Sceptics return for another bout of hippy-kicking today, rapping Michael Eavis across the shins and berating him for the pioneering ticket registration scheme the Glastonbury organiser implemented last year.
In fairness, Eavis has hinted himself that he may alter the process to that adopted when ticket sales stalled this year – i.e. registration, followed by near-simultaneous purchase.
But that’s not enough reckons Vince Power, the founder of Mean Fiddler and a promoter long-in-the-tooth on the London music scene.
“The registration has annoyed people,” Power told the BBC. “this whole business of the anticipation of trying to get a ticket, not get a ticket.
"Michael came back with his own way and created this hugely complicated entry system which kills the spirit of a festival in my opinion.
“It’s free enterprise isn’t it?,” he continued. “If somebody buys a ticket and they're really clever enough to sell it for four times its value – I would like to shake their hand."
Which perhaps explains the gaggle of skew-eyed and toothless flanking any show at the Astoria, trying to charge £80 for a Rakes ticket.
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I'm by no means an expert at it...
...but, from my studies of a particular martial art, I know several ways to break the arm, fingers, wrists and collarbone of someone shaking your hand.
I too would like to shake these touts' hand.
Vince Power, whilst having an amazing name
is clearly a massive, massive cock. How can you criticise somebody for completely eradicating the problem of touts at one of the world's largest music festival?
Although Eavis is perhaps out of touch and moving Glastonbury in the wrong direction, he should be applauded for at least that
^exactly this
i'm sure he wouldn't think it was so clever if touts were making profit out of him.
also
that picture of Eavis is class. Country Bumpkin
That's right.
Nothing makes me feel more in the festival or gig mood than trying to buy a ticket for something, finding them all sold out and having to pay over-the-odds on Ebay for one. Quite right, Mr Power, it really is just part of the experience isn't it?
"“If somebody buys a ticket and their really clever enough to sell it for four times its value"
get thee to MENSA.
Not his mistake
though, since he was probably talking to a journalist.
it's the 2 hours of pressing refresh
that just makes it for me, once you've got that it doesnt matter what bands you have.
"Vince Power, the founder of Mean Fiddler"
That's all I needed to know about that guy before dismissing his opinions completely.
I am a dirty capitalist
so sort of agree with him in part. BUT Glastonbury had the worst problems of all festivals in tersm of people getting in for free/touting, and to have completed solved those problems deserves a little more credit.
*they're
the guy is such a moron
he makes spelling mistakes when speaking
:D:D:D
wouldnt
it have been great if all the touts bought up lots of tickets only to not be able to sell them on?
It's not much of an achievement
to buy a ticket, wait till said gig sells out, then flog it on Ebay for a profit. My gran could do it. Vince Power is obviously a fuckwit.
They'd make their money back
In other illegal activities they indulge in though.
Secondary markets are quite useful
I know it's helped me as a punter before to get to gigs when I couldn't get a ticket the first time around. If I want to go to Reading this year I'm grateful for the existence of a secondary market because I didn't have the cash at the time to buy a ticket.
I don't think either Glasto's ticket registration scheme or Reading's free-for-all is perfect though.
you need
to get a credit card or be little more on the ball then.
No
If it wasnt for touts, it'd be unlikely that the event would sell out entirely. Heck, 3 years ago you could buy tickets on the door for Reading/Leeds, but now with toutmania it sells out in 2 hours.
^^this
i don't understand how people think touts are doing them a favour, when without them tickets would sell out much slower.
^ you still can buy them on the door at reading
But I agree it is a problem. I'm not so against the touts you see outside the gigs as they have at least put the effort into going down there. But the ones that annoy me are the thousands of people who buy extra tickets just to ebay them and the corporate touts who put them up straight away with buy it now for twice the price.
hmm
“It’s free enterprise isn’t it?,” he continued. “If somebody buys a ticket and their really clever enough to sell it for four times its value – I would like to shake their hand."
I think I'm now morally justified in stabbing Vince Power in the face
"hugely complicated entry system"
Absolutely. It really made my brain hurt.
Isn't it amazing how when someone doesn't want to do something...
...it suddenly becomes "too much effort"?
It's harder to walk down the road for a pint of milk than it was to register for Glastonbury.
yes, but you can't drink Glastonbury tickets
this is really old news
but i completely disagree with that vince power twat.
this is ridiculous calling it complicated
it's about as hard as buying a ticket for anything else. Although I don't see why you needed to apply a month before, well for the online ones anyway. It was a good idea in principle as it did get rid of the touts.
Also I heard Vince Power saying this on the 6 music news thing last Sunday and he didn't seem set up by the journalists for it.
789
“If somebody buys a ticket and their really clever enough"
EEE-EEE.
Ticket Registration is one of the best things that could've happened to live music in my eyes.
He makes out as if you've got to make your way through a perilous jungle and crack a secret code in order to register. It takes literally a matter of seconds.
lol
No the wading through shit comes later.
'skew eyed and toothles'
awesome
Vince Power
You are a cunt
It's about time...
...somebody mentioned the toothless f**kwits that intercept all the tickets for big (or biggish) gigs in London, bane of my life! I was wondering how Vince Power's (rubbish, cock) career in promoting started, all seems clear now.
He does deserve credit for the constantly groundbreaking Reading lineups over the last several years though.... nnnnnnnoooooooooooyyyyyyyyrrrrrrrrrttttt!!!!
Are all the tickets sold now then?
touts are bad
there not clever there just sly why should normal people have to pay more then the original price just because some person has bought 100 tickets and the fan who have saved up all year to get a ticket losing out because he can`t afford the touts rates. what these touts on`t realise is a load of Glastonbury is done for charity and non of the extra money made by the tout will never get back to the charity
nice to see a level headed opinion
completely devoid of over emotive expressions and exaggeration
Hugely complicated?
you having a lol?
tickets on ebay...
supply and demand innit
not really the same
you mean like with heroin?
are you advocating class-A drug use, hm?
clearly vince power
has some deal with the touts. as he does with the fake merchendise people. he doesn't give them so much trouble, they give him a bit of profit. so he actually makes even more money. clever eh...he's not going to sue me is he?
it is exactly the same...
...if there wasnt the demand for tickets that the is now then the ebay tout market wouldnt exist, because venues wouldnt sell out. it is simple economics that, like it or lump it, makes our world go round.
I also think that the secondary ebay market has a useful function. I understand the argument that "if there werent ticket touts then I would be able to buy them in the first place", but this isnt really right is it. There would be more of a chance, sure, but in this day and age when every other person wants to go to a gig, people still wouldnt get tickets. Being able to buy them somewhere else means you can, if you are willing to pay the price.
I dont entirely get the heroin comparison either - taking heroin is a dangerous and illegal activity. Selling something you own, for a profit, isnt.
I dont like the toothless simpletons who stand outside the Astoria, but i certainly wouldnt stop them doing it.