Tidbits

• Green Day has canceled/postponed all upcoming tour dates due to Billy Joe's stint in rehab...
• Jimmy page is supposedly holed up in a studio remastering all Led Zeppelin albums. This didn't excite me at first until I heard it is possible that outtakes and alternate versions may be included. Each album will supposedly be released as  a box set as well.  
• Meanwhile the deluxe version of Celebration Day is scheduled to arrive at my door the day of release.....
• While T&N's album is scheduled for an upcoming release Don Dokken took a potshot at George Lynch....
• The Ridglea Theater had it's Grand Re-opening recently-unfortunately three acts rescheduled their shows to other venues due to low ticket sales.

Celebration Day Update

You've got one more shot to see this on Nov. 1 at the Spring Valley Movie Grill this week:

Vote for the President...

 

 President of Heavy Metal

Paperless Ticketing

The state of New Jersey is proposing a bill to prohibit restrictive paperless ticketing and protect the consumers right to resell or gift their ticket.

Let's start of with the fact that when you buy a ticket from one of the monopolistic ticket corporations, you get the shittiest choice of ticket to begin with. Most of the tickets are distributed to other sources  (see previous article below) including the actual artist performing possibly reselling them themselves at a above market value.

Restrictive paperless ticketing then in turn requires you to show at the venue to pick up your tickets-including the people you may have bought tickets for as well-because they can't pick them up themselves. Then if you can't make the show or decide not to go, whatever the reason, you can't do NOTHING with them. You  can't resell, you can't give away, you can't donate etc.

Paperless ticketing is basically an attempt by the "music industry" to control the secondary market of ticket sales, because it is obviously not enough to control the initial market of ticket sales to begin with, and prohibit the public from owning what the actually buy.

New Jersey is proposing a bill to prohibit restrictive paperless ticketing and also touch on some of the subject regarding initial sales as well:

From the article:

"Lesniak’s bill would also ban the use of bot software, require venues and promoters to disclose any fees associated with a ticket price and require them to advertise the number of tickets available to the public in each tier of a show.

Under the law, venues or promoters that hold back tickets for direct sale on the secondary market would presumably get dinged with a violation of the state’s Consumer Fraud Act, which can include minimum fines of $10,000."

New Jersey Ticket Bill 

Infighting Friday Updates

• The Beach Boys are at is again-this band runs like a broken record.......
• The Atari's are infighting as well, I saw the video (you can find it just about anywhere) but most of the comments about the band were the funny part.
• If you are on a tour bus, going through Sierra Blanca, TX-be prepared to get stopped and searched......
• On This Day in Music History, Gene Vincent, John Denver & Ricky Wilson were all killed by death.

Who Actually Gets Tickets....

According to this article the ratio of ticket distribution is shown below for a Justin Bieber show. The article admits this may be skewed by the fact it is Bieber, however it is probably closer to the truth than not.

Now check out this site, Fan Freedom, which takes this issue further by accusing Bieber and other artist of scalping their own tickets which has come up with a few other artists as well.

I have mixed feelings on this subject-first off I don't agree with the artists scalping their own tickets, however we live under a free enterprise system-be warned however, fame is fleeting.

Second off I resell tickets, though mainly for the sports market, through team sponsored resell sites. I have season tickets to two local teams and can't attend all games. My only goal is to break even for what I pay for season tickets.

Thirdly sometimes I like to buy tickets on the secondary market. Sometimes I get them cheaper than market value, sometimes I can get a preferred seat, etc. A lot of shows I attend this is not even an issue-I'll take a decent seat or a GA show at say, House of Blues, and be fine.

Now with that being said this is what sucks-if you are buying seats for a big show on the day they go on sale-you never have a shot at the "good seats", forget about front row-these have already been distributed to some other scalper, fan club, or credit card company etc. 

Tidbits from Zep's NYC Press Conference

We Got Queensryche News

• The TryRyche Corporation, basically the non Tate version of Queensryche, has told Geoff Tate to stop using the name "Queensryche"....
• If you have been able to watch any of this years That Metal Show, both Geoff Tate and L.A. Guns got their say so.
• Jake E. Lee is back in action after nearly a decade of doing nothing. His new project will feature vocals by various leads including Paul Di'anno.
• Got my tickets to Celebration Day-it is only in theaters for two days.....

RRHOF 2013 Fan Poll

You! Yes You! Can make a difference by casting your vote in the 2013 RRHOF Fan Poll. Surely to make Eddie Trunk happy Rush and Deep Purple are leading the way with Chic in last place. I am not sure why Chic is on the list for any Hall of Fame much less the Rock & Roll HOF.

2013 RRHOF Fan Poll

Super Late Updates

• Devin Townsend had his own material pulled from YouTube recently, apparently infringing on his own copyrights.
• ICP is suing the FBI.
• Luckily I did not buy tickets for last Fridays Fort Worth Music Fest. I understand Saturdays lineups were moved inside due to rain. I am not sure what happened with Fridays lineups, including Reverend Horton Heat, it looked like it may have cleared up enough for them to play. Check that-I just found a revue and they did play.
•  Andy Williams died last week. You will be hearing Mr. Christmas's music in the upcoming holiday season somewhere or another.
• Once again in a rare occurrence I have no tickets to any upcoming shows....