And People Wonder Why The Kids Are Stealing Music

Two Destroyer concert tickets: $30
Two Destroyer concert tickets purchased through Ticketmaster: $53
Other methods of purchasing said tickets for a sum between $30 and $53:
1) By fax
2) At the door the night of the show, which is my usual ticket-buying modus operandi but I’m not taking any chances on a sell-out for my favorite band of the last three years at my favorite venue in Los Angeles.

I obviously haven’t bought a ticket online in quite some time (and yes, full disclosure, I do go to a lot of free shows — I cover every one of ’em here and elsewhere), but whether Ticketmaster, the promoter, the venue, the artist or a combination of all four is to blame, it’s absolutely ridiculous that the cost of online ticket-buying is nearly double what it is at the door. It’s not the money — I’m more than happy to pay $10, $15, $20 for a ticket to a band I like. If Wilco or Ryan Adams comes back to town soon, I’ll be throwing down a lot more than that. But those are special occasions. In an industry greedily sucking the life out of anyone foolish enough to keep supporting it, wouldn’t it be healthier to slice the fees in hopes of boosting attendance and, y’know, making it affordable for the kids to go to more than one show a month? I’d like to think so.