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Ominous prediction:
TicketMaster will crack down on craigslist.org for facilitating ticket scalping.

eBay has gotten into trouble for it, but so far it’s still thriving on the C-list. Personally I don’t see it as that big a problem, because if someone is willing to pay $500 to see the Arcade Fire, you should be able to get fat off their lack of priorities. Anti-scalping laws have always been for the protection of people without self-control and preventing people from getting rich off the venue’s inability to maximize their revenue. I just find it weird that there’s been no legal recourse despite the fact certain blogs are almost dedicated to writing about absurd craigslist scalping posts.

Novel suggestion:
What if ticket prices declined over time, so that die hard fans, who have to see a show pay more when the tickets first come out, and less fanatical pay a more reasonable sum a few days later?

Unrelated anecdote:
I was waiting outside MSG for my friend before a Roger Waters concert. Between getting accosted by people on acid, I spotted a scalper get busted by an undercover cop. The scalper pulled out the tickets, and the cop, his badge. As I chuckled I saw another scalper walk by and mistook them as bargaining. I guess he thought he had a better deal, so he walks up to them and offers his tickets. The cop, who had his badge out and was still cuffing the first guy mind you, just turns around and shows his badge. He gives an “Aw, man” as he turned around to get cuffed, but I doubt he realized that this is precisely why he’s going to be a scalper for the rest of his life.