The High Cost of Going for Brokers

Garth Brooks thinks $18 is all his fans should have to pay to see him in concert. That’s what he’s charging for every seat at every show on his current tour, including the dates that went on sale last weekend at the Forum (June 19, 20 and 21) and the Pond of Anaheim (June 22, 23 and 24).

Even with Ticketmaster’s service charge of $4.25 added on, it’s the bargain of a season in which top seats for Sting’s Greek Theatre concerts run $107.50 and Steely Dan at the Hollywood Bowl is more than $70.

But some people think Garth Brooks tickets are worth as much as $400. That’s the price for top seats set by Southern California ticket brokers, the agencies that buy and resell tickets. Even the worst seats in the two arenas are commanding more than $50, with good seats generally priced in the $125 range.

The increase over face value for Brooks is by far the largest among the concerts that have gone on sale this season. Alanis Morissette’s four Greek Theatre dates beginning June 15 run a close second with seats whose regular price is $32.50 (including service charge) being quoted by agencies at up to $350.

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Another hot ticket is the KROQ Weenie Roast, June 15 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, with seats in front being resold for up to $300, and even tickets for the lawn area in back getting more than $50. (Regular price was $37.50.) Not quite as high in demand, brokers say, are concerts by Hootie & the Blowfish, the Smashing Pumpkins, Steely Dan and Sting, though even those are fetching as much as $225 for a prime seat.

The irony is that Brooks’ own good intentions may have helped get tickets into brokers’ hands. The low price translated as a higher profit margin for people who buy tickets as a commodity. There’s a lot more money to be made from an $18 Brooks ticket than a $100 Sting seat.

“I’ve never seen so many tickets being resold as with Brooks,� says one ticket agency manager who asked not to be identified. “The $18 face value is fantastic--he’s taking care of his fans. But if Garth had a higher face value, people might not have envisioned so much profit and wouldn’t have bought seats just for that.�

Brooks and his management thought they were doing everything they could to discourage the practice.

“That’s one reason he does as many shows [in each market] as he’s doing, so as many people as possible can buy tickets at the regular price,� says Brooks spokesman Scott Stem. “It’s frustrating.�

In an attempt to keep ticket sales fair and fan-oriented, numbered wrist bands were distributed before the on-sale date, with the numbers drawn randomly to determine places in line--a system designed to prevent brokers from bringing in groups of homeless people who, for a small fee, stand in line to buy tickets for the agencies.

But each person was allowed to buy up to six tickets for the Brooks shows, and apparently many took advantage, buying more than they needed and selling the surplus. In contrast, Weenie Roast tickets were limited to two per person, meaning that fewer got to the brokers.

That kind of restriction, though, was never an option for Brooks.

“What if you have a family of five?� says Stem, referring to a segment of Brooks’ wide appeal.

And stricter methods of control--such as those used for the Smashing Pumpkins’ February shows at the 1,200-capacity Palace--are impractical for large concerts. For those dates, the Pumpkins put a severe crimp on broker business by requiring each buyer to show photo ID and not issuing the actual tickets until they came to the theater right before show time and showed the ID again. The group’s upcoming dates at the Forum and the Pond, though, use no such methods.

Meanwhile, demand for tickets and the willingness of some to pay lavishly for good seats keep the secondary market flourishing. The brokers insist that most of their tickets come from regular fans who buy more than they need, and from people who get tickets through music business connections.

“We’re doing everything we can to try to keep tickets out of the hands of brokers and in the hands of fans,� says Terry Barnes, president of Ticketmaster’s ticketing division. “But these guys have the right to stand in line.�

Says Brooks spokesman Stem: “Until there’s a law against reselling tickets, there’s nothing more we can do about it.�

Legislation prohibiting or restricting ticket resale seems to be a dead issue at this time. Consumer groups continue to propose measures, but any action that could be perceived as anti-free enterprise is unappealing to politicians now.

California State Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) sponsored a bill three years ago making ticket resale for profit illegal. It passed in the Senate, but was defeated in the Assembly. With Republicans having since won a majority in the Assembly, Lockyer says such proposals would stand even less of a chance.

“It’s a consumer rip-off in my view,� says Lockyer, who now serves as Senate President Pro Tem. “But it’s very difficult to do anything about.�

Several states, including New York, do have laws putting a cap on how much can be charged over face value, but their effectiveness is a matter of debate. The Washington, D.C.-based National Assn. of Ticket Brokers is mounting a campaign to repeal the New York law as a restriction to free enterprise, with prices driven simply by supply and demand.

Russ Haven, attorney for the New York Public Interest Research Group, disputes that view. “This is a limited commodity and the rule of supply and demand does not apply,� he says. “You cannot have a competing manufacturer come in and clone Garth Brooks and have him play across town, so without the possibility of competition, there should be restrictions.�