09x04 - Ticket resale and scalping

[bunniefuu]

LAST WEEK TONIGHT
WITH JOHN OLIVER

Welcome to "Last Week Tonight"!
I'm John Oliver.

Thank you so much for joining us.
It's been another busy week,

with the world's attention
still focused on Ukraine,

the place you now think about so much,
you know exactly where it is.

News from Ukraine has been grim,

with Russian forces reportedly
f*ring at evacuees trying to flee,

and airstrikes
hitting a maternity hospital.

And things may be poised
to get even worse now,

as Russia is now falsely claiming

biological weapons
are being developed in Ukraine,

which, as Ukraine's president
points out, often means one thing.

Allegedly, we are preparing
a chemical att*ck?!

This makes me really worried.
We've been repeatedly convinced,

if you want to know Russia's plans,
look at what Russia accuses others of.

If you want to know Russia's plans,
look at what it's accusing others of.

That is pretty good advice there,

along with, "When people tell you
who they are, believe them",

and, "If a man looks
like a p*rn parody of a Bond villain,

maybe assume everything he says
is horseshit."

We're taping this on Saturday,
and the situation is moving so fast,

who knows what'll have happened
by the time you see this?

So, we're actually going
to turn our focus tonight to the U.S.

where it's been a bleak few weeks
for the LGBTQ community.

In addition to Greg Abbott's
recent order in Texas,

targeting the parents
of transgender kids,

hostile bills were introduced
across 33 states last year,

and that number
is continuing to grow.

This week, the focus fell on Florida,
where Ron DeSantis,

the twin Kyle Chandler
should have eaten in the womb,

has been pushing
a "parental rights in education" bill

popularly known as Don't Say Gay,
a framing though he takes exception to.

What critics call the Don't Say Gay
bill is on the Senate floor today.

- Does it say that in the bill?
- We know that you support.

- Does it say that in the bill?
- I am asking you...

Tell me what's in the bill because
you are pushing false narratives.

It doesn't matter what critics say.

It says it bans classroom instruction on
sexual identity and gender orientation.

- For who?
- For K through three.

For grades pre-K through three.

We're going to make sure

that parents are able
to send their kid to kindergarten

without having some of this stuff
injected into their school curriculum.

I'm just gonna say it,

that may be the angriest anyone
has ever been at a strawberry festival.

But since
he's claiming false narrative there,

let's talk about
what this bill would actually do.

Because its supporters claim
it only bans "instruction,"

not "discussion" of sexual orientation
and gender identity.

But that still leaves teachers
wondering where to draw the line,

and how they're supposed to handle
questions about same-sex parents,

or drawing a family tree, or even
basic facts about their own lives,

as this kindergarten teacher explains.

Cory says teachers at his school are
encouraged to display their families,

as he does of his partner, Jeremiah.

Am I going to be allowed
to tell them this is my partner?

What if they ask me,
"What does that mean?"

Am I going to be allowed
to have that discussion with them?

Right! That's gonna be an issue.

Because kids ask questions
all the f*cking time.

Like, "Where do babies come from?"
and "What happens when we die?"

and "Why can't anyone else
see the old lady in the window?"

They just won't stop.
There's nobody there.

Also, it is not actually
just K through three,

the bill also limits
any instruction on these issues

for grades four and above to what is
"age or developmentally appropriate",

without defining
what that actually means.

And the worry is that teachers

will feel that they have to steer clear
of those topics altogether,

especially as the bill
allows parents to sue

if they think their children
have received inappropriate lessons.

And while you will hear idiots
saying that this bill

is to prevent kindergarteners
getting taught about sex,

with Ron DeSantis's campaign
even arguing

it'll stop "R-rated lessons
about sexuality,"

the wording
is much broader than that.

And when one state senator
did try to narrow it

and amend the bill to pertain

only to "discussion about human
sexuality or sexual activity,"

adding, "If the intent
is not to marginalize anyone.

Let's make sure we aren't,"
Dennis Baxley, the bill's sponsor,

rejected that amendment,

saying it would "significantly gut"
the legislation.

So, it's pretty clear what he thinks
the guts of this legislation are.

It's not about sex at all, it's about
denying the existence of gay people.

And what's particularly galling here
is the support that Baxley

and some of the Republican legislators
who voted for this bill

have had from corporate America.

AT&T, our soon to be ex-business
daddy, has donated to them.

But one of the biggest donors here
is actually Disney.

In the last two years,
it's given nearly $300,000

to DeSantis and the legislators
that voted for this bill.

Are they morally bankrupt
for doing that?

Who's to say?
I'll tell you, I am. I am to say.

After all, I'm Zazu.

No, not that one.
No, not the fun one.

Yeah, that's me!

The fussy little dead-eyed bird
who ruins everyone's day. This guy!

Disney employees were understandably
outraged when this came to light,

and Bob Chapek, Disney's CEO
and business thumb,

then made things worse,

putting out a statement defending
Disney's silence on the bill,

and listing a bunch of Disney projects
like "Encanto," "Black Panther,"

"Modern Family,"
and "Summer of Soul," saying,

"These and all of our diverse stories
are our corporate statements,

and they are more powerful
than any Tweet or lobbying effort."

And that is obviously nonsense,
although I will say,

"Encanto" is actually an apt reference,
given what is happening in Florida.

Because its catchiest song
is, of course,

about everyone refusing to talk
about one member of their family,

which sounds like a lesson plan
designed by Ron DeSantis

specifically for that kindergarten
teacher from earlier.

And here is the thing:

generally, movies can affect
how people view the world.

But is this really a path
that you want to go down, Disney?

Because you are the same company

that's coded basically
every villain in your movies as gay,

stereotyped minorities
to a breathtaking degree,

and had something called
a "wench auction" in place

at Disneyland until 2018.

I don't know if you've had
a 100 percent net positive effect here.

Chapek's statement
did not go over well.

And a few days later,
on a shareholder call,

he took another swing, expressing
opposition to the bill and saying this.

When we donate money
to different political candidates,

we have no idea how they're going
to vote going forward into the future.

That is such bullshit
it is actively insulting.

'Cause that's just not
how donating works.

When you donate money,

you generally know what the recipient
is going to do with it.

That is why people give
to Feeding America

and not Feeding America
or Maybe Take Food Away from America

and Put it in a Big Hole,
Who Really Knows?

Disney should absolutely
have had a pretty good idea

how Dennis Baxley would vote
when they gave him money,

given that he's not been shy about
sharing his views on a host of topics.

He once suggested

"abortion is causing Europeans
to be replaced by immigrants

and is paving the way
for the end of western civilization,"

and as recently as 2020,
he joined others in filing bills

to "repeal protections
for LGBTQ workers,

and legalize
gay conversion therapy."

And he also once said this.

I know some districts
where there's a big infestation

of h*m* that are pushing
their agenda under the screen

and they try and get more people hired
that are like them,

and set up gay adoptions,
and all this stuff.

So, it's a continual fight
for the values that we hold dear.

So, there's a lot to unpack there,

from the decor which screams
"Christmas in hospice"

to the disgusting
use of the word "infestation,"

to the fact that he's talking
about stopping gay adoption

in front of a Ronald Reagan
quote that says,

"Man is not free
unless government is limited."

An irony seemingly
completely lost on Dennis there.

Chapek then took a third swing
at an apology on Friday,

saying that Disney was pausing
all its political giving in Florida,

pending a review, and promising,
"I am an ally you can count on,"

for which the jury
is very much out.

But when this bill passes,
as seems inevitable,

the harm will have been done.

That kindergarten teacher,

who is wearing a f*cking Mickey Mouse
T-shirt in that photo with his partner,

will have been betrayed
by a company whose work he loves.

For all Chapek's self-congratulation

about how Disney movies
like "Black Panther"

can instigate change,
that change clearly has its limits,

given that just this week, news broke
that the movie's director Ryan Coogler

had been handcuffed by police

while trying to withdraw money
from his own bank account.

Marginalized creators have made
billions of dollars for Disney.

Now, should it embarrass them
that it took them until this week

to realize that they shouldn't take
that money

and use it to actively undermine
those creators' interests?

Who's to say? I'll tell you, I am.
I'm Zazu, remember?

And while I haven't been invited back
for the prequel yet,

after tonight, I've got
a pretty good feeling about it.

And now, this!

And Now, Jim Cramer Presents:
Grounds for Divorce.

Let's start with Wendy's.

I like Wendy's,
and not just because my wife

can put away a double Baconator
quicker than anyone.

They've highlighted my wife eating
a juicy Baconator all over her car.

My wife is, with this Baconator,
she's crazy about it,

she doesn't even care,
it's like, boom.

All right. Anyway.
My wife had a Baconator, holy cow.

That's tough to work off.

My wife had a Baconator
during vacation,

which is obviously
a bulk-up situation.

My wife championed that Baconator,
which, you know,

you gotta go to Planet Fitness
right after.

My wife's a Wendy's person.
She likes the Baconator.

My wife just loves the Baconator.

I know your wife
likes to trade in to that Baconator

on a regular occasion,
so we love that, too.

She loves the Baconator!

I did have to stop my wife yesterday
from getting a Baconator.

I said, "Enough is enough!"

It was trading
in the mid-single digits,

and that was because my wife
liked the Baconator,

she actually likes
the double cheese Baconator.

Once again, happy birth...
happy birthday to Lisa!

Moving on. Our main story tonight
concerns live entertainment.

It's one of the things that people
missed the most during the pandemic,

and everyone was very excited
to see it start to come back.

It's been more
than a year without them,

but now the Hampton Colosseum
is bringing back concerts.

I'm pumped, I'm ready to go,
I'm vaccinated, I'm ready to go.

I've been locked up
for a year and 10 months

and now I'm gonna let loose
and destroy this place.

Let him have that. Everyone missed
their comforts during the pandemic.

I can guarantee that the sentence

"I've been locked up
for a year and 10 months

and now I'm here
to destroy this place"

was also said several times at the
re-opening of an Ann Taylor Loft.

Everyone's been a bit edgy.

Live entertainment
undeniably offers unique experiences,

from Taylor Swift
unveiling her squad,

to a hologram Tupac
performing at Coachella,

to this unsurpassed moment
from a Justin Bieber concert.

Good. I'm glad that happened.

And while it is amazing
to watch that together now,

just imagine being there
to see it live in person.

But if you've bought or even tried
to buy tickets recently,

you know those experiences
come at a cost.

I just spent the last hour and 15
minutes trying to get P!nk tickets.

If you don't want
to be behind the stage,

you're looking
at $500 per ticket.

Who can afford that?

For the amount that I'm paying
to see any random band on tour,

they better
be f*cking serenading me.

Why are Bad Bunny tickets
so damn expensive?

Y'all making me want to sell
my husband's feet on OnlyFans!

That is a striking sentiment there.
Actually, hold on, hold on.

For sale. Husband feet.
OnlyFans. Yes! We did it!

We created a whole story
in just five words.

Suck it, Hemingway! Suck it!

If you think tickets have been getting
ridiculously expensive, they have.

The average price for a popular concert
has more than tripled since the mid '90s

vastly outpacing inflation.

And that is before
they hit the resale market.

And with huge artists starting to put
tickets on sale for summer shows,

that irritation is only likely
to increase.

So tonight,
we thought we'd try and explain

exactly why Bad Bunny tickets
are so expensive,

who is making money off them, and
what you might be able to do about it

that does not involve
selling your husband's feet.

And let's start with the company
that you're immediately thinking of:

Ticketmaster.

They are the biggest player
in the ticket market, by far,

and claim they strive
to put fans first,

and that "the people
we care most about are the fans."

And yet, as anyone who has ever
bought a ticket from them knows,

that's generally not the feeling
you get when dealing with them,

as this YouTuber explains.

If there was anything
that I had as a wish,

for any big artist
or band that comes through,

whether it's K-pop,
whether it's a western artist,

I don't give a sh*t
if you're a magician,

any big ticket person that ever
comes through and does a concert,

never use Ticketmaster.

Use literally anyone else.
They are terrible.

Okay, first, excellent shade
thrown at magicians there.

It was noted,
and it was appreciated.

But they're right, Ticketmaster is one
of the most hated companies on earth,

which is really impressive,
'cause remember,

this is a planet
in which AT&T also exists.

Hey guys, we've still got a few weeks
till the merger goes through,

and I've gotta say,
it's gonna be a bumpy ride until then.

And also after.

And look, it is no secret
Ticketmaster is horrible.

But exactly how it is horrible
is genuinely interesting.

And let's start with one of the things
that infuriates people most about them,

the fees.

They can come as a nasty surprise
at the very end of a transaction

and can range from the annoying
to the completely batshit.

We found a ticket
to a 2019 Kidz Bop concert

with fees that amounted
to 75% of face value.

For one ticket to a Tyler the Creator
show next week,

the fees add an extra 78 percent.

And the fees on a $15 ticket
to a monster truck rally in Houston

were $16.41.

That's more than the cost
of the ticket itself!

Which is ridiculous. Although I will say
in the case of that Kidz Bop tour,

it might actually have been worth it,
because they could've played this.

I just took a DNA test,
turns out

I'm 100% that kid
even when I'm crying crazy.

Yeah, I got some problems,
that's the human in me.

Bling, bling, then I solve 'em,
that's the goddess in me.

You coulda had a good friend,
non-committal.

Help you
with your career just a little.

Stop it!
Stop it right now and forever!

I have so many issues
with what you just saw,

the least of which
is what they did to the lyrics.

Because if you are saying,

"Took a DNA test turns out
I'm 100 percent that kid,"

you're either settling
a paternity dispute on "Maury,"

or returning to your hometown after
having been kidnapped 30 years ago.

"I swear, guys! I took a DNA test,
turns out I'm 100 percent that kid!"

And while it is both easy and fun
to sh*t on Ticketmaster for their fees,

as they point out, they're not
solely responsible for them.

Instead, they say,

"Ticket fees are determined
in collaboration with our clients,"

who "share in a portion
of the fees we collect."

Which is true.
Ticketmaster enters into contracts

that set and share fees with the venues
where concerts are held,

the promoters who book,
market, and organize the shows,

and sometimes
even the artists themselves.

You could say Ticketmaster's business
model is to stand in as the bad guy

and let all those other players
hide behind them.

Or you could not say that,
and let Ticketmaster's former CEO

basically admit it
directly to Congress.

When people hear what Ticketmaster's
service charge is,

Ticketmaster was set up as a system
where they took the heat for everybody.

In that service charge are the credit
card fees, the rebates to the buildings,

rebates sometimes to artists,
sometimes rebates to promoters.

Ticketmaster has been like the IRS.
We deliver bad news.

It's true.

Ticketmaster is very much like the IRS
in that it's an opaque bureaucracy,

takes more out of your paycheck
than you think it should,

and is represented by men
so catastrophically uncharismatic

they look like they're putting
themselves to sleep.

Although it is worth knowing that,

while Ticketmaster
does share fees with other parties,

some of those other parties
may also be Ticketmaster.

Because just one year after
that hearing,

they completed a gigantic merger
with Live Nation,

which owns or operates many
of the country's top music venues,

and call themselves,

"the largest producer of live music
concerts in the world,"

and since then, they've had something
of a chokehold on live entertainment.

In fact, the DOJ recently alleged
that the company had repeatedly

"strong-armed venues
into using Ticketmaster,"

and "retaliated against
or threatened venues"

that did not use its services.

While Live Nation denies that, there is
no denying just how much power it has.

Even before that merger,
Pearl Jam, at the height of their fame,

tried to do a tour without Ticketmaster
or their affiliated venues,

but their manager admitted
at the time they were going to have

"to play at weird places
like a ski resort in Lake Tahoe

and a fairground in San Diego."

And if Pearl Jam in the '90s
doesn't have the power

to walk away from Ticketmaster,
nobody does.

So, when you wonder "why can't
my favorite artist, or magician,

just use another ticketing company?"

The truth is,
if they want to perform

at a venue that has an exclusive
contract with Ticketmaster,

they actually can't do that.

But fees are obviously
not the only complaint

that people have
with the ticket buying process.

Another is tickets disappearing
before you have a chance to buy them.

Concerts for major artists
can sell out so fast,

sometimes, they even make the news.

You know you're hot when you can
sell out Madison Square Garden


That's what Justin Bieber did!

We're talking about two shows,
at the Garden,

which seats
around 20,000 people,

selling out in less time
than it takes me to apply my lip gloss.

That's crazy!

Yeah, that is crazy. Not just Bieber
selling out 20,000 seats in 30 seconds,

though, but also that she puts
lip gloss on for over 30 seconds!

That is just way too much time.
I'll show you how you do it!

Put a timer on the screen right now.
Check this sh*t out!

Stop the clock. Look at that!

Not even close to 30 seconds,
I didn't break a sweat,

and I look f*cking great.

And here's the thing: selling 20,000
seats in 30 seconds would be crazy,

if that's what Bieber did,
but he didn't.

Because a report from
the New York AG later revealed

fewer than 2,000 tickets
were actually put on sale that day.

And that's by no means a one-off.

For many top shows,
less than 25% of tickets

are initially released
to the general public.

And in an audit
of The Blaisdell Center in Honolulu,

they found that, when Janet Jackson
played there in 2015,

only 8 percent of all tickets
went to the general public,

and when Mariah Carey played
there the next year, it was 7 percent.

That was presumably
for her famed Mariah

"Good f*cking Luck
Getting In To See This" Tour.

And if you're wondering where on earth
the rest of the tickets go,

well, they are deliberately held back
to be sold in other ways.

And often a big chunk
goes to credit card companies,

as you might know
from ads like this.

When Lauren broke up with me,
she said...

Chuck, you're a little boring.

Boring.

Boring.

Use any Citi card to get
the benefits of Private Pass.

More concerts, more events,
more experiences.

"Yeah, Lauren?
Would a 'boring' guy

use our break-up as an excuse
to sign up for a credit card

so that I could quietly stand backstage
during an Alicia Keys concert,

an on-paper sensible decision?

I submit that a boring guy
would not do that, Lauren,

and I await your confirmation.

You f*cked up, Lauren.
You f*cked up."

And it's not just tickets being
siloed away for credit card offers.

They can also wind up
being put on sale by the promoter,

or a radio station,
or through an artist's fan club.

Which sounds fine!

But a lot of average fans
can't afford special credit cards

or don't have time
to jump through hoops in a fan club.

But one group very much has that time,
and the resources,

and that is professional
ticket brokers.

These are the individuals or companies
that buy up tons of tickets

before you can get them,

sometimes with the help of bots
that snap them up incredibly quickly,

because, as you I'm sure assumed,

all of those stupid
"are you a robot?" tests

have very much
not kept them all out.

Because every time ticket sites
come up with a new technology,

bots find a way around it.

And once brokers
have those tickets,

they will flip them on the secondary
market at a huge markup.

And at this point, we should probably
talk about the secondary market.

It's sites like SeatGeek, StubHub

and, surprise, surprise,
Ticketmaster again.

These sites badly want you to think
of them as fan-to-fan marketplaces.

Ticketmaster even describes
its resale marketplace like this.

Our objective
is if that secondary market exists,

we want to create
a safe environment and platform

for you to be able
to exchange those tickets.

You've bought tickets
to go see someone you love.

At the 11th hour
your babysitter can't make it,

you should have the right
to recoup your costs on that ticket.

Right. Because the last thing that you
want is resentment towards your baby

to start festering
because of a missed concert.

Every time you look at their
chubby cheeks, you'll just think,

"If you weren't born, I'd have seen
the Red Hot Chili Peppers live

and I'd have been happier.
You're the worst."

But the truth is, resale sites
are not just fan to fan at all.

In fact,
a government report found that

"professional brokers
represent either the majority

or the overwhelming majority
of ticket sales" on these sites.

And they make
a lot of money doing it.

The New York AG's office found
brokers mark up the price of tickets

by an estimated


"but sometimes by more
than 1000 percent"

and in one case,
by 7000 percent.

That was for a One Direction concert,
by the way.

And let me just say, I don't
actually regret it. It was worth it.

My favorite One Direction is Niall.
I don't know who the other ones are.

And I get mad
when they sing over the top of him.

Ticket-selling sites go out of their
way to cater to their broker clients,

because they bring them
in a lot of money.

For instance,
while they limit the number of tickets

that any one account
can buy to an event,

there is an obvious way
for brokers to get around that,

and that's simply
to have more than one account.

This is a practice Ticketmaster
has long been aware of.

There is a ticket broker conference
in Vegas each year.

Just watch what happened
when reporters went undercover there,

and talked to someone
at Ticketmaster's booth.

Ticketmaster was busy,
surrounded by scalpers.

I want to know the straight goods
on whether Ticketmaster

is going to be policing us
using our multiple accounts.

No.

I have a gentleman who's got
over 200 Ticketmaster.com accounts.

How many brokers
are using multiple accounts?

I'd say pretty
damn near every one of them.

Yeah, of course they were!
Because you weren't stopping them.

Although I will say,
I'm in absolute awe

of anyone who can remember
usernames and passwords

for over 200 accounts.

I just use one password
for all my accounts,

- and it's "Niall-Horan-is-the-best
- 1- Direction-exclamation-mark."

Don't tell anyone
about my perfect password.

I have to tell you Ticketmaster insists
that it spends millions on technology

to weed out bad behavior,

and that that employee's comments
were not reflective of its policies.

But even taking them at their word,
which I am not inclined to do,

their whole system
is designed to be opaque.

Especially when it comes
to brokers selling tickets,

because all the resale sites,
including Ticketmaster,

actively choose to provide
anonymity to them.

So, when you buy a ticket
on the secondary market,

there is no way to know the identity
of who you're buying from,

whether it is a fan
whose babysitter just canceled,

or a broker who might have 500 other
tickets on sale for that same event.

Which, when you think about it,
is a bit weird.

On sites where people resell things,
you can see who you are buying from.

Take eBay, for instance.
If you saw this listing,

for a Mickey Mouse-shaped potato,
available for $50,

you could look at the seller,
see their username,

know that they have
a 100% favorable rating,

and feel confident
in your purchase.

You're thinking, "John,
you bought that potato, didn't you?

And it's under your desk
right now?"

No. It is not under my desk.
It's over here! Behold!

Yes! Of course we bought it!

As you can see, it definitely kind
of looks a bit like Mickey Mouse!

Brokers with identities concealed

can snap up large numbers of tickets,
and resell them at a massive markup.

Meanwhile, the secondary market sites
are themselves making money

by charging a percentage
on those ludicrous ticket prices.

We found a ticket for Adele
selling on SeatGeek

for $1,690, plus $538 in fees.

And look, here is where we need
to deal with an uncomfortable fact.

Which is the question
of what that ticket is actually worth.

Because an economist will tell you,
it is worth whatever people will pay.

So, if someone is willing to spend
over $2,000, including fees,

for an Adele ticket,

that is what it's worth,
as gross as that sounds.

But if Adele
doesn't want to charge that,

there is going to be a gap
between the face value of the ticket,

and what someone can get for it,

and a whole industry is going
to scramble in to exploit it.

And unfortunately, live events
are uniquely vulnerable to this,

because they are inherently rare.

Bad Bunny, for instance,

is probably only coming
to your town once a year at most,

and a lot more people want
to see him than there are seats.

And while Bad Bunny
could charge the going rate

for every ticket that he sells,

he probably doesn't want to do that,
because he'd look like an assh*le.

Which he very much isn't. He is not
a bad bunny at all, despite the name.

If he's anything,
he's a very good bunny.

And as long as artists,
with all good intentions,

price their tickets below the market,
exploitation is going to happen,

and that woman's husband
is going to have to show feet.

Although it is worth noting,
some artists

have tried to sneakily
get the scalper price for their tickets

without anyone really noticing.

Remember how Justin Bieber

was supposedly selling out venues
in seconds,

while tons of tickets
were held back?

At another stop
on that same tour,

reporters looked into some
of the tickets on resale sites,

and found something surprising.

Section 205, row G, 14 tickets
listed for $246 each, and get this:

ticketing documents showed that
entire G row went to Bieber's own tour.

I think there is no question
when one looks at the document

that Bieber
is scalping his own tickets.

Yeah, it's true. A group
of tickets held for Bieber's tour

ended up being released
not to the box office,

but straight
to the secondary market.

And on one hand,
I do get the impulse of,

"if someone is going
to make $246 off that ticket,

shouldn't it be the person
who is doing the performing?"

But it still doesn't feel great,
does it?

And it's also not going to stop me
from showing you

that clip of him falling
down a hole again.

Excellent. I mean,
it gets better every time you see it.

And look,
Bieber's not unique in doing this.

A few years back, it emerged
that Live Nation had helped Metallica

place tickets
directly onto the resale market,

admitting "about a dozen
other artists"

had asked them to do this
in recent years.

And before you worry,
no, I am not one of the artists

putting tickets to this show
straight onto the resale market.

We do it the right way,
distributing tickets at random

to anyone who happens to be
walking past the studio at the time.

Half of these idiots think I'm the warm
up act for Drew Barrymore.

She'll be out any minute, folks.
She'll be out any minute.

She's so glad you're here.
Okay, all right?

So, when you take
all of this together,

the reason tickets are so hard
to get when they're on sale

is that they're often not on sale.

And the reason they cost so much
on the secondary market

is that you're paying exorbitant
fees to the platform,

and might be buying from a broker,

or in rare cases,
even from the artist themselves.

And this whole ecosystem
enriches a lot of people

who do not contribute anything to the
actual show that you are paying to see.

And at the center of all this
is Ticketmaster because it turbocharged

many of the shitty practices that
have now become industry standard.

So, what can we do?

Congress could inject transparency
into this process

by passing laws that require sites
to disclose their fees up front,

along with the identity
of the seller on resale sites.

The truth is, much of the power here
is actually in the hands of the artists.

The biggest ones could do things
to tamp down the secondary market

like making their tickets
non-transferable,

meaning resale is restricted.

Bands like Pearl Jam
have experimented with this,

and before their 2020 tour
was postponed,

they even worked with Ticketmaster
to create an online marketplace

where fans could sell tickets
that they didn't need,

but with no additional fees
and not for a profit.

That seems like the model
that everyone should be using here.

But if regulators don't act,
and artists don't have the clout

or the inclination to require companies
to put those guardrails in place,

I'm afraid you as a fan
are going to remain vulnerable

to the worst parts of this system.

One driven by one of the most
widely loathed companies on the planet

that became even bigger
due to a merger

that probably shouldn't
even have been allowed.

And I know that all of this
may feel a little unsatisfying.

But if it's any consolation to you,
I personally promise

to continue to offer the only accurately
priced entertainment on the market.

You know what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about one in which tickets
for this show remain available for free,

and you can come watch
a decaying man shout numbers,

apply lip gloss shoddily, and
shamelessly earn back your good will

by showing you a potato
that, you have to admit it,

does look a bit
like a famous mouse.

That is our show.
Thank you so much for watching.

We're off next week.
We'll be back the week after that.

Good night!