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Priced out of reach

So, you want to see a show? Greedy ticket brokers, sneaky software, outrageous prices — those are your hurdles. What's a buyer to do?

By IVAN PENN, The Consumer's Edge
Published October 20, 2007

Kayla Callans, 9, right, and Paige Sebelin, 9, left, of Parma, look over their newly purchased tickets for Hannah Montana outside Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Saturday Sept. 29, 2007.
	[Associated Press]

ADVERTISEMENT [ Getty Images for Radio Disney] Singer Miley Cyrus performs onstage during the Radio Disney Totally 10 Birthday Concert held at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on July 22, 2006 in Anaheim, California.

If anyone ever had asked me if the name Hannah Montana would end up in this column, I would have answered a resounding, "No!"

No offense to Miley Cyrus, face of the famed Disney character and daughter of singer Billy Ray Cyrus. It's just after my 8-year-old daughter's constant views of Miley's show, I'm suffering a bit from Hannah Montana fatigue.

But my real concern isn't about Hannah Montana so much as it is about tickets.

My colleague Sean Daly reported earlier this week that tickets for Miley Cyrus' concert performances as Disney character Hannah Montana were selling as high as $4,572 PER SEAT!

So it seems the decimal point has moved way too far to the right on event tickets.

It begs the question: what can consumers do to avoid paying through the nose?

The high prices are the fault of ticket brokers, consumers willing to spend that much and other members of what we'll call the Greedy family. Brokers snatched up general public tickets and sold them at exorbitant prices.

They act like they have no home training, like no one taught them how to share.

No comment from the National Ticket Brokers Association, despite repeated calls.

Of course, the NTBA is reeling from a federal judge's decision in Los Angeles this week.

Judge Audrey B. Collins granted a preliminary injunction against RMG Technologies to halt use of its software. The software lets RMG clients (largely ticket brokers) buy tickets from Ticketmaster faster than "Ticketmaster's human customers can."

"They've come up with some sneaky software," said Holly Brown, the St. Pete Times Forum's event marketing director. "It is something that is difficult to get control of."

When I spoke to Robert Freedman, president and chief executive of Ruth Eckerd Hall, I could almost see him grimace and shake his head in disgust over the phone that a ticket for a concert aimed at children would sell at more then $4,500.

"The only way to discourage these third-party sales is for people to stop buying those tickets," he said. "Stop paying the outrageous prices!"

Because average folks don't have a level playing field, I thought I'd find some help for consumers.

It's not perfect (it can be like having to slip a $20 to the concierge to get access), but until someone metes out permanent justice against the Greedy family, perhaps these tips can help:

• Sign-up for e-mail notifications. Ticketmaster offers free e-mail subscriptions as does the St. Pete Times forum that will notify you of upcoming events.
• Check event Web sites. Go to ticketmaster.com and pollstar.com, a Web site magazine that monitors the music industry.
• Join fan clubs. Artists usually reserve a block of tickets for their fans. But you must join the official fan clubs, which might have a fee. Miley Cyrus's Miley World fan club: $29.95 a year.
• Buy season tickets. Season ticket holders for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Storm are guaranteed opportunities to purchase tickets for other events. The benefit requires the purchase of at least a 10-pack of season tickets.
• Become a performance center member. A $50 membership at Ruth Eckerd Hall gives you priority for event ticket purchases.

The Consumer's Edge is a twice-monthly column to help consumers in the marketplace. Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2332.

What America wants to see
Here is the Top 10 list of the most requested events during Ticketmaster's third quarter:

1. Hannah Montana
2. Chicago Bears (a 2-4 team)
3. The Police
4. New England Patriots
5. Dave Matthews Band
6. Kenny Chesney
7. Wicked
8. Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus
9. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
10. Rascal Flatts

[Last modified October 20, 2007, 00:26:59]