Thursday, April 19, 2012

The End of Concert Going?





I was a music fan by the time I was six (more than likely before then), but I didn't get my very first CD until I was twelve. Before then (okay, and after) I would buy blank cassette tapes and record my favorite songs off the radio.

Throughout high school, I think I got to see one concert of my choice. I was never able to do that simply because my parents were too conservative and thought something might happen to me if I went.

That all changed once I was able to get my license (I didn't have it until I was nineteen), a car and work a semi-steady retail job. It was easy, you would look up the shows you wanted to see and buy a ticket. I think scalpers will always be around, but the equivalent of waiting until tickets are available online was waiting in line the night before.

Is that all over now? I think so. My friend actually sits on the computer prior to tickets going on sale and buys massive amounts for himself, friends and family members. Sometimes he has more than one computer going to ensure he gets them.


If you don't find out about a show in time, the place to go now is Ebay or Craigslist. I think this is all making concert going a lost activity. Sure, people go and venues get sold out, but there are still so many that get lost out in the cold and will never get to see their favorite artist play. They may even be their biggest fan!


It's pretty unfair. I guess there's no real way to make it fair, but when people get to buy pre-sale tickets and later charge people an exorbitant amount of money. It's already a pain paying almost as much in fees as the cost of tickets. I looked up a show that was $45 and the fees brought the cost to $83. Yes. Really. Almost the cost of the ticket.

So what's the deal? Is there a fairer way to do this? I say there should be. Especially for the fourteen-year-old sitting in his room buying all the albums and learning all the words. They should get to be the first to go.

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