LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Rogers & Cowan) - With the economy in free fall, public outrage is reaching at an all-time high over the fact that as soon tickets to many popular music concerts go on sale, they are almost instantaneously "sold out" and then immediately appear on secondary ticket websites for hundreds of dollars more than the face value - making it impossible for the average American family to afford them in this recession as detailed in this Front Page New York Times story
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/arts/music/01tickets.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ticketmaster%20groceries%20jonas%20brothers&st=cse
Tickets-for-Charity.com is making national headlines in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL & on THE TODAY SHOW - by creating a ground-breaking solution to one of the hottest controversies in the Music & Sports Industries where much of the $8-10 BILLION secondary ticket market is going to thousands of unauthorized brokers and scalpers http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124380795391770255.html
Lawmakers are trying to take action, but the situation has escalated out of control:
* NJ Attorney General filed charges on May 27 against 3 ticket resellers accusing them of illegally selling and advertising tickets to Bruce Springsteen performances at Giant Stadium for seats that did not exist and without having the tickets - before they went on sale to the public.
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/05/28/2009-05-28_agencies_touting_boss_concert_seats_on_sale_suit.html
* NY Senator Charles Schumer is fighting for a new Federal Scalping Law mandating a 48-hour waiting period before tickets can go on-sale on secondary ticket sites
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/sen-schumer-proposes-new-federal-scalping-1003959160.story
While they await the outcome of these legal battles, what can the public do NOW?
Nation's 1st Pro-Social Solution to the Public Outrage Over Inflated Ticket Prices Charged by Thousands of Unauthorized Brokers & Scalpers Launches
Just in time for the Summer Concert Season
TicketsforCharity.com Announces the Launch of Ground-Breaking Website Offering the Public Great Seats for In-Demand Summer Concert Tours & Simple, Easy Way to Help Millions in Need by Raising Funds for Leading Charities Facing Low Donations Due to Recession Instead of Paying Brokers & Scalpers, Money Goes to Underprivileged Children & Those in Need -
Faced with a choice between making brokers and scalpers rich or helping millions of underprivileged and sick children and those in need, TicketsforCharity.com represents the ultimate Win-Win Solution for the public, for leading charities and for millions in need. Music fans "win" by getting great seats to see their favorite artists perform live and charities "win" by receiving donations that go to help the 37 million Americans living in poverty as well as many of the 3 Billion people around the world living on less than $2/day.
Tickets-for-Charity is working to redirect millions of the $8-10 Billion secondary ticket market from the pockets of unauthorized ticket brokers and scalpers to more than 30 of the World's Leading Charities
The website raised $3 Million for Charity in its Test Phase - Proof Positive that it is a Solution that Works
Now, millions of music fans will be able to put their ticket purchases to good use: by "giving back" to support the causes they care about ith each ticket purchase and securing great seats to highly sought-after concerts by some of the biggest names in music featured on TicketsforCharity.com including:
Elton John & Billy Joel, James Taylor, Brad Paisley, Coldplay, Carlos Santana, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Creed, Diana Krall, the Allman Brothers Band, REO Speedwagon, & Styx
TicketsforCharity.com was founded by Jord Poster, a member of the Founders' team of Priceline.com who conceived of the company's successful branding strategy featuring William Shatner.
This visionary CEO who revolutionized the airline ticketing industry, is now changing the music ticketing industry - and at the same time changing the way that Americans support causes they care about by introducing an entirely new way of giving.
Jord Poster is available for interview on how he developed this ground-breaking new answer to one of the hottest controversies in music, providing a powerful solution for millions of fans and for charities doing life-saving work.
Tickets-for-Charity(r) Announces National Launch of Groundbreaking New Platform for Music Fans to Access Great Seats While Supporting Leading Charities
Platform Has Already Raised $3 Million for Charity and Kicks off National Launch with Star-Studded Summer Tours: James Taylor, Billy Joel & Elton John, Brad Paisley, Coldplay, Carlos Santana, Dane Cook, Diana Krall, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland & More
Nation's First Socially-Positive Alternative to Thousands of Unauthorized Ticket Brokers & Scalpers: Get Great Seats to High-Demand Events by Supporting the Causes You Care About
Tickets-for-Charity(r) kicks off its national launch with some of the biggest names in entertainment and high-demand seats to an exciting summer tour line-up of fan favorites, including: Elton John & Billy Joel, James Taylor, Brad Paisley, Coldplay, Carlos Santana, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Creed, Diana Krall, the Allman Brothers Band, Dane Cook, REO Speedwagon, Styx and Boston Symphony Orchestra. To date, Tickets-for-Charity has generated more than $3 million in donations for over 30 leading non-profit organizations.
With the national launch of its innovative fundraising platform at www.ticketsforcharity.com, Tickets-for-Charity works with artists to offer music fans a convenient way to purchase seats to high-demand events while supporting some of the world's most respected charities. Founded to help increase critically-needed funding to leading charities, Tickets-for-Charity offers music fans the first socially-positive alternative to unauthorized ticket resellers in the multi-billion dollar U.S. ticket industry. Tickets-for-Charity provides fans with an easy way to access seats at often the same or better price they pay elsewhere, while supporting important causes from children's cancer to hunger relief. As charities face dramatically declining donations in today's economy, Tickets-for-Charity harnesses the unique power of effortless giving and joins an emerging group of social enterprises engaging the private sector to help solve some of today's most pressing social issues.
James Taylor, legendary singer-songwriter who is a five-time Grammy Award winner with over 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum records, is at the forefront of artists stepping forward to partner with and support Tickets-for-Charity. "I am deeply impressed by the enterprise. Tickets-for-Charity gives fans the opportunity to support charity in a unique way by letting them combine their passion for music with a desire to help causes that we all care about," said James Taylor. Taylor also urged fellow music artists and management to seize the opportunity to "join forces with this visionary organization with minimal effort to make a real difference."
Tickets-for-Charity raised more than $300,000 during James Taylor's recent tours for worthy organizations like Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). By purchasing tickets at www.ticketsforcharity.com, James Taylor fans accessed prime seats to often sold-out shows while supporting NRDC and other admired non-profit organizations.
"We are honored to work with amazing artists like James Taylor who have such a strong commitment to their fans, the music industry and philanthropy," said Jord Poster, CEO of Tickets-for-Charity. "The beauty of our platform is that it raises millions of dollars for charity without asking anyone to 'give' to charity. At Tickets-for-Charity, donations are captured from the ticket premiums that consumers are currently paying ticket brokers and scalpers, but given the option would much rather direct to charity," Poster added.
Tickets-for-Charity makes prime seats available at original face value plus a separate donation that directly benefits participating partner charities selected by artists and fans. It costs nothing for artists or charities to participate; Tickets-for-Charity administers the donations on behalf of beneficiary charities and remits the face value for each seat sold back to the participating tour.
Enabling people to feel good about their entertainment purchases, Tickets-for-Charity connects fans and artists through the music they love - and the vital organizations they support - to improve the lives of millions in communities across America and around the world.
Tickets-for-Charity
Prior to its national launch, Tickets-for-Charity raised more than $3 million for leading charities through Charitable Sale programs with high-profile artists and events including The Rolling Stones, The Police, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Lionel Richie, Farm Aid, John Mayer, Usher, and Live Earth. With its national launch, the company expects to quickly generate tens of millions of dollars more to support the important work of its partner charities, including some of the world's most highly respected non-profit organizations: The Actors Fund, Artists Against Hunger & Poverty: A Program of WHY, Autism Speaks, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, CARE, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, City Year, Communities In Schools, CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, Farm Aid, Feeding America, The GRAMMY(r) Foundation, Habitat for Humanity International, The Humane Society of the United States, Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, Jumpstart for Young Children, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, The Leary Firefighters Foundation, Malaria No More, MusiCares(r) Foundation, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, The National Children's Cancer Society, National Federation of the Blind, Natural Resources Defense Council, Outward Bound, Oxfam America, The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Peace Games, Rainforest Foundation, Team 25, United Way of America, Urban Farming, Wildlife Conservation Society and YouthBuild. For more information, please visit www.ticketsforcharity.com
