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By Allison Reitz

As expected, tween idol Miley Cyrus has announced plans for a 45-date tour of the United States, beginning September 14 at the Rose Garden in Portland, OR, and closing December 2 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL. Yesterday, TicketNews revealed the September 22 concert at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, as one stop on the fall tour. Other stops on the itinerary include a September 26 concert at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, an October 27 performance at the United Center in Chicago, IL, a November 9 show at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, MA, and a November 25 event at Sommet Center in Nashville, TN. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

In a move designed to protect consumers, Connecticut’s General Assembly is considering a proposed bill that would prohibit sports teams, concert promoters, theater producers or venues from punishing season ticket holders who decide to resell some or all of their tickets. House Bill 6516, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jim Shapiro, is a step toward further solidifying free-market ticket resale ushered in two years ago in Connecticut when scalping was legalized. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

Richard Vitale, the former accountant and political influence peddler who tried to help Massachusetts ticket brokers in getting favorable legislation passed in 2007 and 2008, has been indicted on unrelated corruption charges, along with his friend and former state House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi. In addition to Vitale and DiMasi, two other people, lobbyist Richard McDonough and software broker Joseph Lally, were also indicted, according to the Boston Herald newspaper. The four were charged for their alleged roles in trying to steer more than $20 million in state contracts to Canadian-based software company Cognos ULC. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

Ticket brokers in New York can breathe a little easier for another year. By an overwhelming vote of 133-9 on Monday, the New York State Assembly decided to extend the free market for ticket resale in the state for another year, meaning ticket brokers can continue to charge whatever the market will bear to resell sports, concert and theater tickets. The decision still requires the signature of Gov. David Patterson, who earlier in the year sought to tack on a 4 percent tax on ticket sales to help ease the state’s budgetary problems. He eventually scrapped the idea. Read More

By Jane Cohen & Bob Grossweiner

As first reported by TicketNews on May 26, legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Paul McCartney will perform the first concerts at New York’s Citi Field, home of the Mets, on July 17 and 18, with the potential for a third show on July 21. Tickets go on sale June 15, exclusively at 507TIXX.com and by phone at 718-507-TIXX. The concerts are rain or shine. Ticket prices are not yet available. “Every time Paul McCartney steps on a stage is a special event because of the timelessness of the music and the enthusiasm and verve that this icon gives to each performance,” said Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live, in a statement. “Christening Citi Field as a venue will give this concert the added weight of the historical significance of The Beatles appearance at Shea Stadium 44 years ago.” Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

A Provo, UT-based ticket brokerage is out a reported $318,000 after an alleged con man scammed the company by trying to trade on the Ticket Technology name and reputation. Ice Entertainment LLC (IE) hired 26-year-old Canadian Justin Beaune as a consultant in the fall of 2008 after he convinced the company he could help them create a commerce Web site for secondary ticket sales, Ice Entertainment President Jared Budge told TicketNews. From there, Beaune allegedly set up an elaborate fraud scheme to bilk money from IE, and according to Utah’s Daily Herald newspaper, he has been arrested and charged with second-degree felony communications fraud. Read More

By Allison Reitz

Fans now have two more opportunities to catch Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band perform the final concerts at the old Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Two final dates have been added on October 8-9 to the Boss’s planned run at the venue, which now stands at five nights. Springsteen and his famous backing band were originally scheduled to perform an historic three-night stand at the stadium on September 30 and October 2-3 before the old venue closes at the end of the 2009 NFL season to make way for a new $1.3 billion facility. Read More

By Allison Reitz

His victory on American Idol may be a year old, but David Cook is still riding his wave of success from the reality television show as he continues his U.S. touring plans for 2009. At this point, the rock singer-songwriter has 35 concerts booked from a June 18 appearance at San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, CA, through an October 18 set at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA. The latest dates on Cook’s 2009 Declaration Tour include June 23 at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK; June 27 at Belly Up in Aspen, CO; and July 7 at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA. Later in his itinerary, Cook will hit a number of state and regional fairs across the nation, including the Ohio State Fair on August 8 in Columbus, OH, and the California State Fair on August 21 in Sacramento, CA. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pacrell, Jr., a New Jersey Democrat who has staked out improving ticketing as one of his causes, is introducing new legislation designed to make ticket sales more transparent. Nicknamed “The BOSS ACT,” which stands for Better Oversight of Secondary Sales and Accountability in Concert Ticketing Act, the proposal has separate parts for the primary and secondary ticket markets to bring a “basic level of transparency” and consumer protections to the ticket industry. Read More

By Rick Roso

In March, the NFL’s New York Giants announced that it had “sold all [one-time] personal seat licenses (PSLs) for non-club seats in the Giants’ new stadium in the Meadowlands.” Those non-club PSLs sold for a low of $1,000 for the Terraces to a high of $20,000 for the Field Levels, with the individual game-tickets prices ranging from $85 to $160. The press release went on to say, “The only PSLs remaining for purchase are a limited number of seats in the three club areas – Coach’s Club, Mezzanine Club A and Mezzanine Club B.” The PSL price for the Coach’s Club is $20,000, while the PSL for Mezzanine Club A is $12,500 and Club B is $7,500. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer’s proposed legislation to impose a two-day waiting period on brokers before they can buy and resell tickets has understandably caused an uproar among ticket brokers. Schumer’s proposal, which also calls for brokers to register with the Federal Trade Commission, is still in its infancy, but what the broker community is saying is that the plan penalizes them while not fully addressing some legitimate concerns over transparency and the need to create a more even playing field for selling tickets. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

In its most recent annual report filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Blockbuster Inc. spells out a potentially dire forecast for its future should the company fail to meet loan obligations, including bankruptcy, which could possibly affect its ticketing deal with partner Live Nation. The concern is due to Live Nation’s three-year deal with Blockbuster for the giant movie rental chain to be the bricks-and-mortar storefront for Live Nation’s ticket-selling operation. The two companies formed the partnership just prior to Live Nation launching its new ticketing operation in January, and the terms call for Live Nation to exclusively sell tickets at-retail through 500 strategically situated Blockbuster outlets across the country. Read More

By Allison Reitz

The concert season for American jam band Phish is starting a few days early in an historic setting. Opening day for the iconic group’s highly anticipated summer 2009 tour has been pushed up to May 31 and will take place at Fenway Park, home of major league baseball’s Boston Red Sox. Demand has also led to the addition of a third night to Phish’s stand at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY. The band’s June 4-5 run, which previously served as the tour opener, will be preceded by a new show on June 2. Read More

By Rick Roso

It was a few years ago that the Chicago Cubs became the first MLB team to incorporate variable ticket pricing. Which teams the Cubbies played, and when, determined how deep a fan had to reach into his or her pocket for a seat at Wrigley Field. Today, about half the league’s teams have some form of variable pricing. The New York Mets introduced their own “tier” system in 2003; when they play weak teams, the ticket prices are at their lowest. If you want to see the Mets play competitive teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, you pay more. Read More

By Alfred Branch Jr.

TicketNetwork recently launched new Web affiliate marketing programs for ticket brokers and others who are looking to make extra money promoting TicketNetwork brands. The new programs are powered by affiliate marketing giant Commission Junction (CJ), and they join TicketNetwork’s already successful ticketing affiliate program. Read More

By Carol-Ann Rudy

Broadway is holding on tight this week with ticket sales only dropping slightly down to $16,940,161 compared to last week’s $17,119,944. Those numbers compared less favorably to last year’s figures at this same week of $17,944,821. Overall, this season remains ahead of last year’s at this point in time: $781,249,578 compared to $760,617,031. Helping keep the street afloat were the million-dollar productions including Wicked at the Gershwin; West Side Story at the Palace; The Lion King at the Minskoff and Billy Elliot at the Imperial. Jersey Boys at the August Wilson placed fifth at just under a million. Not doing as well was Guys & Dolls at the Nederlander, experiencing the greatest slump of all 30 productions with a drop of almost 23 percent in attendance this past week, representing a loss of $127,772 at the box office. Read More

By Bob Grossweiner & Jane Cohen

U2 continues to break box office records. On April 6, the Irish quartet sold more than 450,000 tickets for its upcoming 360° Tour, bringing their total to 2.5 million tickets sold throughout Europe and North America. On April 6, U2 sold 90,000 tickets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, for the stadium’s fastest selling and the largest attended concert to play the venue in history. The second and final Giants Stadium show in East Rutherford, NJ, was another immediate sell-out, bringing the total tickets sold at that venue to 164,000. Read More

By Kelly McWilliams

TicketNews has released its exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, April 5, and Ford Field takes hold of the number one position this week. On April 6, Ford Field played host to the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship game between the Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels (game won by the Tar Heels), and Michigan ticket sales this week propelled the event to number three on TicketNews’s Top Sports Events rankings. The venue also has an August date scheduled for the popular Kenny Chesney tour, currently at number seven in our Top Concert Events rankings. Ford Field power scores a 2.78 this week. The new Yankee Stadium hangs on to its second place perch this week. With a power score of 2.61, the stadium is gearing up for its New York Yankees’s home opener against the Cleveland Indians on April 16. The home team hits at number one for the third straight week in TicketNews’s Top Sports Events rankings. The Gershwin Theatre moves up one to take the number three spot this week. Power scoring a 2.58, the home of the Broadway hit musical Wicked benefits from strong ticket sales for the show week after week. Read More

By Richard Kastelein

It’s not an easy task for legitimate, honest companies in the Secondary Ticket Market to shed the residue of the past with words like ‘Tout’ and ‘Scalper’ deeply ingrained in the English lexicon… probably since the days of Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre in London. But I can understand the vitriol and passion that some people have in pondering the secondary ticket market and those that abuse it… no one likes to get ‘ripped off’. However, honest businesses in the market should be offered some room and space to grow; self regulate, develop and also give the market time for the unethical players to be driven out. Read More

By Allison Reitz

With more than five months of touring already complete, Australian hard rock icons AC/DC have unveiled their next batch of North American concerts. The Black Ice World Tour is expected to run for 18 months in all, including international engagements. Only nine dates have been confirmed so far, with concerts booked from coast to coast across the U.S. The summer outing is scheduled to launch July 28 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, with shows following through September 8 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. Read More