Attorney General's News Release

October 4, 2007

Nixon reaches agreement with Ticketmaster to ensure fair distribution of additional Hannah Montana concert tickets

Jefferson City, Mo. — Ticketmaster will make approximately 2,000 tickets to upcoming Hannah Montana concerts scheduled for St. Louis and Kansas City available to the public through a balanced and fair distribution system under an agreement with Attorney General Jay Nixon. In addition, the Attorney General filed lawsuits today against three ticket brokers located in Illinois and Kansas that he alleges violated state consumer protection laws and local scalping ordinances by selling concert tickets at prices far above face value.

Nixon’s office received approximately 30 complaints from consumers who attempted to purchase tickets to the concerts, which will be held on Oct. 18 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis and Dec. 3 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Consumers reported that when they attempted to purchase tickets for the shows either on line or over the phone at the designated time, they found that the shows were already sold out. Nixon says those consumers were able to find scores of available tickets, however, that were being sold by ticket brokers for inflated prices at as much as 20 times the face value.

Nixon began an immediate review of the complaints, issuing civil investigative demands and meeting with several parties involved in the ticket-selling process. His goal, he said, was to ensure that there would be some tickets available for purchase by fans and their parents at the prices set by the performer.

“We wanted to make sure that a lot of frustrated moms and dads, with their disappointed kids, had the opportunity to purchase tickets to these concerts at face value,” Nixon said. “This agreement allows us to do so, and we are pleased at the cooperation we received from Ticketmaster in reaching this accord.”

Under Nixon’s agreement with Ticketmaster, the company will make available approximately 2,000 tickets currently being held by the artist’s promotion company, with approximately 1,000 each for the shows in St. Louis and Kansas City, to the general public at face value. Tickets for the St. Louis concert will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, and tickets for the Kansas City concert will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Once the tickets are made available, consumers will be able to purchase a maximum of two tickets each through Ticketmaster’s Web site or over Ticketmaster’s telephone lines. Purchasers will then be required to appear at the venue box office on the date of the concert and present both picture identification and the actual credit card used for payment to purchase the tickets.

“By requiring purchasers to appear at the box office and provide credit card and photo ID verification, we also are minimizing the impact that would-be scalpers will have on these sales,” Nixon said. “If these ticket brokers are rendered unable to hijack the system, real fans get the tickets at the prices set by the artists.”

Nixon also announced today the filing of lawsuits against three ticket brokers: GoTickets Inc. and Tickets Now Entertainment Group Inc., both of Springfield, Illinois, and Ticket Solutions Inc. of Overland Park, Kansas. During the course Nixon’s inquiry, investigators from his office purchased Hannah Montana concert tickets on line from the brokers for the Dec. 3 Kansas City show.

Investigators paid $254, $257 and $305 for the tickets, which had a face value of either $26 or $56. The defendants’ websites continue to advertise and offer for sale tickets to the concerts at inflated prices ranging from $161 to $2,135.

Nixon alleges that the defendants’ scalping of tickets violates state consumer protection laws by the selling of tickets at prices far above face value in violation of a Kansas City municipal ordinance against scalping. One of the defendant’s Web sites does this while misrepresenting that it enforces the most stringent rules and highest ethics in the industry.

“These companies are able to employ inappropriate means, using sophisticated software, to hoard all the tickets to high-demand events and then turn around and sell them at grossly inflated prices,” Nixon said. “It’s a blatant rip-off of consumers who attempt to purchase tickets in good faith through the proper means and are met with nothing but frustration.”

Nixon’s lawsuits against the brokers, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, are requesting that the court orders the defendants to comply with the law, and pay restitution, appropriate penalties and court costs.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to the Communications Office.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818