Market Manipulation by The Euro-Weenies? Non.

Good morning to you! I hope that you all had a great Memorial Day weekend and that everyone thanked a veteran for their service. I did not serve, but I hold those that do and that have in the highest regard. Their sacrifice of their time, and willingness to put themselves in harms way in places far away is the ultimate sacrifice one can make. To all of you that are currently serving, thanks!

On the Memorial Day holiday I took my two sons to Chuckie Cheese and they had a great time. When we were leaving I noticed a bumper sticker in the parking lot that I found disturbing. The bumper sticker read, "Don't Pray In My School, And I Won't Think In Your Church." So many things disturb me about this I don't know where to start. One of the things that really gets me is the word "my" to describe the school. Based on the socio-economics of people who drive a car like this one, and would waste their time putting this bumper sticker on the car I would have to conclude that their children attend a public school. The definition of public means that something is accessible or shared by the whole community. So I guess the next question begging to be asked is what community does this person live in? They may live in Alpharetta where the Chuckie Cheese was located, or they could live anywhere in the North Atlanta suburbs, or maybe even in Atlanta because the car had a Georgia tag. Let's assume that they live in Alpharetta. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the majority of the people living in Alpharetta would call themselves Christians of some sort which means that they believe in Christ, that he was the son of God, and that he died on a cross to forgive us all of our sins. I believe without a doubt to assume that the majority of people in Alpharetta are Christians is a very safe assumption. I also believe that most of the Christians in Alpharetta that have children in schools were exposed to praying in school just like I was, which was always before sporting events, and in some schools I attended we prayed every morning before school started. So now the question becomes whose community is it? What I am getting at here is that with most of the children in public schools in Alpharetta being Christians and coming from Christian homes isn't it more their community than the few that for some unknown reason find themselves offended by prayer? Our country was founded on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The only way this person can justify saying "my" school is if they are home schooling or sending their child to some sort of atheist academy. This is just another example of a small minority trying to vocally establish their rights through authoritarian means showing a lack of respect and regard for democracy and the majority. Then there is the, "I won't think in your church" part of the sticker. This line is to remind you that this person is an intellectual and that if you believe in God and attend church you must be a stupid simpleton. This strategy is one of the liberal establishment’s favorites, if you can not beat them on issues or argue with them and win then simply call them stupid and remind them of your intellectual prowess. I have found through a lot of first hand experience that the people who pursue this strategy are usually the dumbest of the lot. I have liberal friends that I can have friendly discourse and exciting debate with and then there are the ones that I crush unmercifully and in the end all the can do is say, "yeah, but your a racist, homophobic, dumb-ass, and your from the south so you must be real dumb, and because your only 37 you just don't know any better." Why is it my liberal friends that can hold their own with me never resort to name calling? Why is it my liberal friends that can hold their own also would never have a bumper sticker on their car insinuating that people of faith are dumb? To the person with the sticker on their car, I look forward to seeing you in church and I hope that you do think while you are there because maybe just then you will get it. You are probably young, there is still time for you to change. I did.

We raised prices for the US Open Golf tournament on Friday for the first time in weeks. There was definitely some buying going on last week by the brokers. Maybe they were just covering orders for early delivery and they needed to get them out before the long holiday weekend? All I know is that market definitely tightened up last week, where it goes from I here I do not know. My guess is that the tightening was only temporary and we will see prices begin to ease again this week.

I have been emailing with some of my correspondents from overseas and the picture they paint for our business over there is bleak. There were some big football matches last week and all of the tickets were "named" meaning they had your name on them. The ticket takers at the gate were randomly checking people's id's to make sure the ID matched the name on the ticket. The Ryder Cup, the World Cup, and the Winter Olympics in Torino are all planning on doing random checks at the gates to make sure passport ID's match with the ID's associated with the tickets. What is going on over in Europe? The United Kingdom is really the only country in Europe that has ever embraced free markets and capitalism and even in the UK the socialists make up a much larger portion of their society than here in the USA. I think the problem is that the Europeans simply just do not get it. I can't even figure out what they are thinking here? I have been told that it is for security reasons, but it when you read the European press it seems as though they are out to end the ticket touts business for good. Can they end the touts for good? I think not, but can they further restrict the marketplace and drive prices even higher for those who could not get a ticket but still want to go? Definitely! Maybe there is something more diabolical at work here? Maybe, the corporations and VIP's who get most of the tickets have colluded with FIFA, UEFA, the Olympics and others to place these restrictions so that when it comes time for them to sell their inventory to the touts they can get more? This could be a form a market manipulation like we have never seen. Could the Euro-weenies be that smart or that greedy? I don't think they have it in them.

Until Tomorrow - Adios!

The Poor Bastards Of The Other Side

Top of the morning to you regular folks, and to all you poor bastards that live or work on the "other side." For those of you who do not live in the Atlanta Metropolitan area, the "other side," is what us folks on the West Side of GA-400 call the East Side of GA-400. Our side is much less developed, more farmy, less traffic, and just a generally better way of life. The poor souls on the "other side," are all stuck in some awful traffic jam right now lisenting to talk radio while I bang away on the keyboard enjoying my coffee and bagel from the Corner Deli. Lin James in our office is an "other sider," and while Sarah Pharr resides on this side she seems to be very sympathetic to the plight of the "other siders," sort of like she is sympathetic to the plight of animals like foxes, horses, and dogs once used in fox hunts in her native England. I sometimes wonder if the people on the "other side" feel like caged animals over there in there super sized subdivisions with their thousands of people just trying to get out each morning to Starbucks and their office. Poor Pathetic Bastards.

The US Open Golf tournament continues to weaken although we have seen buying pick up in the last twenty four hours. Maybe we have seen the bottom and things are about to turn? In my opinion the answer to that question would be a negative. There are just too many damn tickets out there and it appears all the brokers are loaded up and looking to sell. Early interest in this years Open was higher than in years past and we sold a lot of it before and during the Masters. My business partner was convinced this event was going to blow sky high like all the other national events this year, but to give credit where credit is due it was Sarah Pharr in our office who made the call about four weeks ago that this thing was going to be a bomb. Sarah handles most of the incoming calls into the office and she said that the call volume of US Open Sellers was just too high for prices not to plummet.

We have seen early interest already in Masters 2006 and in our opinion this should be another good Masters. We have had a lot of our 2005 customers already buy in for the 2006 event. Please check our pricing at http://www.alphatickets.com/golf/masters-golf-tickets.htm.

The 2009 Super Bowl was awarded this week to Tampa. It really is too bad for us because Atlanta was in the running and it would be nice to not have to travel to the Super Bowl for a change. As far as the 2006 Super Bowl goes, our position is that it is a crap shoot. Yes it's in Detroit, and yes many people will not want to travel to Detroit because of the weather and just because it's Detroit. On the other hand, there are far fewer seats in Ford Field than in the last several venues, and if Philadelphia is in the Super Bowl again, fugetaboutit(donnie brasco). If Philadelphia or the New York Jets get in the game prices will go through the roof, or as our good friend L.A. the venerable ticket hustler would say, "this muthafucka fittin' to be blown up." Conversely, our view is if our Atlanta Falcons obtain entry into the elegant edifice of Ford Field it will be a huge bomb and prices will dive. Who knows, just be careful out there. Check our current pricing for the Super Bowl at http://www.alphatickets.com/football-tickets/NFL/super_bowl_tickets_2006.htm.

Anyone who would like to have our blog emailed to them directly each day upon publication can now do so. All you need to do is email me at blog@alphatickets.com , and we will set you up to receive the blog by email on a daily basis.

Until Next Time - Adios!

I'm Not Too Pissed, Today.

I am not nearly as full of piss and vinegar as I was yesterday morning. Maybe it was the Wild Turkey 101 Manhattan I poured myself last night at 9:30. They tend to be mellowing. I generally allow myself two, but last night I limited myself to one.

The weather is nice here in the North Atlanta suburbs. It's not quite summer, and with our late onset of spring it's more like the middle of spring. We are experiencing nice cool mornings, good warmth during the days, and nice breezy evenings. As you fellow anglers know, this means that the bass bite is on. Business is sort of slow because of the lack of interest in the U.S. Open and we are just beyond the end of the major national event season so I have been hitting the old bass pond a lot lately. The bass pond is full of fish and at times they are hitting just about anything you will throw out there. My good and helpful friend, Joel Pharr, was kind enough to give me a Heddon Zara Spook topwater lure and if you get out there right around sundown you can just tear them up with it. James Heddon was a Michigan Beekeeper and the creator of the first artificial fishing lure. Why is it that all things great in fresh water fishing have some connection to Michigan? Go on out to your local Bass Pro or hit the web site http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.OnlineShopping and pick yourself up one of these great lures.

Now that we are approaching the warmer days of summer it may be just about time to start thinking, talking, and pricing the fall football schedule. Here at Alpha Tickets we start to get buyers for the fall slate of college and pro football usually sometime in June. The Atlanta Falcons have what looks like a great home schedule with a home opener on a Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, another Monday night game against the New York Jets, and a home game against the Patriots. The Falcons tickets were hot last year and should be even hotter this season. We have already priced pre-sales for the three games mentioned above and you can find live inventory on our web site at http://www.alphatickets.com/. I still think that Michael Vick and the Falcons could find themselves basking in the warmth and sunlight of Detroit come February. I really have not spent enough time trying to figure out who is going to be the team to beat here in the old Southeastern conference. I hope that it is my Alma Mata, Auburn University, but after sending as many to the pros as we did in this years draft I feel we may be slightly challenged in some areas but only time will tell. My good friend and college football expert John Poggendorf, of Prescott, Arizona, thinks that the Volunteers of Tennessee will be the team to beat and he fully expects his beloved Trojans of Southern California to face off against the Vols in the Rose Bowl for all the marbles next January. As far as the tickets go you can almost never go wrong stocking Tennessee tickets, Auburn as a good home schedule with their arch nemesis the University of Alabama visiting in November and Georgia Tech as their home opener, and the excitement level for Georgia should be high but maybe not as high as last year when they were convinced they would wear the national championship crown at the end of the season.

The NASCAR summer schedule appears to be a bit weak in our opinion. The races in Charlotte last weekend and this weekend have not been a great ticket. We are seeing softer sales with Michigan, the Poconos, and Loudon. The Bristol night race is about the same as it ever is, and the Brickyard actually is selling a little better than normal. If you need Sharpie 500 tickets or any of the other races on the NASCAR schedule please visit our web site at http://www.alphatickets.com/.

I am off to the bank to pick up cashiers checks for Bonnaroo VIP tickets. The annual hippie fest in Manchester, Tennessee is fast approaching. The band list this year is stronger than ever, if I did not have to spend three days in a tent in the middle of a field in hot ass Tennessee with a bunch of stinky, liberal, hippies I would go. The General Admission tickets are not sold out yet, and may not sell out. However, there does seem to be a market for the VIP tickets which always sell out. I have been paying $625 each for the tickets which is a bit more than in years past but we have been able to turn them for $745-$795 per ticket.

Until Tomorrow - Adios.

The Future of The Event Ticket Secondary Market - Freedom or Tyranny?

While I sit at my desk buying and selling tickets to major sporting events the world over I often muse about the future of our business. President Bush in his inaugural address earlier this year pointed out that the last four decades have been defined, "by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen." In Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and Afghanistan Freedom is on the march and as Condoleeza Rice pointed out yesterday it is only a matter of time before it is on the march in Iran also. In the more civilized west, freedom moves on as the Socialist Democrat party in Germany was just handed a crushing defeat last weekend in their most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia, the people of France may be about to hand Jacques Chirac a humiliating defeat by rejecting the European Union's constitution by popular vote, and President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, and Prime Minister Howard were all re-elected.

How does this relate to tickets and why is this confusing me and making me sit and wonder inconclusively?

In the United States of America, from a free market and legal viewpoint, it seems that freedom is also on the march in the ticket business. The Empire State of New York long one of the most brutal on ticket brokers is reviewing their position and considering regulating the business. The city of Seattle has come around and decided to create a bullpen for ticket sellers where they can buy and sell tickets legally keeping the sellers from having to do it in the shadows and protecting the buyers because they will know where to find their seller for recourse if the tickets are bad. The city of Pittsburgh has also decided to create a bullpen for ticket sellers at Pirates and Steelers games. Many more progressive states started licensing brokers’ years ago giving the states the ability to regulate, take in sales tax revenue and allowing for more consumer protection.

The trend here clearly seems to be towards more freedom, more consumer protection, and more sales tax revenues for the states, and lower prices. Lower prices? Yes, that is what I said. Does it not make sense that the more people are encouraged to take up the activity of ticket brokering, the more ticket brokers there will be, and with more ticket brokers there will be more competition and therefore lower prices? Last year the PGA decided to test my theory and forced eBay to not allow ticket brokers to sell Ryder Cup tickets on their web site. The PGA was successful in forcing eBay to not allow sales of Ryder Cup tickets for a period of several months while the tickets had not yet been printed because as they pointed out to eBay anyone selling them at that time was in violation of the eBay fraud policy, stating that tickets must be delivered within thirty days of the auction end. eBay had become the market for event tickets and there was a pretty brisk market for the Ryder Cup tickets until this happened and at that moment the market for Ryder Cup tickets on eBay evaporated. The result of this was a lack of supply, and brokers from coast to coast reacted by raising prices by 30-40% across the board. Prices for Ryder Cup tickets remained stable at much higher prices for months, and then when the tickets were finally printed and eBay no longer had to succumb to the tyranny of the PGA the market for Ryder Cup tickets on eBay was back and the result was that prices started a slow and steady decline all the way to the week of the event when a lot of the tickets were going for face value and below.

Bruce Springsteen has shown his own form of Tyranny lately by severely restricting the purchase of up close seats at his recent tour. If you buy any of the seats up front you can only pick the tickets up at will call, you have to show photo ID and the credit card you used to make the purchase, then they give you a wristband to wear and walk you to your seats. Sarah Pharr from our office is the biggest Bruce Springsteen fan on the planet so she purchased a seat on the third row for the show in Fairfax, VA. She reported to me that Bruce went as far as to have a list of rules handed to all of the people as they entered the show. When Bruce put out his CD, "The Rising," I was touched by all of the stories about his inspiration for the music and all of the connections to the 9/11 tragedy. I bought the cd, I loved the cd, I went to see him on his tour and thought it was great and I had a lot of respect for the guy. I started worrying about Bruce when he got involved with the Vote for Change tour last year as he was becoming increasingly more vocal against the President and was showing his support for John Kerry. This was my first clue that Bruce had become just another entertainer who had made all of his money and really did not want me to make any money and therefore had decided to join the forces against freedom. Now that he has decided he is so powerful that he can restrict who sees his concerts, when you go to the bathroom, how much you have to drink at his show, and what sort of responses to his songs are appropriate I have lost all respect for him and his form of tyranny.

The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), http://www.fifa.com/, has decided to crack down on hooliganism at the World Cup in 2006 and also to permanently end the black market for tickets to their event. Now the fact that Europeans are against a free market ideal like ticket scalping is not all that surprising but it is how they are going to do it which I find sinister. The World Cup is putting an RFID Chip from Philips in each of their tickets at a cost of ten eurocents per ticket. These RFID chips will have the passport number of the person who purchased the tickets embedded in them and they will randomly be checking passports at the gates to match them against your ticket. If your passport does not match the one embedded in the ticket you will be refused entrance. The FIFA says that they will allow you to transfer the ownership or change the passport number associated with the ticket but only through their office. In reality I think this is crazy and there is no way they will be checking passports at the gates, nor do I think the FIFA is going to like having to deal with piles of transfer requests, but if you are going to short sell these tickets these are risks you need to consider. The PGA Europe sent out Ryder Cup 2006 applications this week and they ask for a passport number on the application. Could it be the PGA will try this also? I hear that the Winter Olympics in 2006, also in Europe, will possibly use the RFID technology as well. Europeans have never really appreciated freedom because they have never really had it in an American sense of the word, so I guess it is not all that surprising that they would reject the freedom of being able to buy and sell tickets at prices above or below face value.

It seems to me that while Freedom is on the march all across the globe, and the fighters for freedom are winning most of the battles, there are still a small elite few who are fighting harder than ever to crush freedom wherever it may be. President Bush noted in his inaugural that, "it's an odd time," to be betting against freedoms advance. Let's hope that he is right and that those who are against us will fail miserably in their quest to defeat us.

Until tomorrow - Adios!