Entertainment
TAKE THIS SERVICE CHARGE AND SHOVE IT
Wed, Dec 24, 2003 11:11 am
Story by Cree McCree
In 2003, the String Cheese Incident took two daring leaps of faith. On the studio front, the rootsy Colorado jam band recruited the world’s most unlikely producer for their sixth CD, edgy British remix master Youth. In the live-show arena, the band’s ticketing company, SCI Ticketing, made an even bolder move: In August, it filed suit against Ticketmaster, charging the concert-ticketing behemoth with monopolistic practices that keep bands from selling tickets directly to their fans. In a countersuit, Ticketmaster accused SCI Ticketing of interfering with its concert ticket sales.
Even if the corporate Goliath prevails––hardly a foregone conclusion––the band has already made music business history. While a decade earlier Pearl Jam tried and failed to sic the Department of Justice on Ticketmaster, SCI bypassed the DOJ altogether by filing suit in US district court.
"It’s obvious that the government is protecting these big corporations, which really triggered us to fight," says SCI guitarist Bill Nershi. Adds bassist Keith Moseley, "It’s almost our moral obligation to see this thing through." Whatever the outcome of the landmark case, it will affect the way bands do business, and the way fans buy tickets, in the future.
"What really terrifies them is that a bunch of schmucks like us in Boulder figured out how to do what they do cheaper and more efficiently," says SCI manager Mike Luba. "This is America. We have a right to compete."
COMPLETE STORY IN FEBRUARY 2004 HIGH TIMES
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In 2003, the String Cheese Incident took two daring leaps of faith. On the studio front, the rootsy Colorado jam band recruited the world’s most unlikely producer for their sixth CD, edgy British remix master Youth. In the live-show arena, the band’s ticketing company, SCI Ticketing, made an even bolder move: In August, it filed suit against Ticketmaster, charging the concert-ticketing behemoth with monopolistic practices that keep bands from selling tickets directly to their fans. In a countersuit, Ticketmaster accused SCI Ticketing of interfering with its concert ticket sales.
Even if the corporate Goliath prevails––hardly a foregone conclusion––the band has already made music business history. While a decade earlier Pearl Jam tried and failed to sic the Department of Justice on Ticketmaster, SCI bypassed the DOJ altogether by filing suit in US district court.
"It’s obvious that the government is protecting these big corporations, which really triggered us to fight," says SCI guitarist Bill Nershi. Adds bassist Keith Moseley, "It’s almost our moral obligation to see this thing through." Whatever the outcome of the landmark case, it will affect the way bands do business, and the way fans buy tickets, in the future.
"What really terrifies them is that a bunch of schmucks like us in Boulder figured out how to do what they do cheaper and more efficiently," says SCI manager Mike Luba. "This is America. We have a right to compete."
COMPLETE STORY IN FEBRUARY 2004 HIGH TIMES
Subscribe Now!
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