springsteen, Tickets Now(really TM), buys a shit load, knowing full well the fans are a bit more crazed and they will buy them, even at 200-300% of the face value. Got that?

This has been going on for years not just because of Springsteen. . Happened with 2 of the biggest Disney Stars the last 2 years Jonas Brothers and Hanah Montona. Shows soldout within 3 minutes. This has happened before in the New York area for Springsteen shows. Wonder why Springsteen never said nothing before until now?????

Good questions RobbieG.

I can see it getting glossed over with the teen acts. They aren't so active on issues that matter. They worry more about sodas and lip gloss. As to Springsteen not saying anything for his Jersey and NYC shows? Not doubting you at all, but is it possible Live Nation booked and ticketed those eastern shows? He did do a 10 night stand at MSG. Again, not doubting you RG. Look into it asap.

[Rick]

My ONLY question is this. Why haven't they been sued for this yet, if it's been going on for so long?

Azoff can probably smell it coming.

You dense fucker. This tactic only works with the BIG BIG artists. The artists who can sell out a show in a 1/2 hour. That, coupled with the fact that many artists who are huge are signed to Azoff himself, thus they wouldn't say a word would they? Now you have Springsteen, who is not tied to Irving, and he is big and he speaks up. Uh oh. Azoff should have known better than to pull this with BS's shows. He should have done it with another artist who isn't so active in seeking fairness and justification.

With bands like Styx, Journey and the like, this tactic doesn't work. The shows stay on sale too long and if Tickets Now were to buy face value seats, and they don't sell, then they eat them. With Springsteen, Tickets Now(really TM), buys a shit load, knowing full well the fans are a bit more crazed and they will buy them, even at 200-300% of the face value. Got that?

Well, I hope it blows up on them. People like me can't afford that kind of price gouging.

[SP Fan in Oregon]

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

I would laugh hysterically if Bruce gave all the Walmart money to SP Fan in Oregon to fund the hunt on Irving.

Die you bastard!

According to that article linked the New Jersey State Attorney Generals office is already on the case.

That article is ONLY ABOUT NEW JERSEY sales. "State Attorney General" only has jurisdiction in the State of New Jersey. What about all the other states
where tickets were purchased? What about Oregon ticket sales............ A Class Action Anti-Trust Case can be filed in the U.S. District Court of Oregon on behalf of all those ticket purchasers
similarly situated and the SHIT WOULD HIT THE FAN all over the country........ if the facts are there........... The smell is becoming smellier by the minute.................

[Rockindeano]

Sorry Debbie, he is skipping the Beaver state this time around.

[SP Fan in Oregon]

My ONLY question is this. Why haven't they been sued for this yet, if it's been going on for so long?

Azoff can probably smell it coming.

It takes a plaintiff to bring the issue to the attention of an anti-trust lawyer before someone gets sued.................
Most lawyers do not understand anti-trust, even some of the "anti-trust" lawyers don't really get it. Plus it costs
a LOT of money to pursue because of the work it takes to gather up the class members, ile. all those people who bought
tickets for the past many years are the class members. You know those adds for Mesothelioma, that's someone trying to
find members of a class, all those people with Mesothelioma claims.

Just because no one ever brought a class action anti-trust case against Ticketmaster, doesn't mean that there isn't a valid cause of action lurking.
That remains to be seen. My interest is peeked................... I'm trying to find out if Azoff owns any interest in Live Nation because that
would really help the case against them if that were true.........

[SP Fan in Oregon]

Sorry Debbie, he is skipping the Beaver state this time around.

That doesn't matter.............. Ticketmaster has many outlets HERE IN OREGON, that are selling Bruce S. tickets.

[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 an act of guilt. As clear as a white Bronco eastbound at 45 mph on a sunny Los Angeles afternoon.

I wanted to add two more words to what happened with the ticket sales scam that just occurred.................

CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT PRICE FIXING
Well, that's more than two words, but you get my point............ Azoff's in trouble.......... Azoff's in trouble.............. Azoff's in trouble Na Na Na Na Na..... Na Na Na Na Na..........

[Balls Mahoney]

This same sh1t happened last year when all of the soccer moms went apeshit after Hannah Montana tickets sold out in less than a minute. How can a 25,000 seat venue sell out so fast??? It can when all of the tickets are already promised to ticket agencies who make bids on the chance to buy them, with kick backs to the venues and promoters.
We could still get tickets, but they were triple the price. This stuff has been happening for years, and is pretty much the sole reason why I dont attend nearly as many concerts anymore. People need to speak up or these jerky assholes will continue to get away with it.
Azoff is a crooked fucker. He makes deals with ticketsupyourass.com and sells 70% (or more) of the tickets per show in advance. Most people think they had bad luck not getting seats, but the fix was already in long before the sale date.

[RobbieG]

This same sh1t happened last year when all of the soccer moms went apeshit after Hannah Montana tickets sold out in less than a minute. How can a 25,000 seat venue sell out so fast??? It can when all of the tickets are already promised to ticket agencies who make bids on the chance to buy them, with kick backs to the venues and promoters.
We could still get tickets, but they were triple the price. This stuff has been happening for years, and is pretty much the sole reason why I dont attend nearly as many concerts anymore. People need to speak up or these jerky assholes will continue to get away with it.
Azoff is a crooked fucker. He makes deals with ticketsupyourass.com and sells 70% (or more) of the tickets per show in advance. Most people think they had bad luck not getting seats, but the fix was already in long before the sale date.

Exactly right on the Hannah Montana shows and also add in the Jonas Brothers shows. You could blame Azoff for that and call him a crook but he was not part of Ticketmaster at that time. He just joined within the last couple of months. Get the facts Balls Mahoney.

[Shadowsong]

Oooopppsss...

[Rockindeano]

This has grown legs; about 1070 of them(figure out that number folks- except stevew...you can sit this one out)


For Immediate Release
February 3, 2009 For Information Contact
Caley Gray (973) 523-5152


PASCRELL SEEKS INVESTIGATION INTO TICKETMASTER BUSINESS PRACTICE





WASHINGTON— U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today requested that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division investigate Ticketmaster’s relationship with its subsidiary company, TicketsNow, following the company’s handling of ticket sales for the Bruce Springsteen tour that became available on Monday February 2.



Dear Chairman Kovacic:

I am writing today to direct your attention to a potential conflict of interest regarding Ticketmaster and its affiliate company, TicketsNow. This issue has been brought to my attention through constituent complaints and press reports regarding the online sale of Bruce Springsteen concerts tickets at the IZOD Center in New Jersey and other locations all across the country.

As you know, Ticketmaster is a large ticket sales and distribution company that often serves as a venue’s sole ticketing agent. A large percentage of their sales are made online through Ticketmaster.com. In a recent effort expand its business Ticketmaster acquired TicketsNow, a website which specializes in the secondary, resale market for tickets.

When tickets for Bruce Springsteen’s new tour went on sale exclusively through Ticketmaster at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, February 2, 2009, scores of fans in New Jersey were met with technical difficulty on Ticketmaster.com that impaired them from making a purchase. Thousands of others who were fortunate enough to get beyond the technical problems were informed that the shows were sold out. Conspicuously placed on the same screen that informed fans of ticket unavailability was an alternative purchasing option from TicketsNow.com. It offered the same tickets at a value marked up hundreds of dollars beyond their original face value.

I am troubled by how quickly tickets priced exponentially higher became available on the secondary market to thousands of rejected fans, many who also endured unfortunate technical problems on Ticketmaster.com.

I am concerned that the business affiliation between Ticketmaster and TicketsNow may represent a conflict of interest that is detrimental to the average fan. There is a significant potential for abuse when one company is able to monopolize the primary market for a product and also directly manipulate, and profit from, the secondary market. Additionally, the speed with which tickets were made available on Ticketmaster’s official resale affiliate site raises questions about whether TicketsNow brokers were given preferential treatment instead of competing on a level playing field with average consumers to purchase the tickets.

With so many families struggling in this economy, I am outraged by how expensive tickets to ball games, concerts and other shows have become. I understand the economic principles that have driven up the cost of entertainment, but will not tolerate unjust business practices that put regular Americans at a disadvantage.

I respectfully request that your office investigate the relationship between Ticketmaster and TicketsNow to ensure that the procedure for purchasing tickets remains fair to the average consumer. If you require any additional information or have any questions, please contact Arthur Mandel on my staff at (202) 225-5751. I look forward to the favor of your reply.

Sincerely,



Bill Pascrell, Jr.

Member of Congress

[RumTumJM]

I think I may have seen something similar today.

I tried to get a ticket for Flight Of The Conchords (love em or hate em) at Radio City. Tickets popped up at 10am exactly, with not wait. Then, I wound up losing them, and the next minute, BOOM! ALL SOLD OUT!

I wonder if it was something like this. How could the whole place have sold out that quickly?

[Blueskies]

WooHoo! It's sad that it took a big name and someone like Bruce to call this out..others should have done so long ago because this kind of thing has went on a long time with many. I figured that once it hit the spotlight that the ball would start rolling for further investigation. Moving up from a state level look to federal. That is good news! Hopefully payoffs will be rejected along the way and the probe will proceed to a day in court. It will as long as those bringing it forth will hold on to their integrity and stand firm in their convictions to fight the good fight and RIGHT will beat might ( might being the power of money and influence and with those who hold it )

[Balls Mahoney]

I think I may have seen something similar today.

I tried to get a ticket for Flight Of The Conchords (love em or hate em) at Radio City. Tickets popped up at 10am exactly, with not wait. Then, I wound up losing them, and the next minute, BOOM! ALL SOLD OUT!

I wonder if it was something like this. How could the whole place have sold out that quickly?

Because the tickets are basically "pre-sold" before we ever get a crack at them. Then they are instantly marked up.

Like Deano hinted before, when they know it likely sell out or sell a ton of tickets, they go into cheat mode.

Sad really.

[NealIsGod]

Yeah, the concert ticket business is sleazy.

Great screenname Balls.

[Rockindeano]

Yeah, this asshole Irving Azoff is sleazy.

Great post. You are almost back. Now change that asshole for an avatar and we'll call it good.

You're still fucked in the head for your ridiculous assertion that Bruce only has about 7 songs you've heard. Asswipe.

Let's not go into that here though, as this thread contains concerns for all of us, regardless of which band we blindly follow.

[Balls Mahoney]

Yeah, the concert ticket business is sleazy.

Great screenname Balls.

Thanks!

Just a tribute to a great athlete who is not afraid to pay the price.