Ticketmaster is no stranger to controversy. Often criticized for its outrageous service fees, poor customer service and monopolistic control over the primary ticket industry, the ticketing giant — along with others in the ticket and live event industries — is now threatening to completely eliminate fan ownership of the tickets they buy.
How? By issuing “restrictive paperless tickets” that are non-transferable, and can only be used by the original ticket purchaser, similar to an airline ticket. What if you get sick or end up having a conflict for a concert or game? Too bad, you would lose the ticket under Ticketmaster’s new policy for some events.
What is Ticketmaster’s motivation? The company already dominates the primary ticket market and is now attempting to elminate the secondary market with its new ticket restrictions. In my commentary on MLive.com, I argue that when you purchase a ticket to a concert or a game, you should own it. Fortunately, there is legislation pending in both the Michigan House and Senate that would protect free-market competition in the secondary ticket market by banning practices that prohibit fans from transferring, reselling or giving away tickets to family and friends
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