Pearl Jam Wins Support in Fight Over Tickets

Ticketmaster Vice President Alan Citron claims Pearl Jam’s campaign against Ticketmaster’s service charges was “pointless” (Counterpunch, April 10). He claims this since Ticketmaster purportedly offered to sell Pearl Jam tickets at a $2.25 to $2.50 per ticket service charge, instead of the more typical $6 it gets from the fans of other groups (based on what I was just quoted for Greek Theatre tickets). Perhaps Citron is implying that Ticketmaster will now be changing its policy and will in the future be charging $2.25 to $2.50 for all concert and event tickets, a fee that Citron admits would be “competitive” and “based on real economic facts.”

But, without Pearl Jam’s activism on behalf of its fans to pressure Ticketmaster to offer such a deal in the first place, it won’t happen. And, even if Ticketmaster were to slash its charges for all tickets, it would only reinforce Pearl Jam’s point (which somehow eluded Mr. Citron) that consumers are suffering under the current system dominated by Ticketmaster. Hats off to Pearl Jam, to ETM Entertainment Network and any other competitors brave enough to take on Ticketmaster.

THOMAS W. FOOTE

Santa Monica

(Editor’s note: This letter is representative of several received in response to Counterpunch articles by Ticketmaster official Alan Citron and Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis. No responses were received in support of Ticketmaster.)