Scalping III

http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?9,548515 

Well here it is. Straight from one guy within this industry that deals with these issues on a day-to-day basis yet continues to remain fan friendly. Trent Reznor.  The funny thing is, I respect Trent Reznor so much for his continuous honesty and innovativeness that I will support him. AND I DON'T EVEN LIKE HIS MUSIC!!! But personal taste aside, here is his take on the current secondary ticketing market debacle. After speaking with an attorney earlier today, take these words as fact. Many acts do this, not some, probably most. So, where is your act? Are they taking advantage? If not, they better be taking measures to TAKE CARE OF THE FUCKING FANS!!!

As I'm sure you can tell, I feel very passionately about this subject because it cuts deeply into a vein that I have always harped on...you must respect the fan b/c they pay your bills and they can choose to unpay your bills. This is a simple formula. Take care of your fans, make good music, stay connected, and you will prosper. Choosing to do otherwise, taking money over credibility, damages you long-term viability. 

It seems to me this whole problem is a simple case of short term gain, long term loss. Typical music industry behavior. My question then becomes...when are we going to take things over? Teach acts to respect their fans? Teach fans to respect music as much as their favorite acts respect them? When are we finally going to realize that there WILL ALWAYS BE A MUSIC INDUSTRY BECAUSE PEOPLE LOVE MUSIC!!! No matter what form this industry will take, it will exist. So...do you have what it takes to work in it? How much do you value good will? Example: I recently spent two hours in front of my laptop trying to get Phish tickets to a show that is 15 minutes away from my house (Jones Beach, NY - fantastic location, I know), only to end my search frustrated and hating the ticketing system (mostly due to the total incompetency of the Live Nation ticketing system). 

But what is missing, is the connection. The reason why. I was pulling my hair out over not being able to get tickets, I had to have tickets (I still don't if you have extras) because this was a band that I had to see.  At this point you have to understand, I have spent almost $1000 on Phish this  year (mostly to the benefit of stubhub.com), which is depressing seeing that I could have gotten the exact same value for $300. 

The point of all this is to illustrate the problem. The secondary market is hurting the live music industry, the one segment that will always continue to survive because there is no digital substitute. So will you sit back and let the act "maximize" its revenue stream? Will YOU express an opinion motivated by a 15% take? Or, will you choose to respect your fans, respect technology, and ride the wave. 

Remember, long term relevancy is the key to long term sustainability. So, choose wisely. 

Adam Beasley

New York, NY