May 14, 2009
A local ticket agency helps the public find Broadway ticket bargains.
I just made a Google search for buying tickets for The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia! and The 39 Steps in New York City just to check out what the competition is up to. I am not really surprised that several different web sites all display plenty of tickets, as these shows have been on Broadway quite some time and don't usually sell out anymore except for some peak performances. And the prices go into the hundreds of dollars range. Shocking is the only word I can use to describe what's happening to an industry where I have spent my entire career selling tickets and providing stellar service to theater-goers all over the world.
Not only are the prices absurdly high (now I know where the term "scalping" comes from). Wikipedia says scalping is the act of removing the scalp-sounds really bad to me. And I am glad my company has never engaged in this sort of behavior. The other problem I see is that these seat descriptions look too general with notes that say "comparable or better seating may be provided" or "seats are up to row O or better". Would anyone really want to spend over $300.00 per ticket and not know if they were sitting in row A or B or maybe even all the way back to row O. Why should a seat in row O be worth as much as a seat in the first few rows or so? It's utter nonsense in my opinion.
What these Broadway ticket web sites are really saying is they are hoping Broadway ticket shoppers are ignorant and click on a set of tickets making a purchase. I'm pretty sure they are making some sales. But I am very sure sure they are not going to get repeat business as no one likes to get "scalped", do they? When the tickets come in the mail after paying "highway robbery" prices and noticing the retail price they paid is several times the regular face value, I can assure you only one thing will come to mind. That they were "scalped".
My concern isn't so much that I worry about this kind of competition. In a way, it will help my company Applause. Still, as a consumer, I don't like fellow consumers getting ripped off. It just galls me to know that someone else calling themselves "legitimate" ticket brokers can have the nerve to ask the public for several hundred dollars for tickets to a show that simply aren't worth hundreds of dollars. It's possible that a rare rock concert might be worth several hundred dollars as a band or an artist might only have a tour once every several years. But to charge outrageous sums of money for "fictitious seat locations" without an exact row for a Broadway show that hardly ever sells out anymore? That's simply ripping people off.
So I'm really writing this blog post today to get something off my chest. Over the past several years there have been hundreds of companies popping up that claim to be licensed and legitimate ticket agents. They simply say they are but generally do not even have a New York State license to resell tickets and in most cases, do not even operate in New York City (the home of Broadway theaters). Or pay business taxes in New York City.
Consumers will continue to search Google and other search providers for Broadway Show tickets. We know that our company Applause Theater Service will continue to grow and provide a much needed personal service to Broadway theater-goers. We simply would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that there are many choices of companies to use when buying tickets for Broadway.
We'd simply like to ask you to consider using one of the locally, licensed (license # 71AP1001029) ticket experts right here in New York City for the last 21 years. We're called Applause because we like to think customers are happy using our brand of ticket service.
While you are shopping for The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, The 39 Steps or any of the other fabulous Broadway productions currently running this season, you may want to have a look at something that's getting lots of attention lately at Applause. Check out our BELOW FACE VALUE ticket offers. Theater-goers can obtain some of the best seats in the house for most of the Broadway Shows at lower prices than the regular printed price on the ticket.
How do we do it? It's simple really. Applause is familiar with the shows and the performances that DO NOT SELL out. If you happen to pick one of these off-peak performances, we get to buy them at a discount, add on a small service charge then sell them to you. And you end up paying LESS THAN the regular FACE VALUE. Could the competition offer you that? In addition, you get the experience of expert, friendly and knowledgeable service from a local ticket provider right here in New York City.
Could you ask for anything more really? We'd love to hear from you when you have questions about Broadway, dining out in New York or if you need tickets.
Sincerely,
Rich Gladstone
Applause Theater Service
311 West 43rd Street, suite 601
New York, New York 10036
local phone 212-307-7050
toll free 800-451-9930
web site
follow us at twitter.com/applausetickets
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