Scalping for Sandy

As you probably know by now, the 12-12-12 benefit concert at Madison Square Garden is a pretty big deal...especially if you're old.  (I think Alicia Keys is the youngest performer scheduled.  Or maybe Kanye.) Paul McCartney, The Who, Springsteen, the Stones...it's like one big Super Bowl halftime extravaganza!

Tickets cost a fortune, of course, but at least the money is going to a good cause: the Robin Hood foundation, which is sending all the proceeds to provide relief for victims of Sandy in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.  (Rumors that the foundation is going to provide the money for the massive upgrade of Long Island's electrical grid are probably exaggerated.)  But there's an interesting twist to money angle.

The secondary ticket market -- the legal places where people buy and sell unwanted event tickets -- often provides big business to ticket brokers and other shrewd individuals who seek to profit from their abilities to phone in or log on to buy tickets with the intent-to-sell.   But the organizers of the concert -- and a few other outsiders, including New York Senator Charles Schumer -- have called for people not to sell their tickets at outrageous profits, because it's inappropriate under these circumstances.  The related problem of brokers getting to buy tickets even though electronic ticket-sellers like ticketmaster have elaborate programs designed to stop them is exacerbated here, since some fans are complaining that they are unable to get a fair shot at the tickets because of such vultures.

StubHub, the largest secondary ticket marketplace in cyberspace, decided that they would allow people who wished to sell their concert tickets to do so, and would not place restrictions on pricing. (Representatives from the company did not believe they have legal grounds to do so.)   It was a difficult decition, but the company decided that it was better that StubHub be the main locus for such selling -- because StubHub is donating all fees from the sales of 12 12 12 concert tickets to the charity.   If a person is going to sell his/her tickets, it's going to happen, so the argument goes.  At least some more money gets to go to help the people who need it. 

I applaud StubHub's pragmatic generosity under complicated circumstances.  No question the vultures will seek to gouge the public.   The real question of leveling the playing field for the fans, however, is a much tougher one to address.   let's face it: there's going to be a demand for big name acts no matter what the situation, and when the demand is that high, promoters, venues, cable networks, and scalpers are going to get what they want.   It's not the fairest system.   But I also think it's worth calling attention to what the scalpers are doing in this case, because even though it's perfectly legal, it just feels like an uncool thing to do.   It's not the sleaziest thing I've heard of in recent years -- frankly, sports teams that jack up the prices even after lousy seasons are more despicable -- but it's one of those things that makes you frown.

What would be a really cool thing is if anybody from the worst hit areas could get a chance to go to the concert, or even backstage, or be invited to a post-concert party (which in this case would probably have the prune juice flowing instead of cocaine).