Mad about ticketing policies for your favorite band? Line up. Fan blogs, ticket industry web sites, technology blogs, Congress, mainstream media, the FTC, Bruce Springsteen, the Justice Department and parents of Hannah Montana fans nationwide were here first, all going on the offensive against major ticket vendors and promoters and sometimes even the bands themselves over what are generally deemed as "unfair" ticketing practices of various sorts.

Today, we'd like to call out a new company - AEG. AEG Europe is the sister company of LA's AEG Live and the owner of London's O2 Arena, where Michael Jackson was to play 50 concerts starting next month before his sudden death last week. AEG pulled off one heck of a feat, selling out all fifty gigs - over 800,000 tickets at approximately $80-125 for each tickets and including about 50,000 premium seats that were put on sale for up to approximately $1,650each on Viagogo. (This does not include tickets sold by individuals on Viagogo).

But that's not why we are calling them out. We are doing that because today they announced all ticket purchasers will be refunded the full ticket price AND service fees they paid. Viagogo said the same. This may not seem noteworthy, and perhaps it is sad that it is. But in today's climate of fees that reach up into the 25% range or more for some shows, it definitely stands out.

AEG is getting hammered. It's not just ticket refunds. It's printers that made tickets. It's advertising and promotion costs that have already been spent. It's production costs for not only making the "most expensive and technically advanced" live show ever, but also caring so much about getting it right that they postponed the opening of the run to give them more time to do so. Outsstanding bills are rumored to be $800 million plus.

But they did the right thing. They didn't make the fans pay. Instead, the offered full refunds. They didn't offer a different band. They didn't send one-of-a-kind memorabilia. They didn't offer free downloads. They just gave people - fans that are already depressed, certainly - their money back. Optionally, fans can get a commemorative ticket, which they might even be able to sell on eBay for more than they paid for the tickets. But if they want, they can just get their money back for a show that didn't happen.

We don't know what the insurance coverage for the tour was. There is some speculation that not all shows were covered - some say less than half were. But we do know that MJ's health problems and propensity to cancel shows left AEG exposed for at least some of the shows. But, while the total financial damage caused by this tragedy may be unknown, we didn't want this opportunity to call out AEG and Viagogo and other companies that step up to share in the burden to pass. We hope you recover and remain a major player in the industry for a long time to come.