(MENAFN- AFP) New York has started a crackdown on speculators who charge exorbitant sums for concerts after Bruce Springsteen tickets were touted for thousands of dollars before they even went on sale.
In letters to three major ticket resale websites, New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office asked for the removal of so-called speculative tickets put up by sellers who do not -- at least yet -- have them in hand.
Tickets go on sale Friday for a nine-week North American tour by Springsteen and his E Street Band in which the rocker, legendary for his stamina, plans to play his classic 1980 album "The River" in its entirety along with other hits.
Schneiderman voiced alarm that resale sites were already offering tickets for Springsteen's two shows at New York's Madison Square Garden at more than $5,000 -- dozens of times more than the expected list prices.
"Too often, unscrupulous speculators leave music fans holding the bag with bad tickets or no tickets at all," Schneiderman said Tuesday.
"We may be in the glory days of music, but many fans feel stuck in the badlands when scheming sellers are able to jack up prices for concert tickets they don't even own," he said, quoting two of Springsteen's songs.
Schneiderman did not explicitly threaten legal action, but asked the resale sites to offer full explanations of policies toward ticket speculators.
Spokespeople for the three companies -- StubHub, TicketNetwork and Vivid Seats -- reached on Wednesday said that the resale sites were reviewing the letter without commenting on speculative tickets.
StubHub said it guaranteed that every ticket sold on the site was valid for the desired seat and would arrive on time.
"If any of these things do not occur, we will find comparable or better tickets to the event, or provide a refund," it said in a statement.
TicketNetwork described itself as a "secure online marketplace" and said it offered 200 percent back on any illegitimate ticket.
Ticket-resale sites have grown rapidly in recent years as concert venues increasingly find it preferable to work with transparent, regulated services rather than leave the trade to shady street scalpers.
But speculative tickets have repeatedly caused angst for artists and fans.
Prince last month abruptly postponed ticket sales for a tour of Europe after spotting high-priced speculative attacks. He later called off the tour following the deadly attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris.
Known for challenging music-industry conventions, Prince has fought speculators in part by announcing concerts only hours before taking the stage.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.