British singer Adele leads the way with three nominations in total, including Best Female Artists. The news comes as the September Adele tour resumed this week, following the singer’s illness.

The full list of Q Awards nominations is as follows:

Breakthrough Artist

Jessie J
Ed Sheeran
Katy B
James Blake
Miles Kane

Best New Act

The Vaccines
WU LYF
Foster The People
Everything Everything
Nero

Best Female Artist

Adele
Laura Marling
Beyoncé
Jessie J
PJ Harvey

Best Male Artist

Cee Lo Green
Tinie Tempah
Wretch 32
Ed Sheeran
Example

Best Track

Adele – ­ Rolling In The Deep
Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down ’Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
Adele – Someone Like You
Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

Best Album

Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys!
The Horrors – Skying
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

Best Live Act

Coldplay
Biffy Clyro
Elbow
Beyoncé
Chase And Status

Best Video

Jessie J – Do It Like A Dude
Lady Gaga – Judas
Foo Fighters – Walk
Ed Sheeran – You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
Hurts – Wonderful Life

Best Act In The World Today

Muse
Coldplay
Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
Arcade Fire
U2

Greatest Act Of The Last 25 Years

U2
Damon Albarn
Radiohead
Oasis
Nirvana
Arcade Fire
Arctic Monkeys
Muse
Jack White
Paul Weller
Jay Z
Eminem
Madonna
The Strokes
R.E.M.
The Stone Roses
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Coldplay
Manic Street Preachers
Björk
Beastie Boys
Metallica
Prodigy
The Cure
Green Day

The annual event will take place at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View from October 22nd to 23rd, with the proceeds from the shows being donated to the Bridge School, a school that supports children with severe physical impairments and debilitating communication needs. The school was founded by Young and his wife.

Other acts confirmed to play include Tony Bennett, Beck and Carlos Santana. Previous years have seen the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Metallica and David Bowie perform.

Bridge School Benefit concert tickets are set to go on sale Friday 9th September.

The project is as yet untitled and will be released in the US on November 1st and in the UK on October 31st. It seems that the album will be a reworking of music Lou Reed wrote for a German musical score. He also previously told that the new material is “maybe the best thing done by anyone, ever. It could create another planetary system. I’m not joking, and I’m not being egotistical.”

Metallica will also be performing in New York next month.

Compare and buy Metallica tickets online.

They will play 4 shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco for fans, and the gigs will be exclusive to members of the band’s official fan site only. The band have also gone against the grain so to speak with the pricing of the event. It seems as thought tickets will be just $6 for a show and $19.81 for all four.

The band have posted, “As you can see we’re going back to early ’80s ticket pricing (but not the hair!).”

This exciting news is sure to delight all Metallica fans out there who have supported this band during their illustrious career.

Find Metallica tour dates online.

The band have not made a record since 2003 and fans are very excited by the prospect of the new record from the heavy metal band.

Here are the tracks which appear upon the new album, Worship Music.

‘Worship’
‘Earth On Hell’
‘The Devil You Know’
‘Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t’
‘I’m Alive’
‘Hymn 1′
‘In The End’
‘The Giant’
‘Hymn 2′
‘Judas Priest’
‘Crawl’
‘The Constant’
‘Revolution Screams’

The band recently played Sonisphere along with the other members of the big four, Metallica, Slayer and Megadeath.

Anthrax tour dates and tickets are available online.

Music magazine NME reports that festival founder Stuart Galbraith has considered both Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers for next year’s shows: “They’re both two that we’re talking to, amongst a whole list of others. I also think we could have Green Day and Blink-182 here, but none of those are confirmed.

This year’s Sonisphere saw headliners Metallica, Biffy Clyro and Slipknot. A limited number of early-bird tickets for next year’s festival go on sale this week.

Sonisphere 2012 tickets will be available soon.

The band’s set featured a two minute silence dedicated to Gray which was honoured by the crowd of thousands, a gesture much appreciated by lead singer Corey Taylor.

Taylor commented during the performance, “I want to thank you all for what you did today. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Thank for you from the bottom of our hearts.”

The band have dedicated their whole tour to the memory of Gray and this was their first performance in the UK without him.

Acts who also played at this year’s Sonisphere were Metallica, Biffy Clyro and You Me At Six.

You Me At Six have just announced an upcoming tour, You Me At Six tickets go on sale this Friday.

The British comedian is playing at Sonisphere, however his set clashes with Metallica, but if he does more covers like this one on Youtube there may not be many people actually watching Metallica’s headline slot tonight (Friday 8th July).

Also playing across the weekend are Biffy Clyro,Weezer and Slipknot.

Sonisphere 2011 tickets are available online.

Slipknot have announced today that they will stream their set at Sonisphere this Saturday live. The set will be at 9pm on Sunday 10th July and it promises to finish the festival with style and chaos.

The band havent played the UK for two years and it will be their first time playing here without Paul Gray who died of an overdose last year.

Slipknot have stated “England has always been a special place for this band from the very beginning. We can’t think of a better way to culminate our celebration of Paul’s life than to share it with the Maggots at Knebworth and the millions more watching around the world.  This is not to be missed.”

Sonishpere kicks off today with Metallica headlining the Friday night, Biffy Clyro on the Saturday night before Slipknot close the festival on Sunday.

Sonisphere live streaming is available online now.

The touring metal circus that is of course Sonisphere will be crashing onto the shores of the UK on the 8th July at Knebworth House.

This year’s lineup is sure to please all heavy metal fans out there with headline slots coming from Metallica, Biffy Clyro and Slipknot . Much hype and excitement has surrounded the Festival which has also secured the ‘Big Four’ of metal with Slayer, Megadeath, Anthrax and Metallica playing on the same day for the first time ever. It has also been recently announced that Tek-One and Innerpartystem will play late night DJ slots after the carnage has finished on the main stages.

The Festival this year has expanded it’s entertainment and will also feature Rock Karaoke and the Sonisphere Rock Quiz.

Sonisphere prides itself on providing the best in heavy-metal and showcasing it across the globe. Be sure to catch the UK leg of the tour.

Buy your Sonisphere 2011 tickets here.

Taking place at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, the festival has an incredible line-up with headliners Metallica on the Friday (July 8th), Biffy Clyro on Saturday (July 9th) and Slipknot closing the festival on the Sunday (July 10th). Also appearing across the weekend on the Apollo (main) stage are Slayer, Megadeth, Weezer, You Me At Six, Limp Biscuit and Motorhead. Headlining the Saturn stage are The Mars Volta (Saturday 8th) and Bill Bailey (Sunday 9th). Also on the second stage are All Time Low, Sum 41, Opeth and Airbourne.

Even though Sonisphere only began in 2009, the festival is famous for its charged atmosphere and frequently world-class line-ups.

Sonisphere tickets are available now.

The metal band announced the news on their website after Velvet Underground star Reed was seen entering their studio. The statement said, “We are more than proud to announce that we have just completed recording a full-length album with none other than the legendary Lou Reed.” They first hinted at this when earlier this year they were quoted as writing not for “a project that was 100% Metallica.” The heavy metal four-piece performed with Reed in an October 2009 gig at Madison Square Gardens, and have since been working with the singer “on and off over the last few months.”

No release date has been announced for the album.

Metallica are set to headline the Sonisphere from 7th-1oth July, with Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth and Biffy Clyro also appearing.

Metallica tickets are now available online.

Metallica are releasing their own customized Monopoly board.

The board game is be based on the band featuring cartoon characters of the band.  There are several musician versions, Kiss had ‘kiss-opoly’ which had their won money songs and playing cards and The Beatles which was set around building the groups discography rather than houses and hotels. Details of the Metallica monopoly are still to be announced.

They release the game next week so not long to wait to discover the rockers view of london.

Metallica play Sonisphere on July the 8th. Sonisphere tickets are on sale now.

Whilst a a biased opinion Dickinson is not disputing which band is bigger but the nitty gritty of who is actually better: ” They might be bigger than us and they might sell more tickets than us and they might get gold-plated middle-class bourgeoisie turning up to their shows bit they’re not Maiden. ”

Maiden do have their own plane called ‘Ed force One’ and they have their own iconic Robot – Big Eddie. Its a superhero battle off.

Iron Maiden release “From Fear To eternity: The Best Of: 1990-2010″ this week.

Iron Maiden Tickets are on sale now.

They asked users how far they’d likely go on a first date. Users were given the options of “I’d only meet up for a chat”, “Perhaps a kiss” and “I’d go all the way if the mood was right.”

Answers were then matched with users’ tastes in music, leaving Tastebuds with the result that on average Coldplay fans were the least likely to have sex on a first date, while Nirvana fans were the most likely.

Other acts with average fan responses in the ‘Least Likely’ category included Adele, Lady Gaga and Kings Of Leon, while fans of Metallica, Linkin Park and Kanye West were high in the ‘Most Likely’ category.

Coldplay tickets are available online

Also confirmed to play at Knebworth Park between between July 8th and 10th are Sum 41, House Of Pain, Arch Enemy, Periphery, Grinspoon and Fozzy.

As previously announced, Metallica will close the Friday night of this year’s event, Biffy Clyro will close the Saturday night and Slipknot will headline the Sunday night.

Sonisphere tickets are available to buy online now.

Find and compare tickets for leeds and reading festivals here.

With headliners being announced daily and tickets still at early bird prices, now is the time to get the best deal for next years events.

Festival tickets are on sale now. See the list below of all the festivals currently on sale, dates, venues and named acts so far.

Isle Of Wight Festival 2011
10th – 12th June
Seaclose Park, Newport
Headliners – Kings Of Leon, Pulp, Foo Fighters, Kasabian

Download Festival 2011
10th – 12th June
Donington Park, East Midlands
Headliners – System Of A Down, Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold

Sonisphere Festival 2011
8th – 10th July
Knebworth House, Hertfordshire
Headliners – Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Slipknot, Biffy Clyro

Hard Rock Calling 2011
24th – 26th June
Hyde Park, London
Headliners – Bon Jovi

Wireless Festival 2011
3rd July
Hyde Park, London
Headliners – Pulp

High Voltage Festival 2011
23rd – 24th July
Victoria Park, London
Headliners – Judas Priest, Dream Theater

T In The Park 2011
8th – 10th July
Balado Airfield, Kinross
Headliners – Foo Fighters

Oxegen Festival 2011
7th – 10th July
Dublin, Ireland
Headliners – Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Blink 182

Now for the first time in the UK, the bands will open the Friday night on the 8th July, with Biffy Clyro headlining the Saturday and Slipknot closing on the Sunday night.

Sonisphere tickets are on sale now following the pre sale release last week. The festival is held in Knebworth Park between Friday the 8th July and Sunday the 1oth July.

Tickets to the 2010 Leeds Festival go on sale on Monday March 29th 2010 at 6:45 pm. There is always a frantic rush for tickets, and both events tend to sell out from primary vendors on the first day of being on sale each year.

Compare and buy Reading & Leeds Festival tickets online!

Tickets to the 2010 Reading Festival go on sale on Monday March 29th 2010 at 6:45 pm. There is always a frantic rush for tickets, and both events tend to sell out from primary vendors on the first day of being on sale each year.

Compare and buy Reading & Leeds Festival tickets online!

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 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 Center

Abba tribute band Bjorn Again are confirmed to perform at Sonisphere 2009

Heavy metal band Anthrax will reunite with their former vocalist John Bush for a one-off performance at this year’s Sonisphere Festival after Dan Nelson recently left the band because of an ‘unexpected illness’.

Anthrax had to cancel some shows in Europe leading up to Sonisphere 2009, as well as some US shows for August and September.

However, it has been confirmed that their Sonisphere appearance was still going ahead but was now going to feature their former lead singer. Anthrax are now looking for a new lead vocalist and hope to tour later this year or in 2010.

It has also been announced that the Abba tribute band Bjorn Again are also appearing at Sonisphere 2009. Anthrax join headliners Linkin Park and Taking Back Sunday on the Apollo Stage on Saturday August 1 whilst Bjorn Again join Bullet For My Valentine and The Used on the Saturn Stage, also on the Saturday.

Taking Back Sunday and The Used are also touring the UK. Taking Back Sunday are playing the Glasgow ABC (July 29), Liverpool O2 Academy (July 30) and Leeds University (August 2). The Used are playing the London Relentless Garage (August 5), Birmingham O2 Academy (September 22) and the London Electric Ballroom (September 23).

Taking Back Sunday tickets and The Used tickets are all still available to compare at tixdaq.com

Sonisphere 2009 takes place at the Hertfordshire Knebworth Park over the weekend of August 1-2, where headlining the Apollo Stage on Sunday will be Metallica, Nine Inch Nails and Limp Bizkit.

Limp Bizkit will also be playing at the London HMV Forum on August 1 as part of the Kerrang! Week of Rock.

Sonisphere tickets and Limp Bizkit tickets are all available to compare at tixdaq.com

Organisers of the Sonisphere Festival, the first ever in the UK, have revealed the line-ups for the two main stages for this year’s event which is set to take place at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire.

Acts scheduled to appear have already been revealed but festival-goers will be glad to hear that the performances on the two main stages will happen alternately so fans don’t have to miss any of the top acts on the bill.

The headline acts for this year’s Sonisphere are Linkin Park on Saturday August 1, and Metallica on Sunday August 2.

Meanwhile, Linkin Park band member Mike Shinoda has been talking about the follow up album to Minutes To Midnight, which was released in 2007.

Linkin Park are currently half way writing their new album, expected to be released in early 2010, but it won’t be rushed as Linkin Park would rather take a step back if required to make it their best album yet.

Mike Shinoda wants to make a different and cutting-edge album with Linkin Park, and is expecting it to be genre-breaking.

Also on the Main Stage on Saturday August 1 at Sonisphere are Heaven & Hell, Coheed & Cambria, Fear Factory and Taking Back Sunday.

Taking Back Sunday are on tour of UK venues just before Sonisphere, like at the Liverpool O2 Academy on July 30 and at Cardiff University on July 31.

On the Second Stage on Saturday August 1 at Sonisphere are Bullet For My Valentine, Airbourne, The Used, Anthrax and Skindred.

Skindred are also touring the UK with many dates throughout October this year. The Skindred tour currently begins at The Waterfront Norwich on September 30 and ends at London Electric Ballroom on October 20.

Taking Back Sunday tickets and Skindred tickets are still available to compare at tixdaq.com

On the Main Stage on Sunday August 2 with Metallica are Nine Inch Nails, Machine Head, Lamb Of God, Mastodon and Killing Joke.

Nine Inch Nails will be performing at two major UK arenas this summer as well as their Sonisphere appearance (Manchester MEN Arena on July 14 and London O2 Arena on July 15).

Mastodon tour the UK with a few June dates, beginning with the Sheffield Corporation (June 5) before ending at the O2 Academy Islington (June 9).

Nine Inch Nails tickets, Mastodon tickets as well as Sonisphere tickets are all still available to compare at tixdaq.com

Wembley Stadium cost approximately £750 million to build and various events have been held there to help recuperate the funds, such as music concerts, American football matches and motor racing.

Music industry insiders claim that any accusations made by the Football Association that music concerts were to blame were simply misguided.

This echoes the sentiments of Arsenal FC manager, Arsene Wenger, who defends the idea that music concerts were to blame and argues that the Wembley pitch was never really in good condition right from the start when Wembley Stadium opened in 2007.

One source claims that having these different events at Wembley Stadium, London allows different types of grass to be tested and is actually a benefit to the ground staff of the venue.

Following on, it was claimed that having seen no problems at the old Wembley Stadium, it was just a matter of getting the climate right in order to find the correct grass surface.

Concerts held at Wembley Stadium, London so far have come from Metallica and Madonna.

Metallica are due to play at Sonisphere at Knebworth House, Stevenage during the weekend of August 1-2.

Madonna is also on the road this summer with the ‘Sticky & Sweet Tour’ and is due to play the London O2 Arena and the Manchester MEN Arena in July.

Sonisphere tickets and Madonna tickets are available to compare at tixdaq.com

Concerts coming up at Wembley Stadium, London are AC/DC, Take That, Oasis, U2 and Coldplay, with the pitch scheduled to be re-laid again after these summer concerts.

AC/DC will play Wembley Stadium, London on Friday June 26 but will also play Hampden Park, Glasgow on Tuesday June 30.

Take That tour their current album, The Circus, throughout the UK and will play four shows at Wembley Stadium, London from Wednesday July 1.

Oasis also tour the UK playing at Wembley Stadium, London three times from Thursday July 9.

U2 bring the 360º tour to Wembley Stadium, London twice from Friday August 14.

Coldplay also perform at Wembley Stadium, London twice from Friday September 18.

AC/DC tickets, Take That tickets, Oasis tickets, U2 tickets, and Coldplay tickets are available at tixdaq.com

Metallica were forced to cancel a show in Stockholm last night (March after singer James Hetfield was taken to hospital suffering from dehydration moments before they were due to perform.

16,000 Swedish fans had been waiting for the band to appear on stage for the show to begin, but were then told by the other members of the band that the gig was off.

It has been reported that drummer Lars Ulrich apologised to the crowd  saying ‘Trust me, none of you guys wanna hear me, Rob or Kirk sing.’

Metallica are due to continue the UK leg of their 2009 tour in two weeks time taking in Birmingham’s LG Arena (March 25), Glasgow SECC (March 26) and coming to a close at London O2 Arena (March 28). Metallica tickets are still available from £65.

Heavy Metal legends, Metallica, have been one of the most influential bands of their genre for more than twenty years now and it was only a matter of time before they were inducted in to the Hall of Fame. In 2009, Metallica released, Death Magnetic, their first album in over five years. Metallica also played a huge one off show at London’s O2 Arena to conincide with the release. Following the sucess of the one-ff show, Metallica announced the first Metallica UK tour in over twelve years. The 2009 Metallica tour kicks off on February 25 in Nottingham at the Trent FM Arena and comes to a close at the SECC in Glasgow on March 26. The Metallica tour also visits the Manchester Evening News Arena (February 26), London’s O2 Arena (March 2 & 28), and the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle. Tickets to see Metallica in concert are still available and prices start at £60.

Another of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, Jeff Beck, is also touring in 2009. The Jeff Beck tour begins in Brighton on June 24 and climaxes at the Royal Albert Hall in London on July 4. The Jeff Beck tour also stops off at the Carling Apollo Manchester (June 27), Belfast’s Ulster Hall (June 30)and the Southampton Guidhall (July 3). Jeff Beck tickets are available for all of the dates with prices from £33.

This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be held in Cleveland on April 4.

Jeff Beck was today confirmed as one of this year’s inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The former Yardbird’s guitarist will be joined by other music legends including Metallica and Run DMC.

Jeff Beck will also be touring the UK this year and it is shaping up to be one of the must see events of 2009. The Jeff Beck tour begins in Brighton on June 24 and climaxes at the Royal Albert Hall in London on July 4. The Jeff Beck tour also stops off at the Carling Apollo Manchester (June 27), Belfast’s Ulster Hall (June 30)and the Southampton Guidhall (July 3). Jeff Beck tickets are available for all of the dates with prices from £33.

Eric Clapton is also touring this year. The Eric Clapton tour includes dates at the Liverpool Echo Arena (May 13), Manchester Evening News Arena (May 14) and an eleven night residency at the Royal Albert Hall (May 16 – 31). Hundreds of Eric Clapton tickets are still available with prices starting at £45.

The rest of the top 10 sees support for rock concerts as the Oasis tour 2009, Stereophonics, Kooks and the Slipknot residency all feature in the top 10.

Tickets to see Chris Brown, Duffy, Barry Manilow and The Prodigy proved to be hot sellers and all climbed in the second half of the top 20. Meanwhile, Metallica, Cliff Richard and Snow Patrol concert tickets are all losing ground on their chart rivals. This week’s new entries include tickets for Pendulum and Pussycat Dolls as well as the Elton John Red Piano tour.

Take That are a non-mover as they hold on to the top spot for the third week running. Tickets to see the UK’s favourite are still selling fast for their 2009 summer tour. They will be stopping off in cities including Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London on their 15 night haul. Hundreds of tickets are still available for all of the shows with prices starting at £53.99.

Number 2 is another non-mover as Pink proves her popularity with UK fans. Her 17 date tour kicks off next April. Tickets are available from £58. Elsewhere in the top 10, The Killers, Kings of Leon and Coldplay are all climbing up the chart. This week’s losers feature Oasis and Metallica.

This week’s highest new entry is Girls Aloud. The Reality TV stars recently announced their 2009 Arena Tour and tickets are selling fast. The mammouth outing kicks off in April and includes stops in Belfast, Nottingham and Birmingham. Tickets can be picked up for less than £35 to see Cheryl in her hometown. Other new entries to this week’s top 20 include Tina Turner, Stereophonics and The Prodigy.

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Take That are a non-mover as they hold on to the top spot for the third week running. Tickets to see the UK’s favourite are still selling fast for their 2009 summer tour. They will be stopping off in cities including Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London on their 15 night haul. Hundreds of tickets are still available for all of the shows with prices starting at £53.99.

Number 2 is another non-mover as Pink proves her popularity with UK fans. Her 17 date tour kicks off next April. Tickets are available from £58. Elsewhere in the top 10, The Killers, Kings of Leon and Coldplay are all climbing up the chart. This week’s losers feature Oasis and Metallica.

This week’s highest new entry is Girls Aloud. The Reality TV stars recently announced their 2009 Arena Tour and tickets are selling fast. The mammouth outing kicks off in April and includes stops in Belfast, Nottingham and Birmingham. Tickets can be picked up for less than £35 to see Cheryl in her hometown. Other new entries to this week’s top 20 include Tina Turner, Stereophonics and The Prodigy.

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It is clear that music fans are not letting the current economic downturn prevent them from seeing their favourite artists. Face value prices for Metallica’s 2009 UK Arena Tour start at £45 and pairs of tickets are being listed for as much as £600 per pair on various online ticket exchanges. Top seats for Lionel Richie’s performance at London’s O2 Arena which were originally priced at £75 are already being listed for as much as £599 each on the same websites.

Following the recent news of yet another bogus ticket company being shutdown, fans are encouraged to only purchase from sites with Buyer Guarantees to ensure that they are protected.

It is clear that music fans are not letting the current economic downturn prevent them from seeing their favourite artists. Face value prices for Metallica’s 2009 UK Arena Tour start at £45 and pairs of tickets are being listed for as much as £600 per pair on various online ticket exchanges. Top seats for Lionel Richie’s performance at London’s O2 Arena which were originally priced at £75 are already being listed for as much as £599 each on the same websites.

Following the recent news of yet another bogus ticket company being shutdown, fans are encouraged to only purchase from sites with Buyer Guarantees to ensure that they are protected.

Metallica played a hotly-anticipated one-off show at London’s O2 Arena on Monday 15th September in front of 15,000 loyal fans. Despite taking significant measures attempting to prevent the resale of tickets, many fans sold spare tickets for more than 30 times the face value of £5. Despite the band claiming that all of the proceeds from the show would be going to charity, some fans have sold the second ticket of their allocated quota for up to £180, easily recouping the cost of the Metallica Fan Club membership that was required to buy the ticket in the first place.

The paperless ticket technology relied upon fans bringing to the show the credit card that was used to book their tickets. Apparently this was not as easy as it sounds, eye-witness reports say that over 1500 fans who had booked with debit cards, instead of credit cards, had to queue separately to collect pre-printed paper tickets. The show was apparently delayed by almost an hour.

Last week the heavy metal legends, Metallica, announced a one-off UK show at London’s O2 Arena. However, instead of using regular ticket distribution channels, the band has decided to embrace a new paperless technology. The system, that has yet to be tested in Europe, was used by Tom Waits on his North American “Glitter and Doom” tour earlier this year.

Metallica have rewarded loyal fans by charging only £5 to attend the performance and have said that the proceeds will be donated to charity. Only existing members of the official fan club (annual membership $60) and those who have pre-ordered the new album  were able to order tickets.  Fans must bring the credit card used to pay for the tickets to the event. The card will then be scanned at the gates and the loyal fan will be handed a receipt as proof of entry.

Whilst the decision to go with the paperless ticketing system is a way of reducing the resale of tickets, it also restricts the ticket holder and as no deal has been cut with a secondary operator, arguably their charitable donation will be negligible after the cost of putting on the show.  Only time will tell whether or not this will turn out to be a successful move.

Last week the heavy metal legends, Metallica, announced a one-off UK show at London’s O2 Arena. However, instead of using regular ticket distribution channels, the band has decided to embrace a new paperless technology. The system, that has yet to be tested in Europe, was used by Tom Waits on his North American “Glitter and Doom” tour earlier this year.

Metallica have rewarded loyal fans by charging only £5 to attend the performance and have said that the proceeds will be donated to charity. Only existing members of the official fan club (annual membership $60) and those who have pre-ordered the new album  were able to order tickets.  Fans must bring the credit card used to pay for the tickets to the event. The card will then be scanned at the gates and the loyal fan will be handed a receipt as proof of entry.

Whilst the decision to go with the paperless ticketing system is a way of reducing the resale of tickets, it also restricts the ticket holder and as no deal has been cut with a secondary operator, arguably their charitable donation will be negligible after the cost of putting on the show.  Only time will tell whether or not this will turn out to be a successful move.