Glastonbury ticket scheme announced

[kohoutec]

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/+glastonburyfesti-3/


I’m pleased to announce the arrangements for ticket sales for this year’s Festival.

Last year tickets sold very quickly and as a result we had a huge problem with tickets being offered all over the place at three or four times their face value. Some of these tickets were traced back to outlets that we supplied but had no effective control over.

So this year the tickets will only be sold by the telephone ticketline, phone number 0870 830 2004, and through the website address www.aloud.com. There will be a link from the Festival website, www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk to www.aloud.com.

Tickets will go on sale at 8pm on the 1st April 2004.

Tickets will be restricted to two per person and each transaction will be vigilantly monitored to make sure there is no repetition.

All tickets will be personalised to prevent unauthorised reselling – and there will be checks at the gates.

Tickets will cost £112 + Booking Fee and Post and Packaging.

If you used cash to buy tickets in the past, don’t worry. Postal orders and cheques will be accepted, but only on the phone line. Credit and debit cards will be accepted on both the ticketline and for website sales.

The measures we are taking this year will result in a much fairer way to access the Festival, which promises to be as always, an incredibly joyful way to spend your mid-summer!


Michael Eavis

22nd January 2004

it's good to see the organisers are doing something to try and combat all the touts, but TWO tickets per card? This isnt going to be realistic for a lot of people.

[Mozza]

I would like to know how the tickets are going to be "personalised".

If the cardholder has been present when the tickets are handed in this is going to cause a nightmare for a lot of people.

I suppose the organisers don't care too much about that though as they know they would still be able to sell out numerous times.

[kohoutec]

Looks like they wont be revealing that until the day of sale, Im guessing when you order you have to give the names of the two people they are for....when you arrive at the gates your going to have to have some form of photo ID?

[agnetha]

£112!!! Bit expensive isn't it? That's over 100% rise in price since I last went in the early 90s :eek:

Who's rumoured this year btw?

[smst]

Originally posted by agnetha
Who's rumoured this year btw? Prince. He was vaguely rumoured for last year too, but it didn't happen; last year I couldn't get tickets but I'm not taking the chance of missing him this year!

I think Paul McCartney's been rumoured to perform as well. Apart from those two... I have no idea, and tbh I'm not really bothered about finding out until I get there. It's bound to be great! :nuts:

[Mandroman]

What about the huuuuuge queues to get in whilst everybody fumbles around for their gas bill or birth certificate? It all seems a little too regimented right now although I'm sure things'll look a little better come the day of sale.

[mikegray]

Sorry, but 2 tickets per person is ridiculous. One of my friends who comes with us simply doesn't have the organisational skills to get his own tickets for him and his brother (I wish I was kidding about that, but I'm really not - he's one of those people with a huge IQ but no common sense) and this will almost certainly mean him not getting to go with us.

Oh, and better still, I'm going on holiday on the 1st of April so that will mean I have to leave the ticket getting to my mum and it'll be naff all use if they're in her name. :help:

[studavis]

plus what about people who genuinely have to sell on their ticket to their mate / dad / next door neighbour etc. this has happened to me loads over teh years, because of teh very nature of festival tickets you buy a load up for your mates early doors, not even knowing who is gonna want one (normally because the festival is a full 6 months away!)

[Grover]

Originally posted by mikegray
Sorry, but 2 tickets per person is ridiculous. One of my friends who comes with us simply doesn't have the organisational skills to get his own tickets for him and his brother (I wish I was kidding about that, but I'm really not - he's one of those people with a huge IQ but no common sense) and this will almost certainly mean him not getting to go with us.

Oh, and better still, I'm going on holiday on the 1st of April so that will mean I have to leave the ticket getting to my mum and it'll be naff all use if they're in her name. :help:

I see your point but I think this is to combat people who buy the maximum, use one or two themselves and then shamelessly sell the others on ebay or to a tout. We'll just have to get organised.

Also, do they really mean 8:00pm?

[DM]

2 per person does seem a little bit tight. What about people that take their kids?

It's better we've at least got something in place though, at least I might get a ticket this year.

[kohoutec]

I agree the 2 tickets per card is a bit much! Im not sure that the card holder has to be one of the ticket holders as well though, could be that they just nominate 2 names when ordering the tickets?
And yes, apparently 8pm is correct. With regards to selling on tickets, I read that you will be able to return them for a full refund so they can be resold, of course this doesnt help if you suddenly need to sell it the day before or whatever, but its some consolation

[mwgdrwg]

it was about £46 in 92 when I first went so it goes up about 10 percent a year.

[mikegray]

Last year was also largely down to the names of the artists being announced way in advance (Radiohead / REM in particular) which meant lots of demand. They need to keep the line-up secret well into May IMHO. Trust me, when you've been to Glasto you know that it doesn't really matter who's playing, there's always something to see.

[kohoutec]

Personally I dont think the lineup being announced will make much difference any more, Glasto has become an institution and I reckon there must be tens of thousands of regulars now, who will be on the phones/net bang on 8pm on 1st April (Im one of them). Then there's the people that will want to go for the first time, the amount of attention the festival gets nowadays ensures there will always be lots of these people. Add to that the fact that its now nigh on impossible to get in over/under the fence...a large percentage of the freeloaders must of bought tickets last year when they realised the year before there was no way in. Thinking back to the mid 90s I reckon there was twice as many people in there than last year, thats an extra 100,000 people wanting tickets...

[agnetha]

Originally posted by smst
Prince. He was vaguely rumoured for last year too, but it didn't happen; last year I couldn't get tickets but I'm not taking the chance of missing him this year!
Ah, already seen him in a smallish (for him) venue so not too bothered.

I'd heard Fleetwood Mac were rumoured, which is why I'm interested.

[mikegray]

Originally posted by kohoutec
Personally I dont think the lineup being announced will make much difference any more, Glasto has become an institution and I reckon there must be tens of thousands of regulars now, who will be on the phones/net bang on 8pm on 1st April (Im one of them). Then there's the people that will want to go for the first time, the amount of attention the festival gets nowadays ensures there will always be lots of these people. Add to that the fact that its now nigh on impossible to get in over/under the fence...a large percentage of the freeloaders must of bought tickets last year when they realised the year before there was no way in. Thinking back to the mid 90s I reckon there was twice as many people in there than last year, thats an extra 100,000 people wanting tickets...

I'd agree with this by and large, but I do think the early announcement, especially of Radiohead, was a major contributor to the swift selling out of the festival last time.

I'm definitely not sure about the new system. The phone system will go into meltdown with 25,000 people (let's assume for a minute that half of the tickets go via the 'net and everyone is buying 2 tickets) trying to get through to one number at 8 PM. (Un)fortunately I'll be somewhere over the Atlantic at that point, and I don't think I'll want to be using a skyphone thing to try and get through for my Glasto tix. It'll be up to my mother to try and get the tickets. :brickwall

[kohoutec]

Originally posted by mikegray


I'm definitely not sure about the new system. The phone system will go into meltdown with 25,000 people (let's assume for a minute that half of the tickets go via the 'net and everyone is buying 2 tickets) trying to get through to one number at 8 PM.

I agree 100% with this, its going to be a stressful day!

[dunkrag]

I really don't see it as much of a problem - everyone has enough notice to be prepared to hit the phones/net on that day and enough notice to make other arrangements if you know that you can't get to a phone at that time on that day.

There was so much moaning last year, everyone knows whats going to happen this year - get yourself prepared - you've got 67 days to sort yourselves out! :rolleyes: :D

[kohoutec]

Originally posted by dunkrag
I really don't see it as much of a problem - everyone has enough notice to be prepared to hit the phones/net on that day and enough notice to make other arrangements if you know that you can't get to a phone at that time on that day.

There was so much moaning last year, everyone knows whats going to happen this year - get yourself prepared - you've got 67 days to sort yourselves out! :rolleyes: :D

Although I seem to remember *someone* forgot to buy a parking ticket last year? ;) :D

[dunkrag]

Originally posted by kohoutec
Although I seem to remember *someone* forgot to buy a parking ticket last year? ;) :D

:lol: :p

[Deano]

Originally posted by studavis
plus what about people who genuinely have to sell on their ticket to their mate / dad / next door neighbour etc. this has happened to me loads over teh years, because of teh very nature of festival tickets you buy a load up for your mates early doors, not even knowing who is gonna want one (normally because the festival is a full 6 months away!)

I think that's partly the point - demand is exceeding supply for the festival, people that want to go will not be able to. This way the tickets will go to the people who genuinely really want to go, and those 'mates that arn't sure if they can go or not' will miss out. You've gotta decide who goes and who doesn't in some way, and this seems the fairest to me.

[cjbarker]

Well I'm flying back to the UK in June, so hopefully one of my friends can get me one...

[kohoutec]

Bumping this one as some new details on tickets have been released....and to be honest I think they are ludicrous!
In a nutshell - you CANNOT pay by credit card, only debit card/cheque/PO


Since I made the original announcement, I have decided as a further measure to address the problem of touts, that the Festival will not accept Credit Cards – only Debit Cards. By announcing this change now, people have plenty of time to arrange to pay from a debit account.

I am sorry if this change to a debit card only policy causes any problems, but there are benefits for everyone. This measure has allowed the Festival to cut the booking fee charged from £5 to £3 per ticket and should there be any further savings I will pass that money on to the charities and good causes the Festival supports.


http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/+glastonbury2004t/

So make sure you've got plenty of money in the bank come April 1st (payday for me luckily!)
I can see the reasoning behind this, (easier to get credit cards but not so easy to get loads of bank accounts), but quite frankly I'm beginning to wonder if Eavis has lost the plot!