The Boss sure has been busy. A new album. A Super Bowl half-time show. The announcement of a headlining slot at Bonnaroo. And now a public spat with Ticketmaster.
It seems Bruce Springsteen has finally realized what the rest of us who actually pay to get into shows have known for years: the ticketing giant isn’t very nice. On Monday, fans trying to get seats for two of his shows via Ticketmaster.com were instead redirected to TicketsNow, where tickets high above face value were being sold almost immediately after originally going on sale, despite seats still being available for face value from Ticketmaster.
"We were as confused as you were," said the Boss in a letter to his fans posted on his website. "We perceive this as a pure conflict of interest." Springsteen said he has asked this redirection to cease and desist, describing the practice as a distributor scalping tickets through its own secondary company.
But Bruce didn’t stop there. Commenting on recent news of a potential merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, Springsteen called that outcome "the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now." He urged fans, "If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives."
Springsteen’s homepage also features a letter from the Attorney General of New Jersey’s Office stating they had already received more than 250 complaints by mid-day Wednesday. They directed fans to a special "Bruce Springsteen/Ticketmaster Complaints" button on their website linking to a consumer complaints form. In addition, Springsteen posted an open apology from Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff.
The Boss isn’t the first musician to rail against the ticketing giant. In 1994 at the height of their popularity, Pearl Jam appealed to the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging that Ticketmaster commited monopolistic practices. The Justice Department ruled in favor of Ticketmaster, leading Pearl Jam to cancel a major tour. The band boycotted Ticketmaster venues for four years before finally giving up its fight.
He owes a big apology to his fans for aligning himself with TicketMaster in the first place. It’s been 14 years since Pearl Jam figured this deal out, what took the man who cares so deeply about his fans this long to realize what’s up. Not my boss, never
dance
Reply
Tattoo Tattoo
Tattoos Tattoos
Tattoo Designs Tattoo Designs
Tattoo Cross Tat