Rollingstone is reporting on the major ticket issues going down with Ticketmaster.  Bruce Springsteen fans had a few problems while trying to purchase tickets for the Working on a Dream Tour earlier this week.  There were technical difficulties with the Ticketmaster site, but fans also complained about being redirected to Ticketmasters affiliate site TicketsNow.  TicketsNow sells over-priced tickets.  This is usually only an option after concerts are sold out.  However, many fans complained they were redirected while regular seats were still available. 

Last Monday, we were informed that Ticketmaster was redirecting your log-in requests for tickets at face value, to their secondary site TicketsNow, which specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value. They did this even when other seats remained available at face value. We condemn this practice,” Springsteen and his tour team said in a letter posted on Bruce’s official site. “We have asked this redirection from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow cease and desist immediately and Ticketmaster has agreed to do so in the future and has removed its unwanted material from their and our site.”

Ticketmaster is already under scrutiny because of the “talk” about Live Nation and Ticketmaster merging.  This would cause a ticket monopoly, and create a problematic market for fans who already have to fight ticket brokers for the seats they deserve. 

Springsteen isn’t keen on the idea of a Live Nation Ticketmaster merge either. “A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing,” Springsteen writes. “If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.”

I realize that Bruce Springsteen isn’t country…but this is a problem for all genres.  Times are tough, and tickets are expensive.  Fans do not need the added stress of fighting for tickets.  I am happy to see “The Boss” fighting for our rights and sticking up for his fans.  I think more artists need to take note and step it up a notch. 

Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley,and Dierks Bentleyare known for making sure their fans get the best of the best.  They purposely block out the best seats in the house for fan-club members.  Other artists, like Keith Urban, need to take note.  Getting good seats to see Keith is an expensive and time consuming venture.  Brokers almost always get the good seats, and fans end up paying through the nose.  I can’t imagine having the added stress of Ticketmaster not allowing me to purchase a face-value ticket and redirecting me to a broker site. 

You can read the full article at RollingStone.com.

Got some country gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale?  Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com.