Fans Paying For Ticket Seller’s Greed

Ticketmaster controls two-thirds of the nation’s 10 million concert arena seats. It’s bullied at least a dozen rivals out of business. It effectively shut down the summer tour of the country’s hottest band.

But it doesn’t have a monopoly.

So says the U.S. Justice Department, which this week dropped its investigation into complaints of anti-competitive practices by the computerized ticketing giant. The department decided not to bring an anti-trust case against Ticketmaster because new companies are getting into the business.

Good luck to them. One only has to look to Pearl Jam to determine the success of going head to head with Ticketmaster.

Last year, the Seattle grunge band announced a boycott, citing the exorbitant fees Ticketmaster tacks onto concert ticket prices. Ticketmaster adds an average of $3.15, but some events have had $15 fees. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group calculated Ticketmaster’s fee averages 27 percent of the ticket’s face value.

Pearl Jam wanted to keep its tickets below $20 for its young, often cash-strapped fans. It didn’t get far; Ticketmaster’s fee pushed the price over the top. And since the company has exclusive contracts with the largest arenas, Pearl Jam played alternative venues. The concerts were popular, but hardly profitable.

This summer, dogged too by health and weather problems, Pearl Jam finally caved and canceled most of its concert dates, arranged by a smaller company in cities that hardly mark a headline tour. They were worn down, band members said, by trying to put on a back-roads show.

Who gets hurt? Fans. And not just those who like Pearl Jam. The Justice Department’s failure to tackle Ticketmaster leaves intact the firm’s lock on the biggest arenas in the biggest cities, on everything from music to sports to the ballet. Many of these shows appear in venues built with public funds.

Locally, we’re insulated by G&B Select-a-Seat, but look toward The Gorge, Yakima or Seattle and see your costs rise on all kinds of events.

There’s hope, though, that New York’s attorney general will follow through with an investigation of whether the state’s anti-trust laws were violated. Fans there have mounted a group of class-action lawsuits as well.

Maybe New York will do the Justice Department’s job: look out for the consumer. Ticketmaster, with its $240 million earned in service fees last year, has only money in mind.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Anne Windishar/For the editorial board