Jocks Crusade Against Ticket Brokers

Who are the music industry’s real insiders? We’d nominate L.A.’s powerful ticket brokers, who rank ‘n’ file rock fans say have unfair access to many prime concert tickets.

Now the brokers are under attack again. With morning deejay Phil Hendrie at the helm, KLSX-FM radio has launched a petition drive for a proposed 1990 ballot initiative whose key provision would limit broker prices to no more than 20% above the face value of each ticket sold.

(According to state law, any initiative campaign needs 600,000 valid signatures to have a measure placed on the November ballot--KLSX is aiming for the November, 1990, ballot because the 1988 deadline is already past.)

“We’ve had a helluva reaction so far--the mail has really been poring in,” said Hendrie. “We’re getting 75 to 100 pieces of mail each week, all with requests for more petitions. I think a lot of fans are just fed up with the whole ticket situation.

“When kids are precluded from getting good concert tickets because brokers have unfair access to the best seats, then it’s time to do something about it.”

With his morning news partner Marshall Phillips, Hendrie has been keeping the issue alive by holding regular on-air debates, airing listener complaints, calling up record store managers (whose stores sell tickets through computerized outlets) and presiding over numerous heated debates with local ticket brokers.

“We’ve had at least 10 different brokers on the air,” Hendrie said. “They defend their business as strictly a matter of free enterprise. I agree that prices are set by supply and demand. But here the demand isn’t set by the promoter and the artist, but by the brokers, who serve the wealthy concert-goers who can afford to pay $250 for great seats.

“We’ve had reports of security personnel in charge of handing out priority numbers (when tickets went on sale) giving out preferred numbers to people in line who had been hired by brokers. It just seems that there’s a lot of money being made off the energy of artists who should have a say in where that money goes.”

Hendrie isn’t the first anti-broker crusader--and certainly won’t be the last. So far, efforts to limit broker profits--and influence--have failed miserably. In fact, the only state legislation regulating brokers (a state Senate bill passed 14 months ago) was endorsed and largely written by the California Assn. of Ticket Agencies (CATA), the broker’s lobbying arm.

While that bill featured several important reforms, including a truth-in-advertising clause and a guarantee of refunded deposits for canceled shows, it made no attempt to limit profits or restrict brokers’ access to large amounts of tickets.

In fact, many industry insiders say it’s impossible to regulate brokers, especially since much of their clientele works in the industry itself. CATA president Brian Harlig has frequently boasted that his clients include top record execs, managers, radio execs, politicians--and sometimes the artists themselves.

“The vast majority of my clients are either from Fortune 500 companies or executives at powerful entertainment companies,” explained Harlig, who said he appears “from time to time” on KIIS-FM deejay Rick Dees’ morning show, offering tickets at special “reduced prices” to KIIS listeners.

“The state legislature has already refused to put a ceiling on our revenues. As one legislator said during the last debate: ‘What’s next--dry cleaners?’ It’s un-American. We don’t live in a totalitarian society where the government tells us how much money we can make.

“I think these guys should pursue more burning social issues--like feeding the homeless. Who knows, maybe the motive is just to boost their ratings.”

Hendrie responded: “The brokers always bring up this free enterprise issue, saying their industry isn’t a necessity, like oil or food. But I think our community’s cultural life is a necessity. And it’s unfair that regular fans get screwed ‘cause the brokers can afford to hire kids to stand in line or get tickets before they even go on sale.

“At KLSX, we buy every ticket we give away to our listeners. I don’t care if all the brokers say this kind of law will never happen. We figure if we can get 600,000 signatures on a petition, that’s going to speak loudly to someone.”