The Oasis Kerfuffle

We don't have a band like this in the U.S. Never mind an act that's left money on the table, who live outside the system and sneer at it.

Noel Gallagher is an incredible quote machine. He is almost single-handedly carrying on the rock star ethos.

And if you're in the U.K., this is all anybody wants to talk about. It's palpable. Bigger than Taylor Swift. They're BACK!

And if you were around back then you need to go to relive the experience.

And even if you weren't born yet, you need to be there, you don't want to be left out.

But not everybody can go.

So, what is a ticket worth?

The truth is the fans don't want low prices. Because in that case, they won't be able to get a ticket. When the prices are high, your odds are better.

I know that sounds counterintuitive, but work with me here.

All the tickets are going to evaporate as quickly as Ticketmaster can spew them out, and only Ticketmaster can handle this level of demand. And everybody is buying the maximum, and demand outstrips supply, and chances are you're going to be SOL.

But if every ticket is a grand... They're not going to fill the stadium instantly.

So what's a ticket worth?

WHAT SOMEONE WILL PAY FOR IT!

And the bottom line, no matter what the punters and the government believe, if you don't sell the tickets at fair market value, the scalpers will. And the scalpers will get the entire uplift, and the band will be SOL.

So, the bands want to capture this uplift...

They're afraid of looking bad, charging too much, which is ridiculous, because look at how much these same customers are paying for luxury goods and...

Liam and Noel said they had no idea that prices would be flexed, raised according to demand.

Oh, give me a f*cking break.

There you have it in a nutshell folks. The acts hide behind Ticketmaster, that's what the company is paid for. Ticketmaster makes no music, it's inert, and therefore it can accept all the blame.

But the bottom line is Ticketmaster does nothing that the band does not agree to. NOTHING!

And if you tell me your manager and agent did it behind your back... A. I don't believe you. B. You're doing the tour for the money and you've got no idea what's on the table, how much you can take home?

As for caring about the fans... The fans are going to come anyway.

So what's the fair market value of an Oasis ticket?

NO ONE KNOWS!

Which is why they flex the price. When they encounter the demand.

Now you could keep the price low, and make every ducat paperless, but the customer HATES THIS! The customer wants to be able to scalp the extra tickets they've purchased.

As for the customer waiting hours online only to find the price has changed.

The reason they spend hours online is because Oasis wants to put up all the shows at once, to create mania. Everybody's hyped up, word is you can't get a ticket, and everybody races to buy one. But if there's one stadium show and it doesn't sell out instantly... Good luck selling the tickets to the rest of the gigs instantly, if at all.

So if you think Liam and Noel have clean hands...

This is the problem, the public just won't believe that the acts are greedy. It must be someone else!

And you pay fair market value for everything else, why not for concert tickets?

As for waiting for hours... That's your choice. As far as the price changing... YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY THE TICKETS!

And if you want to blame anyone for the price change, blame the Oasis boys, they're doing it, Ticketmaster is only the order taker.

So look at it this way. You put an ad on Craigslist offering your car for $5,000. And two people arrive at your house. One offers $10,000, the other says they got there one minute before, while you were still in your house, and you must sell them the automobile for $5,000. Watcha gonna do?

I know what you're gonna do.

The only way out of this mess is to do what the Stones do, charge what the tickets are worth, and then they don't sell out instantly. How badly do you want to go, are you willing to pay for it?

And you may not be, but there's a good chance someone else will.

But you think you're entitled to a deal, because...

Exactly why? Turns out the tickets were underpriced, the price was raised and you want an exceptional deal. Why should you benefit and not the act you love so much?

Oh, let's just blame the ticketing company and go home.

And this is exactly what Ticketmaster is paid for.

And even the government can't understand.

NEXT!


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