Join Ticketmaster executive VP David Marcus and radio host The Rob for a live broadcast of the “Faithfull Forum: US Tour / Ticketing Edition” on SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio Channel 22 on Monday. Call: 855-9-PEARL-JAM to speak to Marcus.
David Marcus became a heavyweight for Ticketmaster in February 2017, as Billboard reported that the Live Nation-owned ticketing giant announced that Marcus was their new executive VP, head of music in North America, overseeing the OnTour artist services operation, the Venues & Promoters ticketing segment and club ticketing platform TicketWeb.
Marcus reports to Ticketmaster North America president Jared Smith, who said the unified division will help the company “leverage our unique assets against the specific needs of the music ecosystem. We’re building a team here that can help an artist and the first set of clubs they play in, and grow with them all the way to theaters, arenas and stadiums.”
He added, “We believe David’s successful history of working with artists, fans, and technology gives him the ability to guide our investments to ensure we provide the most comprehensive solutions for all the various players in the live music lifecycle.”
Marcus said at the time, “”I couldn’t be more excited to rejoin Ticketmaster. I’ve spent my entire career developing products and businesses that connect fans more closely with the artists they love, and I’m passionate about the opportunity to continue that work here,” said Marcus in a statement. “We’re going to redefine the ticket buying experience in a way that makes it more rewarding to be a fan, helps artists build bigger and more dynamic touring careers, and ensures that our client venues and promoters have cutting edge tools and technology to generate outsized returns on their live events.”
Pearl Jam’s feud with Ticketmaster in the 1990’s helped define the band in that decade, as the band’s boycott of Ticketmaster venues in the mid 90’s led to many fans not being able to see them live during the commercial prime of their career.
At the time Pearl Jam believed Ticketmaster were charging fans too much for tickets and monopolizing the industry, and in 1994 filed a complaint to the Justice Department. Ticketmaster’s CEO, Fred Rosen, shot back, “If Pearl Jam wants to play for free, we’ll be happy to distribute their tickets for free.” Time magazine referred to the anti-trust-focused legal battle as “Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Holy War.” Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard later spoke to congress, and the investigation was later dropped.
Pearl Jam are now partnering with Ticketmaster to use their Verified Fan program to combat secondary market ticket sales for their North American tour dates this summer.
“Our number one goal has always been to get Pearl Jam tickets into the hands of our fans,” Curtis said in a statement to Billboard. “We are constantly working up ways to improve our ticketing options and level the playing field. Verified Fan is the best solution out there to beat the bots.”
Another Ticketmaster rival, String Cheese Incident manager Mike Luba, said he supports Pearl Jam’s efforts to protect its fans using the Ticketmaster platform.
“It’s good to see Pearl Jam work with the ticketing industry to take positive steps that make things better for bands, fans and society in general,” said Luba, who has battled Ticketmaster over fan club ticket issues in the past.
Luba said artists like Taylor Swift and Reputation tour promoter Louis Messina’s efforts to use Verified Fan and price tickets higher — part of the “Slow Ticketing” strategy — was “moving the industry in the right direction.” and said he hoped Pearl Jam’s use of Verified Fan meant more concerts from the band in the future — “the more Pearl Jam shows, the better for everyone.”
David Marcus, EVP and head of Music at Ticketmaster tells Billboard in a statement that “Ticketmaster is honored to partner with an iconic band like Pearl Jam on their summer concert tour. We have an enormous amount of respect for the band and understand how important their relationship is with their fan base.”
