Its a sad day when the tickets are being auctioned. The real fan is being shoved in the lower or upper tier.People with money and no interest in Prince will bescooping these tics up

So much for the good will with the 31 quid tickets-someone somewhere is having a right good laff at us fans

yep it's a bit shit isn't it. It's easy to say don't buy the tix but it's our man at the end of the day. Surely the days of photo i.d. aren't too far away?.

I AM A REAL FAN AND HAVE HAMMERED MY PLASTIC TO GO VIP. I WAS OVER THE MOON (DESPITE THE EXPENSE) NOT ANY MORE.....I SUPPOSE WE HAD OUR WARNING YEARS AGO " ALL THAT GLITTERS AINT GOLD "


GUTTED

this is the state of the concert business unfortunately. i guess most of us didn't know about it because the npgmc spoiled us.

Ticketmaster's been running auctions for several years now. Anyone who's paid close attention to concert ticket sales practices could see that it would only be a matter of time before Prince got on board. Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken him so long.

Yes, it would have been nice if the O2 VIP and Auction options had all been laid out in exquisite detail before the O2 pre-sale and the general public sale. The cyncic in me belives that, in the hype-driven, impulse-manipulative world of concert ticket sales, it may be a while before that becomes standard operating procedure. But, anyone who looked at the way that tickets sales were structutred for earlier-scheduled O2 performers (Justin Timberlake, to use a distasteful example) could have had a sense of how Prince's sales would likely be structured.

It seems unfair to declare that only the "true" or the "real" fans are those who can least afford VIP tickets or who find themselves unable to participate in auctions for premium tickets. Like every other elite performer, Prince's fan base has always been economically diverse. For all we may dislike about the new system, 31-pound lower level tickets are a steal.

With or without fan club priority, tiered ticket sales practices are here to stay and require that we become more savvy in our approach to ticket purchases. Assume nothing. Check with the venue before tickets go on sale. It's a new day. Whether we like it or not, unless we are informed otherwise, we should now assume that tickets may be sold through multiple channels and that the best tickets may be sold at a premium.

Scalpers/touts have demonstrated that some fans of elite performers are willing and able to pay premium prices to ensure a premium concert experience. It was inevitable that elite performers, with the aid of Ticketmaster, would finally figure out a system that ensured that they, the performers -- and not scalpers/touts -- profited from the ability and willingness of some fans to pay more to get more.

Every performance that isn't free always has been and always will be part of a capitalist business enterprise. What did Billy Sparks advise us all in Purple Rain? "This is a bidness, kid. You ain't too far gone to see that." Or words to that effect.

Billy was a prophet.

CJBabyDaddy said:

that's it right there. i realized this in the beginning of the sales for the Target Center. The scalpers did not appear to have that many great seats either.

Maradona said:

cheer up guys, its not that bad because the latest official info in the ticketmaster website states that only the front row Block E1 and B2 seat tickets are gonna be on auction, and the staring bid is only 35 pounds and the auction will end 6 days after on the 19th June at 16:00 bst. the minimum starting bid for bon jovi was abour 650 pounds.

so it seems it may not effect us VIP ticket holders that much and I hope that they do not release any more sections.

Very well said! I wonder what percentage of these ticket sales go to Prince and what Ticketmaster gets? If I was able to I would put out the funds for better seats.

Prince could possibly be getting a large amount from these auction sale tickets, because in the TM auction terms and conditions it states only promoters and artists are allowed to auction their tickets, so maybe it was prince's idea.

the auction ends on tuesday but i wish the time was extended to at least friday.
[Edited 6/12/07 11:30am]

Crystal777Ball said:

prince makes all the money from the auctions .he can have auctions or not its his decision.

CJBabyDaddy said:

Thank you for this perspective. I guess it would make sense to have Prince benefit instead of the scalpers.