CLEVELAND — Two big concerts go on sale to the public this Friday: The Rolling Stones and Justin Bieber.
But do you really have to wait to buy your tickets?
If you are near a computer, there are some things you can try.
On Thursday, 3 News producer Brian Crane set up a Ticketmaster account to see how easily he could score tickets early.
After logging in, he “googled” codes off the internet, which then unlocked seats to the Stones.
One code was “RAINBOW,” and the other was a numeric code for American Express, which required an AmEx card to buy the seats.
He had similar luck scoring early seats for Justin Bieber.
Still, if you are planning to wait for the sale to the general public, there are some steps you should take.
First, be sure to create your Ticketmaster account before the sale begins.
You will also want to log in at least 15 minutes before the sale opens, because a line forms in the online queue.
Calling Ticketmaster is also not a bad idea, since a representative may answer before you leave the queue.
Cleveland ticket broker Scott Merk believes seats for the Rolling Stone will fetch between $125 and $2,000 apiece, since it may be the last time they play here.
And why so much?
Music writer Chris Riemenschneider says concerts are how rock stars now pay the bills.
“Bands make all their money on the road these days. Hardly anybody makes money off of record sales,” he said. “They are touring a lot more.”