----------The Story---------
The BM story is a big part of the community and event. If the lottery were only a practical way of solving the ticket buying process I think it would have some merit, but in regards to the story it fails.
Having read many of the posts (rants and answers) about the lottery system it appears the tiers were originally meant to give BM a heads-up on the level of participation and to have money early to pay for producing the event. Certainly legitimate business concerned.
On the other hand there is the social story that has been propagated. No strictly commercial venture would ask it's participants to "pay the highest tier you can afford". It's part of the BM story of inclusiveness (the same story that makes it so much fun to attend). The story from past years implies the tiers are "a way of allowing those who need it (and plan ahead) to enter at a lower cost".
In reality, I don't see any contradiction between the corporate need for early info and money and the offering tickets at lower cost to those who need it. However, the lottery system, in it's current implementation, clearly violated the STORY aspect (regardless of weather the story actually panned out or not).
Until last year (the first sellout) there were many who did not rush to buy tickets because they knew they could always get one later at a higher price, and since they did not need a lower priced ticket they avoided the rush by waiting. In that way the system DID provide a big push towards the lower tickets for those who needed it. The sellout changes that, but it was part of how the story worked in the past. Today, because of the fear of selling out you can't wait and pay the higher tier tickets, nor can you choose a higher tier if you wanted to, so all options to "support those who need it" through the ticket purchasing option (part of the story) are out.
If the LLC's wanted to continue this story there are simple ways to "fix" this - drawing from higher tier first is the simplest, or drawing regardless of tiers selected and charging the highest tier chosen (it's a solvable problem). The current implementation is a BIG statistical disadvantage to the lower priced tiers, which goes directly against the social story propagated for many years by BM.
BM is an expensive event, and not a physical necessity. Being able to "afford it" is a totally subjective analysis and not of much value. The ticket price is only one of many parameters. The real reason for the high level of "flame" is because so much is riding on the event. BM Is a key player in the transformation of those attending and the maturation of the planet, and a big part of that is the social story it propagates.
----------The Fear---------
Another aspect I think was underestimated is the "fear" aspect, which drives a lot of the difficulties in the ticketing process. In years past the same "fear / gambling" was there too, but ONLY for that one day. The cost, though present, was minimal. The lottery system prolongs this time of uncertainty and questioning significantly, requiring attention (the real commodity) to the ticket buying process for a much longer period, amplifying the levels of fear surrounding the event (justified or not is irrelevant...)
Being unsure of getting tickets means also that groups might pool together to make sure they have enough tickets, but it also greatly increases the chances of "over buying". without knowing ahead of time how those tickets can be sold (is there a clearinghouse? What will it look like?),there is another level of fear present.
There are also the technical aspects of delayed, unknown, and possibly failed bank card charges. With no "grace period" offered to handle the transactions it would be easy to "miss out", even with everything properly in place - another aspect requiring more attention and generating fear.
----------Scalping---------
How the new system handles scalping remains to be seen. I suspect it will not do much to change it. I see possible affects in both directions. The delay in ticket mailing is a big step towards solving the problem, but it's totally independent of the lottery system, so I suspect it will be hard to evaluate.
Hope this helps
