Some Fans Disappointed About Ticketmaster Ruling : Concerts: The Justice Department’s decision to end the antitrust probe is criticized by many, but other concert-goers say they understand the need for service charges.

The first news reports about the Justice Department’s decision to end its antitrust probe of Ticketmaster said that Pearl Jam, the company’s main challenger, had lost its battle.

But music fans and concert-goers Thursday morning saw a different loser: themselves.

“I guess we keep paying these outrageous prices,” said Mark Gill, 39, of West Hollywood.

Gill was buying tickets at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard Thursday to see Donna Summer at the Universal Amphitheatre on Aug. 4. While the original price of the ticket was $20, he paid an additional $3.75 service charge to Ticketmaster. Typically, the Ticketmaster fee ranges from $4 to $6 for pop and rock events.

“It’s a racket. Why couldn’t they just say the tickets were going to be that much?” Gill said. “I definitely would have liked to see something come out of [the investigation]. It’s just getting to be ridiculous.”

The yearlong investigation of Ticketmaster ended abruptly Wednesday when the Justice Department announced in a two-sentence press release that it was dropping the matter. The probe began after the Seattle rock group Pearl Jam filed a memorandum in May, 1994 saying the organization held a monopoly over the $1-billion concert industry. The band had tried to go around Ticketmaster to schedule a U.S. tour this year but ended up with only about a dozen dates, several of which were eventually canceled.

Most music shoppers surveyed were familiar with the investigation of Ticketmaster and expressed disappointment that it was being dropped.

“I think it’s kind of scary when a band as big as Pearl Jam can’t have concerts without Ticketmaster,” said Carla Gugino, 23, of Brentwood. “That’s what I would call a monopoly.”

“I don’t know what more proof of a monopoly they need. They charge outrageous prices and there are no other options for buying tickets to major concerts,” said Amy Blumenfield, 32, of Hollywood, who was CD shopping at the Virgin Megastore on Sunset Boulevard.

Ryan Severin, an 18-year-old shopper at Tower said he believes Ticketmaster has a monopoly, but he does not think the company abuses it.

“I just bought Bjork tickets and there was only like a $3.50 service charge. That’s got to be expected,” Severin said.

Ticketmaster spokesman Larry Solters said Thursday the public often does not realize all the services the company provides, including free phone calls on concert information and full refunds for cancellations.

“Nine out of 10 phone calls Ticketmaster receives are information phone calls that are non-revenue services,” Solters said. “Then when someone like Guns N’ Roses goes and cancels 35 shows, Ticketmaster provides a full refund, which means they do their job twice and make no money off of it.”

Solters said the fees Ticketmaster charges are for the convenience the company provides.

“When computerized tickets were developed, the public embraced it as a tremendous convenience. And as it evolved, they embraced it as a necessity,” Solters said. “Now bands and attorneys are saying they shouldn’t have to pay for that convenience.”