????那是在1995年，珍珠果醬樂隊(duì)（Pearl Jam）的艾迪?維達(dá)在搖滾名人堂的典禮上對(duì)著觀眾講話。他指著臺(tái)下某個(gè)地方咧嘴一笑：“說起爭吵，有些人自作聰明，把我們的座位安排在Ticketmaster的桌子旁邊。估計(jì)今晚到最后，我們會(huì)為了搶吃的打起來?！比巳褐斜l(fā)出一陣哄笑。

????在那幾個(gè)月之前，維達(dá)的珍珠果醬樂隊(duì)與有著37年歷史的票務(wù)公司Ticketmaster進(jìn)行了正面交鋒。他們認(rèn)為這家公司控制了業(yè)內(nèi)太多的業(yè)務(wù)，要求對(duì)后者進(jìn)行反壟斷調(diào)查。樂隊(duì)表示票價(jià)過高，而Ticketmaster利用自己獨(dú)家提供服務(wù)之機(jī)，提出了過多的不合理要求。他們認(rèn)為，這種行為已經(jīng)構(gòu)成了壟斷。

????經(jīng)過一年的調(diào)查，美國司法部（U.S. Justice Department）停止了行動(dòng)。當(dāng)時(shí)的美國司法部長珍妮特?雷諾表示，司法部“發(fā)現(xiàn)有新的企業(yè)進(jìn)入了這個(gè)市場(chǎng)”，票務(wù)市場(chǎng)已經(jīng)有了足夠的競爭性。Ticketmaster和珍珠果醬樂隊(duì)就此鳴金收兵。

????近20年過去了，Ticketmaster如今控制了主要場(chǎng)館超過80%的初級(jí)票務(wù)市場(chǎng)?！舅拿绹校兹ぃ╡Bay）旗下的StubHub，則控制了二級(jí)票務(wù)市場(chǎng)（轉(zhuǎn)售市場(chǎng)）?！科眱r(jià)變得比以往更加高昂，而預(yù)售過程也越來越復(fù)雜。以今年秋天賈斯汀?比伯在田納西州的演唱會(huì)為例，據(jù)報(bào)道，只有7%的票能夠在初級(jí)市場(chǎng)上買到，而剩余的票都留給了粉絲俱樂部、信用卡會(huì)員促銷活動(dòng)和轉(zhuǎn)售商。可想而知，粉絲們有多么憤怒。（Ticketmaster并沒有應(yīng)要求就此事發(fā)表評(píng)論。）

????自上世紀(jì)90年代以來，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的興起讓許多行業(yè)變得普及起來。不過令人驚訝的是，活動(dòng)票務(wù)市場(chǎng)仍然屬于頑固派。不過這種現(xiàn)象也許持續(xù)不了多久。進(jìn)入互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的門檻很低，小型公司因此受益，他們專攻巨頭們的薄弱領(lǐng)域。假以時(shí)日，大衛(wèi)也能擊倒巨人歌利亞。

????初級(jí)票務(wù)公司Ticketfly的創(chuàng)始人安德魯?德雷斯金說：“Ticketmaster并不了解社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。如果我們能讓粉絲幫忙宣傳推銷，那我們就贏了?！?德雷斯金上世紀(jì)90年代率先開始經(jīng)營在線票務(wù)業(yè)務(wù)。2000年，他以3,500萬美元的價(jià)格把自己的公司TicketWeb賣給了Ticketmaster。不過互聯(lián)網(wǎng)一直在演變，德雷斯金于2008年又創(chuàng)立了新公司，經(jīng)營改變?nèi)藗兙W(wǎng)上互動(dòng)形式的移動(dòng)、社交和大數(shù)據(jù)領(lǐng)域。

????Ticketfly擁有合作場(chǎng)館的獨(dú)家售票權(quán)，他們的票價(jià)更低，還有很出眾的社交能力。這家公司的目標(biāo)是拉攏場(chǎng)館和推銷商，讓他們遠(yuǎn)離Ticketmaster。迄今為止，它已經(jīng)挖來了大約100家客戶，其中包括普利克內(nèi)斯大獎(jiǎng)賽（Preakness Stakes）、洛杉磯日落大道（L.A.'s Sunset Strip）的The Roxy劇場(chǎng)和Bell House和Brooklyn Bowl這樣的紐約場(chǎng)館。

????許多顧客感覺Ticketmaster和StubHub變得傲慢自滿起來。TickPick的創(chuàng)始人布雷特?戈德博格說：“如果我在這些公司管理運(yùn)營，那么其中一個(gè)緊急任務(wù)就是樹立公司形象，提醒人們這里要以人為本。這兩家公司對(duì)于普通人而言可能都已經(jīng)變得有些缺乏個(gè)性?！??????????

????It was 1995, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder was addressing the crowd at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Speaking of feisty, some smartass who arranged the tables put our table right next to Ticketmaster's table over here," he said, pointing and grinning as the audience erupted in laughter. "So I predict a food fight by the end of the evening."

????Several months prior, Vedder's band had gone head-to-head with the 37-year-old ticketing company, demanding (and receiving) an antitrust probe under the argument that Ticketmaster controlled too much of the business. The ticket prices were too high, Pearl Jam argued, and Ticketmaster made too many unreasonable demands around the exclusivity of its services. It was, they argued, a monopoly.

????After a year of investigation, the U.S. Justice Department dropped its inquiry. Then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said the department "found that there were new enterprises coming into the arena" and that the ticketing business was sufficiently competitive. Ticketmaster and Pearl Jam lived to fight another day.

????Almost two decades later, Ticketmaster (LYV) controls more than 80% of primary ticketing at major venues. (U.S. peer StubHub, which is owned by eBay (EBAY), dominates the "secondary" ticketing market.) Prices are steeper than ever, and pre-sale practices are increasingly convoluted: this fall, for example, it was reported that just 7% of tickets for a Justin Bieber concert in Tennessee were made available on the primary market, with the rest reserved for fan clubs, credit card member promotions, and resellers. Fans, predictably, were enraged. (Ticketmaster did not respond to requests for comment.)

????The rise of the Internet has democratized many industries since the '90s, but event ticketing remains surprisingly resistant. That may not be the case for much longer. Smaller companies, empowered by the low barrier for entry on the Internet, are focusing on the giants' weakest areas. With time, a David may topple Goliath.

????"Ticketmaster doesn't understand the social web," says Andrew Dreskin, founder of primary ticket seller Ticketfly. "If we can harness the fans as ticket promoters, then we win." Dreskin, credited with selling the first ticket online in the '90s, sold his company TicketWeb to Ticketmaster for $35 million in 2000. But the Internet has since evolved, and Dreskin founded his new company in 2008 to leverage the mobile, social, and big data influences that are reshaping the way we interact online.

????Ticketfly, which has exclusive sales rights to the venues that partner with it, differentiates itself with its lower fees and social capabilities. The goal: woo venues and promoters away from Ticketmaster. To date, it has stolen some 100 clients, including the Preakness Stakes, The Roxy on L.A.'s Sunset Strip, and New York venues such as the Bell House and Brooklyn Bowl.

????Many buyers feel Ticketmaster and StubHub have become bloated and complacent. "If I were running ship at these companies, one urgent task would be to address the image, remind people there's a human element," says Brett Goldberg, founder of TickPick. "Both have probably become a little bit faceless to the general population."??????????