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2009 StubHub Concert Ticket Annual Report
[December 10, 2009]

2009 StubHub Concert Ticket Annual Report


SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- StubHub is pleased to release its fourth annual concert ticket report on sales activity for music events during the 2009 calendar year. The information in the report reveals trends and information from the year in concert ticket sales via the world's largest ticket marketplace. Data includes similar sets as in previous years top grossing tours, year-over-year comparisons as well as new metrics and burgeoning ticket trends.



Despite the continued recession, concert gross ticket sales have grown 40% on StubHub in 2009, while fans have benefited from a 16% average price decrease. "StubHub's open marketplace, where prices fluctuate with supply and demand, has resulted in lower prices during this recession," said Chris Tsakalakis, president of StubHub. "This has allowed more fans to attend more events, as we saw a 65% increase in ticket volume for concerts this year." In addition to ticket sales trends, StubHub added another footprint in the music space, partnering with AOL (News - Alert) Music to give fans a true interactive experience by providing easy access to tickets, pricing and tour information all within the framework of their favorite music content site. In another effort to continue to provide fans with the best fan experience, StubHub partnered with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund, and Bridge School Benefit, allowing access to their sold-out benefit concerts, while donating all StubHub profits to the respective charities of intent, totaling nearly $400,000.

StubHub Key Concert Ticket Stats for 2009 Gross dollar sales of concert tickets increased 40% from 2008 (40% increase from 2007 to 2008) Overall, fans bought and sold tickets for over 14,000 concert events on StubHub (over 11,000 in 2008) The average price of concert tickets sold through StubHub was $133 ($159 in 2008) U2's 360° Tour is the highest-grossing concert tour in StubHub history Top 10 Concert Tours, based on gross sales 1. U2 2. Bruce Springsteen 3. Phish 4. Taylor Swift (News - Alert) 5. Britney Spears 6. Dave Matthews Band 7. Elton John 8. Jonas Brothers 9. Kenny Chesney 10. Metallica Top 10 Concerts, based on gross sales 1. U2 /Muse - Giants Stadium (9/24) 2. U2/Muse - Giants Stadium (9/23) 3. U2/Snow Patrol - Soldier Field (9/12) 4. U2/Black Eyed Peas - Rose Bowl (10/25) 5. U2 - Raymond James Stadium (10/9) 6. U2 - Sam Boyd Stadium (10/23) 7. U2 /Snow Patrol - Gillette Stadium (9/20) 8. U2 /Snow Patrol - Soldier Field (9/13) 9. U2 - Dallas Cowboys Stadium (10/12) 10. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Giants Stadium (10/9) Highest Average Priced Concerts (minimum 1000 tickets purchased) $424 - 25th Anniversary Rock Hall of Fame Benefit Concert on 10/29 at Madison Square Garden* $384 - Phish on 3/6 at Hampton Coliseum $359 - Phish on 3/7 at Hampton Coliseum $312 - 25th Anniversary Rock Hall of Fame Benefit Concert on 10/30 at Madison Square Garden* $310 - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on 5/18 at Verizon (News - Alert) Center *StubHub donated nearly $250,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, as a result of our partnership and the fan-to-fan resale of tickets to the two 25th Anniversary Benefit Concerts on StubHub.


Lowest Average Priced Concerts (minimum 1000 tickets purchased) $29 - Phish on 11/18 at Cobo Arena $44 - Phish on 8/11 at Toyota Park $51 - Phish on 8/13 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center $54 - Phish on 11/20 at US Bank Arena $56 - Phish on 11/24 at Wachovia Center Standout Cities This year's concert report features a new metric, expanding on our annual Rockin' Cities Rankings. StubHub took a regional look into year-over-year sales, identifying the highest growth cities and the top concert (based on gross sales) in each respective market. The list is as follows: City   Growth   Top Concert Birmingham, AL > 275% Taylor Swift on 9/11 at BJCC Arena Richmond, VA > 175% Phish on 3/6 at Hampton Coliseum Edmonton, AB > 150% AC DC on 8/26 at Commonwealth Stadium Austin/ San Antonio, TX > 100% Austin City Limits Festival on 10/2-4 at Zilker Park Nashville, TN > 100% Taylor Swift on 9/12 at Sommet Center Tampa/ St. Petersburg, FL > 95% U2 on 10/9 at Raymond James Stadium Calgary, AB > 90% Kiss Alive 35 on 11/12 at Pengrowth Saddledome Albany, NY > 80% Phish on 8/16 at Sarasota Springs Performing Arts Center Buffalo, NY > 75% Bruce Springsteen on 8/13 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Ctr Columbus, OH > 70% Taylor Swift on 7/17 at Value City Arena Each concert listed above was a strong contributor to the overall growth of each respective city, namely Taylor Swift, who accounts for three of the ten standout cities listed above. Nashville sits in the middle of the pack, boasting more than 100% yearly growth in concert sales, with her September performance at Sommet Center as the top show. As it turned out, only 12% of the venue's seats were available to the general public for that concert, as reported by Nashville's WTVF last month. Such scenarios contribute to the scarcity of tickets in a primary ticket on-sale, despite misleading information that resellers snatch up all the tickets.

Paperless ticketing as it's done today, restricts fan rights and eliminates competition.

A seemingly convenient paperless ticketing system was adopted by Miley Cyrus and several other artists in 2009, where physical tickets are not issued and only the ticket buyer's credit card and ID are needed to grant entry. However, there are major drawbacks to restricted paperless ticketing systems the way they work today, including: Tickets are non-transferable, which means fans cannot give tickets as a gift and have limited to no options if they have last-minute plan changes In instances where tickets are transferable, tickets can only be transferred or resold through the primary website and pricing is typically restricted. This means that both buyers and sellers have limited or no choice. The recession brought many below face-value bargains for fans on StubHub and eBay (News - Alert) (as low as $5-$10 for sports and concert tickets), and that kind of open marketplace dynamic disappears in a closed loop paperless system.

Paperless technology itself is not something StubHub is for or against. If it proves to offer more convenience to fans and preserves their rights and a competitive marketplace, then we will support it. StubHub is against the anti-consumer and anti-competitive path paperless has taken to date, limiting consumer choice and eliminating competitive pricing.

Link to 2008 Concert Ticket Annual Report About StubHub StubHub is the world's largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company's unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient, and highly reliable environment. All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company's FanProtect Guarantee™. Company partners include the New York Yankees, Chicago Bears and the University of Southern California along with nearly 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, complemented with music artists like Madonna and media companies such as ESPN (News - Alert) and AOL.

StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ:EBAY).

For more information on StubHub, visit www.stubhub.com

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