disagreement on brokers

[Sroundtable@aol.com]

In a message dated 02/25/2002 9:58:22 AM Central Standard Time, 
TheWho-Digest-Owner@igtc.com writes:


> Concert ticket distribution may be a monopoly, but it is not a necessity.  
> There is no need to regulate the brokers.  Refer to your first suggestion 
> for the solution:  If you don't want to pay the price, don't buy the ticket.
> 
> Jeff
> 
> 
It may be true that this isn't "regulatable,"  but you assertion is flawed.  
Tickets to a concert are in demand and are clearly finite in number.  The 
concert ticket is also trademark and copyright protected.  It is illegal to 
buy out all stores of a certain CD then go outside and sell it for more than 
you paid for it.  The power to sell copyrighted material is reserved to the 
CD manufacturers and those they choose to sell to.  Laws protecting consumers 
from such abuses are not anti-capitalism at all.  I am not so conservative 
that I believe fans should be allowed to be raped by brokers just because 
money is changing hands.  There is no where else for fans to go but to 
ticketmaster or the box office- so when brokers snap these up then mark them 
up 100-200%, we obviously have no choice.  The best thing to do would be to 
organize a national boycott of ticket brokers, but I know a bunch of rich 
assholes won't care and will continue to pay ridiculous prices for tix.  And 
by the way, scalping is illegal in most cities, so a national law isn't that 
far-fetched, and would allow the FBI to assist local law enforcement in 
reducing the incidences of it.

kevin mc