Brokers Rally Against TM

Gaining regulatory approval is just one of the obstacles Ticketmaster will face in its purchase of TicketsNow, a deal that stands to secure TM a large chunk of the secondary market. Now, some resellers are calling for organized efforts to undermine the acquisition.

TM’s relationships over the years with secondary ticketing sites and brokers

have been strained to say the least. While details of the TicketsNow deal have yet to surface, some are wondering whether TM will attempt to find a way to drive out brokers using the secondary site.

According to Ticketnews.com, one broker wrote in a recent post on a ShowsOnSale message board that the deal would allow TM to auction tickets on behalf of artists through the anonymous venue of TicketsNow.

"Ticketmaster will merge their ‘platinum seats’ with EI [Box Office, TicketsNow’s proprietary software program used by hundreds of ticket brokers], and slowly flood EI with fronts [prime seats] being sold directly from artists," the broker wrote. "The artists will be shielded from the public scrutiny of scalping their own tickets. … I think Ticketmaster’s long term plan (5 years) is to weed out brokers from EI, mainly by having all desirable seats sold by artists themselves. This transaction gives them that ability to do so."

Also, as TicketExchange has apparently made it a policy to divvy up the service fees made on such transactions among artists, venues and promoters, it follows that a TM-owned TicketsNow would likely cut a bigger portion of those fees to those within the industry.

In a recent letter to fellow brokers, Russ Lindmark of Ticket Solutions called upon brokers to "take back control" of their core business.

"Now we have another brand, who asks us to list our tickets, run his customers’ credit cards and handle his customer service calls, his chargebacks and has the audacity to charge us for the privilege," Lindmark wrote. Then he pitched his company.

"You can sit back and do nothing, or you can join a group that is trying to make a difference, increase your businesses profitability, and take a stand together with your fellow brokers."

Attempts to reach a Ticketmaster representative were unsuccessful at press time.