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StubHub Defends Scalping Sandy Benefit Concert Tix: Somebody's Gotta Do It
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 7, 2012
Modified Dec 7, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 7, 2012
Modified Dec 7, 2012
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Tickets for the upcoming all-star concert at Madison Square Garden to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims sold out instantly, and then immediately appeared, as usual, on StubHub, where scum-sucking parasites are currently reselling them for as high as $50,000. Although StubHub is donating 100% of its service fees and commissions to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, the money made by the scalpers is not going to charity. And people—including Senator Chuck Schumer and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman—are getting pissed.
Yesterday Senator Schumer sent a letter to StubHub, TicketExchange, TicketsNow and TicketLiquidator urging them to prohibit sales of the 12.12.12 concert tickets, or to at least make it so the difference between face value and scalping price somehow goes to charity. (It's unclear how that idea would work. And the other outlets quickly clarified that they were not allowing ticket sales to the benefit concert.) Meanwhile, A.G. Schneiderman sent this letter to StubHub's president:
Your website states that “StubHub will donate 100% of the profits from this event to the Robin Hood Relief Fund.” It is unclear to the public what is meant by “profits” and how much will in fact be donated from each sale, especially since the producers of this concert have committed to donating 100% of ticket sales to the Robin Hood Relief Fund. Furthermore, your press release states that StubHub is giving “sellers the option to donate proceeds from tickets to one of several nonprofit organizations leading Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.” It is unclear how or if that information is communicated to potential purchasers.
But StubHub is standing its morally shaky low-ground. In its defense, the company deploys the same rationalization beloved by crack dealers and revenge porn purveyors alike. StubHub's spokesman, Glenn Lehrman, tells the Wall Street Journal, “I don’t disagree that this is not an event that should be profited on. That being said, people are going to resell this ticket whether they sell it on our platform or by other means."
So before you take out another mortgage on your house to buy these tickets, you should know that the show will be live streaming on YouTube, AOL, Yahoo, Hulu, and others. In addition, it will be shown on a ton of TV channels, and Clear Channel will broadcast the concert live on its radio stations across the country. Details on all the home viewing options are here, but don't let that stop you from buying that $50,000 golden ticket!
Tagged
hurricane sandy
scalping
stubhub
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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