Scalpers Making a Killing

Ticket scalpers are making a lot more than an easy buck extorting their Auckland Big Day Out tickets on the online auction site Trademe.

The first 42,000 tickets to New Zealand’s only international music festival sold out last Monday, which is the fastest sale in the festival's history.

"Our outlets have reported incredible demand for tickets this year right from the outset," said Campbell Smith from Big Day Out promoters CRS Music Management. "2007's line-up is as strong as we've ever had with a great blend of established acts and exciting new artists."

The last 2,000 tickets to Auckland's Big Day Out festival went on sale at 9am this morning and were snapped up in the first fifteen minutes by eager fans – and from the look of things – scalpers. The ticketek website experienced more traffic than it could handle and phone lines were also inundated with traffic in the last minute rush.

For diehard music fans who missed the original sales, and the final 2000 this morning, Trademe is now the only place to buy tickets, provided they don’t mind paying with their scalp.

A few hours ago one ticket sold for $400 - almost four times the original price - and a modest estimated of the going rate for tickets appears to be in excess of $250.

Paradoxically with Trademe prices so high the ticket forecast for fans in the final week before the concert is for improving conditions. More people are now likely to put their tickets up for sale in hope of making some quick cash, and the price will hopefully fall with more supply.

Luckily Scoop was able to get a pass earlier in the week and our reviewer is looking forward to the huge lineup this Friday! Come back Tuesday for a report and images from the festivities.

The full line-up for the 2007 Big Day Out in Auckland is Tool, The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Muse, Lily Allen, Violent Femmes, Jet, Scribe, Lupe Fiasco, Kasabian, The Crystal Method DJs, The Streets, Evermore, Dimmer, Blindspott, The Vines, Peaches and Herms, Deceptikonz, Shapeshifter, Goodnight Nurse, , DJ Sir-Vere, John Butler Trio, The Veils, Eskimo Joe, Spank Rock, The Tutts, The Mint Chicks, Diplo, Trivium, Hot Chip, Luciano, That 1 Guy, David Kilgour, PNC, Justice, The Presets, Minuit, Opensouls, Shaky Hands, Jakob, Sinate, The Rabble, Afra & the Incredible Beatbox Band, Little Birdy, John Cooper Clarke, Elemeno P, Die! Die! Die!, The Tuesdays, The Rock and Roll Machine, The Have, SJD, Chris Knox & the Nothing, 4 Corners, Voom, Kora, Suicide Dogs, North Shore Pony Club, Smashproof and Ethical, Nesian Mystik, Bulletproof, Ill Semantics, The Demi Whores, The Larry Normans, The Defendants, D-Form, Disruptiv Live Art

ENDS

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