Scalpers for tbf tickets SUCK

[DenverBongcos]

Really? I buy a ticket to a show and someone is willing to offer me double for it, and I'm not supposed to take it?

Yeah, that makes total sense. 

[BillyBeru]

Really? I buy a ticket to a show and someone is willing to offer me double for it, and I'm not supposed to take it?

Yeah, that makes total sense. 

True festivarians wouldn't. It's called acts of kindness, etc.

[DenverBongcos]

Really? I buy a ticket to a show and someone is willing to offer me double for it, and I'm not supposed to take it?

Yeah, that makes total sense. 

True festivarians wouldn't. It's called acts of kindness, etc.

There are other ways to be kind. I share my entire kitchen when camping with fellow campers, I pass out free beers and jello shots, I help stragglers locate their tents etc.

Some of us don't make six figure salaries and can't afford to attend every show or festival they desire. I get what you're saying, and as I said, in a perfect world, that's how I would want it as well, but as it stands? I have zero issues with someone selling a ticket at double face value to make some money back. If the demand exists, someone will attempt to fill it. Would you rather pay StubHub and their bots TRIPLE face value?

Or would you rather pay someone who actually is a fan of the music double and get to see the show, all the while helping out an actual fan selling the ticket? I had a buddy a few years back sell his spare ticket for double in the parking lot so he could afford a bus ride from Red Rocks back to his house, otherwise he'd of been stuck with me until a family member could pick him up god knew when.  So not everyone sells at more than face to 'rip' people off.

If I buy a antique vase at $100 and immediately turn around and sell it to another collector for $3000, am I doing anything wrong? Or am I merely taking advantage of the demand for said item?

It's not an easy decision to make, because I was raised by hippies (living dirt poor) and that lifestyle showed me a number of things over the years. First and foremost, try to live as 'kind' as you can. Secondly, I learned that you had to at SOME point make smart decisions regarding money and your ability to make more of it to live on. So I'm split between my upbringing, my desires to create memories at shows, and my financial life where I have a difficult time not using the 'supply and demand' to help me see more shows.

[FaceOnMars]

While I certainly don't see the world in black and white terms, and generally am a supporter of the free market, I don't believe flipping tix for a profit in the aftermarket ought to be considered an acceptable practice among festivarians (dead heads).

DB: it really appears as if you're saying that an individual's righ to make a buck ought to trump other festivarian's desire to gain access to the venue (at face value) and partake in the festivities?

[DenverBongcos]

I don't think it TRUMPS that 'right' per se? I just don't see the negativity surrounding someone making a profit from someone fully willing to pay 'X' price for a ticket.

Again, in a perfect world, I would love nothing more than to see scalping end entirely so that we ALL pay only face for every show no matter when the tickets are on sale.  Problem is, it's not going away soon, and I think if selling a ticket at more than face value can help both parties involved? Why not go for it?

I know I'm in the minority here, but that's just how I see it.

[FaceOnMars]

I don't think it TRUMPS that 'right' per se?

If you feel scalping should be allowed, then I believe you're essentially saying YES, that a scalper's right to sell above face value is more important.

[DenverBongcos]

I don't think it TRUMPS that 'right' per se?

If you feel scalping should be allowed, then I believe you're essentially saying YES, that a scalper's right to sell above face value is more important.

I don't feel scalping should be allowed on a large scale. I'm completely against bots and companies like StubHub attempting to corner the entire ticket markets.

But I guess, yeah, I'm all for the right of an individual to make a profit from their purchase if the demand exists. I don't look negatively upon that move.

[farmerJohn421]

Yep, there is something Planet bluegrass can do, they can stop it.By offering previous orders get top priority before they put on sell,so people who been going for years get there tickets. Just seems to me that Planet Bluegrass doest truly care about Festivarian, like most of this country all about the money! For example ,raising the price!Big jump. No holiday price due to the scrapers that just started in the last three years.and last took 4 days to get approved to come on to forum.PB needs to look out for those who has been coming for year's. Some of us can't take off of work and sit of internet to buy tickets.

 Listening to: Masters of Bluegrass TBF 2013

[DenverBongcos]

Yep, there is something Planet bluegrass can do, they can stop it.By offering previous orders get top priority before they put on sell,so people who been going for years get there tickets. Just seems to me that Planet Bluegrass doest truly care about Festivarian, like most of this country all about the money! For example ,raising the price!Big jump. No holiday price due to the scrapers that just started in the last three years.and last took 4 days to get approved to come on to forum.PB needs to look out for those who has been coming for year's. Some of us can't take off of work and sit of internet to buy tickets.

Exactly why an idea might work great in 'spirit', but not so great when faced with the reality of the situations.  Prices go up, and people make/want money. That will never change in this society. They tried in the sixties and early seventies, and got buried.

I still believe that if you want to end scalping for large scale fests like this, you force people to add a clear photo of themselves and their party, at the time of purchase so that every individual who is going has their face on the ticket, thereby ending the resale market almost ENTIRELY.

I see my rating here plummets when I disagree with people regarding tickets and their resale values, haha.

[completejohn]

Is it me, or is it getting hot in here?

[farmerJohn421]

This Festival used to be about the music and culture of Bluegrass and now it's about money& look at me in Telluride.Going down the tubes along with country.People who sell any tickets for more then face are scum and don't belong PERIOD

 Listening to: Yonder conference center 2013

[Hot Sugar]

Not only do I not make six figures a year, I make less than 20,000 a year. yet I would never consider selling a ticket above face. Plenty of us don't make much yet still adhere to the festivarian way.

And to suggest that the Planet doesn't care about the festivarians because they won't institute a policy allowing long standing attendees first dibs is ridiculous. Just because I've been attending TBF for the past 6 years doesn't mean I deserve to be there any more or less than a first timer who follows the festivarian way. There's already enough of an advantage from simply meeting friends at those six festivals who want to see me there and are willing to sell me their extra tickets (at face value) in order to help me achieve that. Do we really need to bring an actual hierarchy into this? I think not.

[DenverBongcos]

This Festival used to be about the music and culture of Bluegrass and now it's about money& look at me in Telluride.Going down the tubes along with country.People who sell any tickets for more then face are scum and don't belong PERIOD

That would be a large swath of jam/grass fans then. Ever see a SCI parking lot on the night of a show? Those people are looking to move tickets at like 3 or 4 times face value, and they travel with the band as supposed fans? Right....

[DenverBongcos]

Not only do I not make six figures a year, I make less than 20,000 a year. yet I would never consider selling a ticket above face. Plenty of us don't make much yet still adhere to the festivarian way.

And to suggest that the Planet doesn't care about the festivarians because they won't institute a policy allowing long standing attendees first dibs is ridiculous. Just because I've been attending TBF for the past 6 years doesn't mean I deserve to be there any more or less than a first timer who follows the festivarian way. There's already enough of an advantage from simply meeting friends at those six festivals who want to see me there and are willing to sell me there extra tickets (at face value) in order to help me achieve that. Do we really need to bring an actual hierarchy into this? I think not.

All good points. I wish I didn't see it split 50/50. I WISH all tickets could be face for every show I go to (It's not as if I WANTED To pay $250 to see Further), yet I also can see why someone would sell a ticket for more than face if they need the money.

[ebb01]

Let me pour a drop more kerosene on this fire:
1) I don't like scalping, but if a few people need to do it to finance their trip to TBF for music, and they obtained their tickets the same way we all did, rather than some back room payoff to some office worker at Planet Bluegrass (like what happens at Pepsi Center, Sports Authority Field, etc.), its not the end of the world.

2) Scalping laws and enforcement are very lax in Colorado compared to other states, and that's not PB's fault.  To ask them to incur extra cost or effort to try and marginally reduce the schemes of a small number of scalpers, or to hassle music lovers with special ID arrangements is asking too much.  If you live  in Colorado, call your state legislators and let them know you want them to change the law.

3) It's fun to vent on the forum, but some are starting to sound like the PC Police.  When I  had to sell my tickets (AT COST) at the last minute for 2013 because of a serious personal matter, I received a number of PMs from someone in this thread berating me about how he didn't think my way of doing it was not "the right way". So I guess its not just selling for cost, but how you sell for cost.  Uh-huh.

4) When stones begin to be tossed, its hard not to open yourself up to criticism.  For instance, on this thread and others, some posters are listening to music recorded by tapers at previous TBFs or other venues, and no doubt downloaded through sites that pirate music.  I'd bet that any number of folks who make their living through music would consider that theft (despite some artists not objecting). At least as serious a transgression as ticket scalping. 

Just pleading here for some perspective and common decency.  Peace.