Ticketmaster is a logo that represents decades of deal making with venues to achieve the status quo.
The only way to defeat it is a RICO case brought by the Federal government, as venues, artists (not all, but many), are collaborating behind closed doors to enable it.
I gave up on big acts long ago because of TM and stick to local bars and local bands. Relativity and all that; I’m in a major metro with many cover bands that nail the vibe of the original and novel acts; not lacking options here. YMMV
I too feel that cover bands nail the vibe of the original. I live in a metro, but I've had a hard time figuring out when and where cover bands play. Some bands don't even have a website.
How do you find out when a cover band of your favorite artist is playing in your city?
ask around in the relevant communities (underground clubs, other relevant venues, zines, pubs)
usually you end up with a few Facebook links
not ideal, but eventually you will know which cover bands are even worth looking out for, and where they would play, so you can monitor sites of the venues
The only way to defeat it is a RICO case brought by the Federal government, as venues, artists (not all, but many), are collaborating behind closed doors to enable it.
I gave up on big acts long ago because of TM and stick to local bars and local bands. Relativity and all that; I’m in a major metro with many cover bands that nail the vibe of the original and novel acts; not lacking options here. YMMV