| December 7th, 2005 09:14 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
No satisfaction for fans without the right plastic
By Martin Hickman Consumer Affairs Correspondent
08 December 2005
Independent
When the Rolling Stones step on stage at the newly built Wembley Stadium next summer, the crowd is likely to go wild. Particularly the American Express card-holders.
In a spot of corporate queue jumping, the credit card company has done a deal with the world's most famous rock'n'rollers for exclusive access to advance ticket sales of the Bigger Bang tour. On the British leg, the Stones play Wembley on 20 August, Hampden Park in Glasgow on 25 August, Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield on 27 August and the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 29 August.
Yet while ordinary fans of the Stones (combined age 245) were excluded from the ticket hotline for the dates for four days, Amex card-holders were ordering up to 12 tickets each. Members of the official Rolling Stones' fan club were entitled to four tickets. The Amex deal has meant that time is not on the side of the public wanting to see the band. When the Wembley Stadium date eventually went on sale at the end of last week, it sold out within one hour. Another date, 22 August, was added and has been subject to the same four-day exclusive period for American Express holders. The general public can start buying tickets for that gig tomorrow.
Critics say that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts have returned to form with their latest tour, which has rekindled their reputation for raucous live entertainment. The Amex deal is one of many lucrative endorsements for the band, further bolstering their combined fortune of £480m.
The US leg of the tour this winter has been sponsored by Ameriquest, a mortgage company, while the Mercedes R-class is the "official car". Past tour sponsors have included Tommy Hilfiger and Budweiser.
American Express is keeping quiet about how much it paid for the sponsorship, citing commercial confidentiality.
A company statement explained: "American Express has a long history of providing special access and meaningful experiences to card members. As part of this ongoing commitment, American Express has partnered with the Rolling Stones to secure a special opportunity for card members to purchase their tickets prior to the general public."
The Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, a life-long rock fan, derided the Stones - who cancelled a British tour seven years ago for tax reasons - as "clapped-out capitalists".
"It's a very long way from: 'I can't get no satisfaction' to where we are now, " he said. "They have completely sold out. If they want to come across and make some money then fine, but you do get the impression it is business first and music second."
A spokesman for the Rolling Stones defended the ticketing arrangements. "American Express is the sponsor and that happens on world tours. The Stones were the first band to do sponsorship and now everybody does it. If you don't have the money from the sponsors you wouldn't be able to build such a fantastic stage which costs about $2m (£1.2m)," he said.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| December 7th, 2005 10:44 PM |
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| voodoopug |
another brilliant maneuver from Young Jake Cohl and associates!!!!! |
| December 7th, 2005 11:05 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
another brilliant maneuver from Young Jake Cohl and associates!!!!!
 |
| December 7th, 2005 11:06 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
young jake has assured the entire great country of Canada that they shall not be humiliated with his brilliant and tactical actions! |
| December 8th, 2005 08:35 AM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
In a spot of corporate queue jumping, the credit card company has done a deal with the world's most famous rock'n'rollers for exclusive access to advance ticket sales of the Bigger Bang tour.
As Mick so eloquently put it on "Rain Fell Down" -
"THE BANKERS ARE WANKERS" |
| December 8th, 2005 08:53 AM |
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| mac_daddy |
i disagree...
if you have an amex, esp a gold amex, you were in to as many presales as you wanted, without the $100 cover charge (for the platinum membership). i thought the system worked great...
the europeans have nothing to complain about, because they all had fair warning, and should have procured an amex gold before the tix went on sale...
the amex bit was sprung on the US fans, but it is still the way to go...
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| December 8th, 2005 09:57 AM |
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| Gazza |
No problem with them striking a business deal with Amex, but I dont recall getting advance notice of it (certainly not enough to make it possible to obtain a card in time)
What I do have a problem with is the fact that Amex cardholders get free access to as many presales as they wish - and can buy 12 tickets for as many shows as they want with their card - yet fan club members could only buy FOUR for ONE show - and were charged $100 for the privilege of soing so (and couldnt even window-shop for tickets either, unlike the US leg)
Allowing AMEX cardholders to buy so many tickets in advance of a public sale guarantees that most of the best tickets will go to scalpers. They must have thought Christmas had come early.
Another fan-friendly masterstroke from Cohl, the Stones and company!
[Edited by Gazza] |
| December 8th, 2005 10:12 AM |
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| voodoopug |
typically the pull of tickets for the AMEX sale is not as good as those with the fan club code......we must all take a moment to reflect what young Jake Cohl has done for us.
1. Fan friendly website
2. Innovative Virtual Ticket taking fans right into the backstage area!
3. FREE MEMBERSHIP to those who buy a ticket to just one show.
4. Access to great merchandise specific to certain venues via the www
5. A monitored, and classy chat board
6. Innovative screensavers and AOL Icons!
7. a fan club DVD that was well worth the wait!!!!
Thank you Young Jake!!!!! you have made Ontario and most of Alberta very proud! |
| December 8th, 2005 11:58 AM |
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| egon |
and I think he also single-handedly created the
ABB special edition dvd.
hail to the Cohl |
| December 8th, 2005 01:24 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
egon wrote:
and I think he also single-handedly created the
ABB special edition dvd.
hail to the Cohl
the special edition dvd is a fantastic upgrade. What a great video for Rough Justice...nice to see Daryl in a stones video.
Sadly, young Jake does not get the recognition he deserves! |
| December 8th, 2005 03:55 PM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
Sadly, young Jake does not get the recognition he deserves!
so we should punch HIS head off as well as Michael's, given the chance? |
| December 8th, 2005 04:09 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
so we should punch HIS head off as well as Michael's, given the chance?
I beleive that Michael Cohl is responsible for most of the negativity...Young Jake has been the voice of reason and the gleam of hope.
You may put Michael Cohl in the "tap out" hold of your choice to motiviate him to stop encouraging U2 to overtake us! |
| December 8th, 2005 04:41 PM |
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| glencar |
I have a platinum AMEX card through Costco. I pay nothing for the card but sometimes I got in on presales & sometimes I didn't. It was all very haphazard. |
| December 8th, 2005 05:15 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
glencar wrote:
I have a platinum AMEX card through Costco. I pay nothing for the card but sometimes I got in on presales & sometimes I didn't. It was all very haphazard.
Sadly, young jake is still working out the kinks |
| December 9th, 2005 12:59 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Ah, its all the same...
...."fan", "taxpayer", "consumer", "citzen", all meant to be sucked dry in their turn.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| December 9th, 2005 01:21 PM |
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| Jumping Jack |
In theory, COSTCO cards do not qualify according to AmEx. |
| December 9th, 2005 02:32 PM |
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| glencar |
Got away with another one, then! |
| December 9th, 2005 02:58 PM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
Sadly, young jake is still working out the kinks
So, not content with screwing Stones fans out of their cash, he's going after another 60's band as well?
[Edited by Gazza] |
| December 9th, 2005 03:06 PM |
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| glencar |
Yes, he's putting together a bookstore tour for the Kinks. It's a start. |
| December 9th, 2005 03:36 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
So, not content with screwing Stones fans out of their cash, he's going after another 60's band as well?
[Edited by Gazza]
IF adding the Kinks to the bill on a stones tour would guarantee a higher bottom line versus U2's current tour, then Young Jake would do this. The only possible scenerio i can see that would get in the way of this would be a father son power struggle within the company between Michael and Jake (see Vince McMahon - Shane McMahon circa 1997) |
| December 10th, 2005 09:44 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
Plastic? There's nothing like cash
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| December 10th, 2005 09:51 AM |
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| Flairville |
when I saw the presales for AMEX in America I thought it would be a good idea to get one, I was refused. I've never been refused a credit card in my life, only denied the one I really needed. |
| December 10th, 2005 10:15 AM |
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| mac_daddy |
quote:
Flairville wrote:
when I saw the presales for AMEX in America I thought it would be a good idea to get one, I was refused. I've never been refused a credit card in my life, only denied the one I really needed.
sorry to hear that flairville...
but gazza - this was the advanced warning i was referring to. none of us knew about this when the us tix went on sale, but it could be a safe assumption that the amex would be on board for the whole tour, at least enough to warrant applying for a gold card just in case... |
| December 10th, 2005 10:16 AM |
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| glencar |
My most embarassing financial moment was when I was denied a Discover card. I held a grudge for a few years! |
