I just bought concert tickets online.  Through Ticketmaster.  And went through what I go through every single time I do a transaction with that company.  The seething inner turmoil over being gouged by a company that is nothing more than a middle-man for a product they have very little to do with producing.  I’m clearly not the only one that feels this way – just for kicks, I just Googled “ticketmaster hate,” and came up with over 370,000 pages to choose from, including this one.  But as I sit here grumbling about it, I have to admit that somehow, some way, I’m still a chooser, and I chose to give this company my money.  And that indicates what may be some hidden value.

I can call this company evil all I want, but in reality, they place my own consumerism front and center.  The truth is, I wanted something enough to not only pay a high price for it, but add $13.50 per ticket to that price for a “convenience fee.”  Convenience?  On the surface, that sounds like adding insult to injury, but I wanted the product AND I wanted it my way, so, yes, convenience was involved. There have been company boycotts – by bands and fans alike.  I can absolutely say that I’ve decided not to attend certain sporting events or concerts because the only way to get tickets was through this company, and I just wasn’t willing to do it. But then, every once in a while, I want to attend something so badly that I gnash my teeth and do it anyway.

I may hate this company a lot.  But every time I give them money, I am complicit in perpetuating their success. I become a willing partner in the consumer machine.  I’m not being overly dramatic or self-loathing in saying that – I’m just willing to own my part of the equation. They make their money because I am a want-er. Plain and simple.

*Image credit here.