In a move directly related to the controversial secondary market ticket practices of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the latter organization announced today that in order to eliminate further confusion, it will begin selling directly and exclusively to scalpers. ‘We want to help the fans out as much as possible,’ said Ticketmasters I. M. Clueless. ‘We feel this will give the public a chance to go right to the source for their ticketing needs in a time-efficient manner, rather than relying on silly phone orders and pesky web sites.’ Public advocate and Jambands.com columnist David Steinberg responded to the announcement by questioning, And this is different, how?
As reported elsewhere, pending government approval, Live Nation will purchase Ticketmaster later this year for $700 million dollars and $500 million in service fees.