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Ticketmaster Goes Digital to Curb Scalpers

Miley Cyrus opts for paperless tix to control prices, resale

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Jun 8, 2009 7:24 AM CDT

(Newser) – Better be sure before buying a Miley Cyrus concert ticket. Hers is the first major concert tour with paperless tickets—redeemable only at the door with the buyer's credit card—making it nearly impossible to pawn them off, the Wall Street Journal reports. Ticketmaster and concert promoters hope it will eliminate scalpers who hoard tickets and profit from the resale market.

Competitors say the scheme lets Ticketmaster arbitrarily set prices and will cause delays at the door. It also complicates logistics for young fans without credit cards. "On Craigslist you're going to see these listings saying, 'Hey, 13-year-old girls, I'll meet you at the venue and get you into the show," says one reseller. Tickets for Cyrus' 45-date tour go on sale today.

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus is launching a 45-date concert tour.
Actress and singer Miley Cyrus is launching a 45-date concert tour.   (AP Photo/April L. Brown)
Scalpers hoarded tickets to Cyrus' last tour, frustrating parents trying to buy tickets for her young fans.
Scalpers hoarded tickets to Cyrus' last tour, frustrating parents trying to buy tickets for her young fans.   (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
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Cyrus' paperless system may present issues for her fans, many of whom are too young for credit cards.   (mileyyashleyy)

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They're using their monopoly on the primary market to lock up the secondary market. - Don Vaccaro, chief of TicketNetwork,
a ticket reseller

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
2-bits
Jun 8, 2009 12:27 PM CDT
Ticketmaster's stupidity shows no bound. Apparently they don't realize that their CAPTCHA has been cracked for about two years now. Their online site in fact helps tech-savvy scalpers operate FAR more efficiently.
DeniseVB
Jun 8, 2009 3:54 AM CDT
Problem with this, if you can't make the show you can't give the tickets to friends ? Especially if these popular "scalp worlthy" shows are a long distance away.

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