It appears that ticket scalping is alive and well in Maine. Thanks to a big loophole in the state law against ticket scalping, some venues are offering “verified resale tickets” at exorbitant prices.
A case in point: The Press Herald’s MaineToday Magazine insert (Sept. 8, Page M5) lists Stevie Nicks as appearing on Sept. 22 at the Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor, with tickets ranging from $49.50 to $199.50. The website for Waterfront Concerts, the promoter of the concert, also lists $49.50 as an available starting ticket price. Sounds good!
The potential concert-goer is redirected to Ticketmaster, where they soon discover that standard tickets are not available, and the only available tickets are “verified resale tickets.” The prices range from $103, plus $17.50 in fees, to a whopping $1,600 plus $272 in fees. You read that right. How can they do that? The law states it’s unlawful to resell or scalp tickets at an inflated price, but that it is legal if the entertainment site or venue authorizes it.
I’d like to know who is buying all the tickets soon after listing the event and where all the money is going. I think the city of Bangor, which owns the amphitheater, and Maine Savings Bank, whose name is on it, might like to know too.
Karen M. Martel
Saco
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.