Sure, they participated willingly, but they aren't happy about paying an unnecessary middleman who adds cost but provides no value.
Hence the "screwing" part.
Hence the "screwing" part.
By raising the price of tickets to what the market will bear, they force some people out of the marketplace, increasing availability of tickets for those who can afford them.
And from the perspective of the artist and Ticketmaster, they eliminate some of the risk of tickets going unsold.
Of course, it's understandably seen as very unfair (goodness knows I've missed out on shows I wanted to go to because scalpers raised the price beyond the level I was willing to pay), but I wouldn't say it has no value.
TBH, I've never really understood this argument. Unless the argument is that the artist is being forced to set a lower face value, if all the tickets are sold at face value and scalped, the artist is getting exactly what they would have budgeted for.
So, are you saying the artist is being forced to sell the tickets at a price that's below what the market will bear?