With the upcoming 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy benefit concert, producers of the event as well as New York Senator Charles Schumer are denouncing scalpers reselling tickets for ridiculous amounts.
"It’s despicable. Don’t buy them," film producer Harvey Weinstein said. He is among the producers of the concert that include James Dolan of Madison Square Garden and John Sykes of Clear Channel, reports The New York Times.
According to The Huffington Post, tickets on StubHub are being sold for as much as $27,175 with the highest face-value of a ticket being $2,500.
StubHub is donating its service fees and commissions to the Robin Hood Foundation but its spokesman said they aren't regulating the reselling of tickets.
"This is going to take place regardless of whether we enable it or somebody else does, and at least by us enabling it, we can give a good portion to charity," Glenn Lehrman, StubHub's spokesman, said.
New York Senator Charles Schumer spoke out about the controversy and sent a letter to StubHub and three other major online ticket exchanges, according to The New York Times.
"Every dollar spent for these concert tickets should go to help the victims of Superstorm Sandy – not to line the pocket of unscrupulous scalpers. Ticket resale websites have the opportunity to make it much more difficult for scalpers to make money of this charitable event, and they should seize it," Senator Schumer said in his statement.
Ticketmaster, however, is not allowing tickets for 12-12-12 to be sold, blocked thousands of IP addresses associated with BOTS and cancelled tickets scalpers sold that went against their terms of use.
The benefit concert will take place at Madison Square Garden and air on 34 networks Wednesday night. The New York Times says that it will also be one of the largest gatherings of major rock musicians, which include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Dave Grohl, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Eddie Vedder, Roger Waters, The Who, Kanye West and Paul McCartney.
The Rolling Stones were just added to the lineup too that promises plenty of other artists, actors and personalities to appear at the event.