I just came across an article that really hit me to the core. Regardless of what band you like, I would highly advise against seeing a band who sells their tickets through Ticketmaster.
I am still new to Steem and this is my 3rd post. I have been a supporter of local music for about 25 years. I am all for the new up and coming bands and the ones that have been around for years and still not, so called, "made it".
For the music lovers that do support the big signed acts I want to warn you that the big ticket industry is a dirty business with practices that are outragious. For one; companies such as Ticketmaster support a practice called supply and demand and it is not right. I can understand jacking up the price of a ticket as a show comes closer to a date but to inflate the face value of a ticket on the day of first sale is just down right not good at all.
Last Friday the tickets for My Chemical Romance (MCR) went on sale. Thousands waited in que before sale and when the time came for tickets to be bought the prices where jacked up multiple times higher than what was advertised. For fans of MCR this I am sure was a shock. This is not the fault of MCR. This is the fault of Ticketmaster.
In my opinion, MCR could have picked another outlet to sell their tickets, such as Livenation and performed at Livenation venues. As I have mentioned I am into local music. The bands I see perform are in my opinion much better than main stream. I understand that the music scene is a tough business and has change many times over in the last 50 years.
Do not fret if you are a MCR fan and are unable to afford tickets to their latest tour. Instead, pick up your local news paper and check out the smaller clubs, bars and venues in your local area and just see a show for under $30 bucks. There are shows that have multiple bands on the bill that you may or may not heard of. Remember how you first fell in love with a band on the radio? You never heard of them but you liked them. Take a stab in the dark and check out a band.
I live in the state of Rhode Island and I have fell in love with a number of bands that I never heard of before. Below is just a small list of venues that I frequent.
Fete Music Hall at 103 Dike St, Providence, RI 02909
News Cafe at 43 Broad St, Pawtucket, RI 02860
The Strand Ballroom at 43 Broad St, Pawtucket, RI 02860
I will be attending a show at Fete Music Hall on Friday, February 21st, where the band Flaw will be headlining along with Gabriel & The Apocalypse, Jump The Fall and In The Red. Tickets for this show is general admission at the low price of $18. That is right! $18 to see a national headlining band and 3 bands that are independent or signed under a small label.
Tickets for this show can be found through Ticketweb, a subsidary of TicketMaster. Tickets sold through Ticketweb are at a non inflation price. I on the other hand buy the tickets at a discount through the bands performing. They will hand deliver to your home or work or wherever you want. This saves you the $3 price that it costs extra to mail to you. Sure you can go the ticketFast route and save the $3 but why?
Here is the link to the show on TicketWeb:
https://www.ticketweb.com/event/flaw-gabriel-the-apocalypse-fete-music-hall-tickets/10116845
Here is a link to the 3 starting bands
https://www.pavementmusic.com/artists/gabriel-and-the-apocalypse/
https://www.jumpthefallband.com/
https://www.intheredmusic.com/
The bands mentioned above can be heard on Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, YouTube, BandCamp and also direct through their websites.
Remember. Buy local folks! You have no idea the adventure that is in store for you. Not only will you save thousands of dollars a year but you will be able to go see quality music hundreds of times throughout a year instead of one or two you usually go to seeing a major headliner.
See you at a show! Comment this post with your favorite local bands and venues. Be sure to mention City, State/Region and country too!
Happy trails and rock on!