Louis C.K. Selling His Own Tickets, Teases Louie Season 3
Comedian Louis C.K. is shunning giants like Ticketmaster and selling concert tickets through his own website, he announced Wednesday.
C.K. also said all tickets will cost $45 and, in an effort to combat scalping, anyone who buys one from a secondary source at a higher value is at risk of having it deactivated at the show.
Making my shows affordable has always been my goal, but two things have always worked against that. High ticket charges and ticket re-sellers marking up the prices, he told fans in an email. By selling the tickets exclusively on my site, I've cut the charges way down and absorbed them into the ticket price.
Tuesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, C.K. said he has cops on computers searching the Internet for any re-sellers charging more than the $45 fee, which includes taxes. C.K. also announced on the show he'd already sold 80,000 tickets and grossed $4 million. More than half of the scheduled tour, which starts Oct. 3 in Cleveland, has already sold out.
C.K. is continuing the conversation he began last December by releasing new stand-up material exclusively on his own website. Live at the Beacon Theatre grossed $1 million in just 5 days. That was such a success not only because of the buzz it generated online but also because of the relatively cheap $5 ticket processing fee.
Other comics have already started copying C.K.'s business model, Jim Gaffigan and Aziz Ansari being two of the biggest names. It's a trend that looks to be on the rise, combating both piracy and prices that many fans deem too high. Ansari hasn't revealed the number of people that have purchased his Dangerously Delicious special, which was released in March.
By eliminating companies like Ticketmaster and Comedy Central from the distribution side of business, major acts are enabling themselves to make more money while considering the best interests of their fans. The Internet is transforming the way fans acquire media, which could spell trouble for Ticketmaster and similar companies in the future.
C.K. has been on a press blitz to promote the third season of his show on FX, Louie. During an appearance Tuesday on The B.S. Report podcast C.K. told Bill Simmons that the upcoming season of the show will feature cameos from the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams, and teased fans by refusing to name another guest just as famous as those two. Louie premieres on Thursday night at 10:30 Eastern.
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