Just finished putting up some concert tickets for sale for two shows I'm no longer attending. While checking what they'd fetch in the aftermarket, I noticed some interesting things.
Both had a ton of "new" seats available. Where did they come from? I'm not talking drops from mgmt and whatnot or a small patch or two of rows. Like half of entire sections and more. Upper sections but still, those weren't available the day of.
One is The Black Crowes at the Forum in LA next week. The other's The Outlaw Festival with Willie Nelson and some other solid acts. During both ticket onsales, it was fairly slim pickings. There wasn't nearly as much availability. Now both shows have a ton of seats, with aftermarket prices predictably crashing.
These aren't resell tickets either, TM designates as such. In fact when I tried to sell mine through TM resale (lazy), it will not allow me to enter a lower price than what they are currently selling for that section. I can only go one penny higher, literally, than their base ticket cost in that area. That's another story I guess, bastards indeed.
What I would like to know, is how or why do they hold so many tickets back on the initial onsale? To create demand, sure, but with that many? People were going crazy for concerts when these onsales took place, with a bright light at the end of the tunnel (then) and so I guess I'm just surprised these acts weren't more popular. And/or that TM manipulates the market to that degree.
What gives?