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A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

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Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#251

Post by k-mcgrady »

gpawl wrote: post #228
k-mcgrady wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> decades ago, concert tickets didn't cost this much I'm willing to bet it's because in the old days artists could release a record and make a living from that without even touring. Now the record, for most artists, is a promotional tool, maybe even a loss leader, for concerts. As for 'why don't they just play more shows' I'd say the reason is quite similar. In the past artists didn't have to tour enough. Now they t…

When was the era of high royalties where bands got rich and didn't have to perform?

Take a look at Kate Bush for example. Didn't tour for 35 years. Most artists will perform but there was definitely an era where it wasn't necessary to putting food on the table.

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#252

Post by notliketherest »

austenallred wrote: post #22

I spent some of my formidable years scalping and brokering event (mostly broadway) tickets in various forms. The company I co-founded made a few million and I learned an expensive lesson in equity at age 18 (I opted instead for the $14/hr salary). We worked in broadway (meaning the style of show, not just the street), and I met the Wiseguys folks at secondary market trade shows, but I had no idea they were this big,…

"I have never yet seen a system that cannot be beat by scalpers"

easy, ID linked tickets that you pick up after entering the venue and get transacted at that point, and you cannot reenter.

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#253

Post by digler999 »

notliketherest wrote: post #252
austenallred wrote: post #22

I spent some of my formidable years scalping and brokering event (mostly broadway) tickets in various forms. The company I co-founded made a few million and I learned an expensive lesson in equity at age 18 (I opted instead for the $14/hr salary). We worked in broadway (meaning the style of show, not just the street), and I met the Wiseguys folks at secondary market trade shows, but I had no idea they were this big,…

"I have never yet seen a system that cannot be beat by scalpers" easy, ID linked tickets that you pick up after entering the venue and get transacted at that point, and you cannot reenter.

You'd then need to have some nontrivial anti-counterfeit technology on the ticket. Otherwise, the name is just a label, and the barcode is a UUID that actually means it's a valid ticket. Someone could make a high quality copy of the ticket, keep the UUID and put new persons name over it.

What I would try is a "credit card required at entry", so at the gate the only person who gets is the one who inserts the (valid) CC# that was used to buy the ticket.

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#254

Post by nickjarboe »

Arizhel wrote: post #157
ryandrake wrote: post #3

> "There's an emotional aspect to what artists do, which is to say 'I'm not willing to charge $500 even though clearly the market value is $500. I'm going to charge $100, and at the end of the day someone else is going to make that money,'" The bots are just a symptom. Seems like this is likely the root of the problem. If the primary market was efficient, then there would be no secondary market, and the whole point o…

Ok, the problem seems like a clear-cut supply-and-demand one. So if artists don't want to look like a bunch of greedy jerks selling tickets for $500+ apiece, and there's only so many seats in the venue, why not increase the number of shows? Maybe the venue is too booked-up and the artists get too tired playing the same venue 5 days in a row and being on the road 5x as long, but it's a thought. The other question I ha…

Rock bands may have been in their prime back then but their fan base has probably yet to reach peak wealth.

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#255

Post by metaphorm »

bogomipz wrote: post #143

>"When the sale dropped, we took 496 in New York, 492 in Boston, 496 in LA," Lowson, the former CEO of Wiseguy Tickets, told me in one of our many phone calls over the course of the last six months. "They apologized on the Grammys because of us, and then they had a second round of sales to make up for it. We took all the good tickets in that second round, too." He seems proud of this, this person has zero morals. He'…

he was scalping concert tickets, not price gouging on food or medicine here. a little perspective would help. this is leisure activities we're talking about.

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#256

Post by bogomipz »

metaphorm wrote: post #255
bogomipz wrote: post #143

>"When the sale dropped, we took 496 in New York, 492 in Boston, 496 in LA," Lowson, the former CEO of Wiseguy Tickets, told me in one of our many phone calls over the course of the last six months. "They apologized on the Grammys because of us, and then they had a second round of sales to make up for it. We took all the good tickets in that second round, too." He seems proud of this, this person has zero morals. He'…

he was scalping concert tickets, not price gouging on food or medicine here. a little perspective would help. this is leisure activities we're talking about.

Wait, because its concert tickets its less of a violation? So price gouging and depriving people of a good or service is OK as long as its not life essential? Where does that line stop?

Tell that to someone who was shut out of seeing their favorite band because 492 of the total 496 tickets that were put on sale went to this guy.

Is that the little perspective that would help?

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#257

Post by chrisseaton »

cb21 wrote: post #209
koolba wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have never yet seen a system that cannot be beat by scalpers, including paperless ticketing, and I find that most venues and artists want to maximize profits anyway. How would a scalper get around ticketing that requires presenting ID that matches the name of the person on the ticket? I've been to a few shows that were like that for pickup up tickets at the will call booth. I suppose you could get them there and…

The scalper could "sell" their front-row ticket to someone else who buys a cheap nosebleed. Then they get in with the cheap seat and go sit at the better spot. Clumsy but it would work.

> who buys a cheap nosebleed

What does this mean? That the person gets punched in the face? Do you just mean mugging people?

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#258

Post by droopyEyelids »

austenallred wrote: post #243
TwiztidK wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have never yet seen a system that cannot be beat by scalpers, including paperless ticketing, I have seen such a system. A festival near me has a limited number of tickets available each year (due to site and staff restrictions) with surprisingly high demand. Their solution is to do a lottery that gives people an opportunity to buy tickets, requiring the name of each individual ticket recipient at purchase, then t…

I can think of a half dozen ways to beat that, at varying levels of legality

Go on... You're describing something that's incredibly puzzling and leaving everyone's curiosity burning!

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#259

Post by mikekchar »

chrisseaton wrote: post #257
cb21 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The scalper could "sell" their front-row ticket to someone else who buys a cheap nosebleed. Then they get in with the cheap seat and go sit at the better spot. Clumsy but it would work.

> who buys a cheap nosebleed What does this mean? That the person gets punched in the face? Do you just mean mugging people?

Nosebleed seat means a seat at the very back of the house. Because it is usually very high up, the idea is that the atmosphere is thin and it makes your nose bleed. Basically what the person is saying is that the fan can buy a very cheap ticket and exchange it for a much more expensive ticket that the scalper bought.

Re: A scalper who used bots to buy millions of tickets, now wants to stop them

#260

Post by zodPod »

chrisseaton wrote: post #257
cb21 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The scalper could "sell" their front-row ticket to someone else who buys a cheap nosebleed. Then they get in with the cheap seat and go sit at the better spot. Clumsy but it would work.

> who buys a cheap nosebleed What does this mean? That the person gets punched in the face? Do you just mean mugging people?

I think he's referring to a seat that is not a good seat. Normally called nosebleed seats because the altitude is so high it could make your nosebleed. I think.
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