Everyone knows Ticketmaster, a household name in entertainment and one of the most widely used websites for purchasing concert tickets. However, the powerhouse brand has been receiving backlash from fans recently.
Ticketmaster has lots of systems for the process of getting tickets for concerts – from using codes, getting into the sale, or the Verified Fan system. However, that doesn’t keep “scalpers” from buying the $50 tickets and reselling them for thousands.
Scalping is the concept in which people buy tickets to resell them for a large profit. They’re essentially scammers trying to make some money off of a younger, more naive audience.
For example, Olivia Rodrigo just recently announced her tour dates and fans were eager to get tickets. With her venues being at small theaters in big cities, fans were already anxious about whether they’d obtain tickets or not.
For Rodrigo’s tickets, Ticketmaster had their “Verified Fan” system set up in order to keep scalpers filthy hands away from the tickets. You can register as a Verified Fan through your Ticketmaster account and Ticketmaster sends you an email letting you know whether you made it to the Verified Fans list or not. It’s just a passageway to weave out the bots.
However, it never really works. After Rodrigo’s tickets went on sale, her tour sold out immediately. And scalpers managed to get a hold of them. One ticket is being resold for $9,000.
It’s insanely unfair that fans aren’t able to access a lot of the tickets just because people want to make a quick buck. And this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this happen either. For Harry Styles’ tour as well, scalpers were reselling nosebleed tickets for over $10,000. Absolutely insane.
Fans are urging Ticketmaster to implement more policies to keep scalpers off of their website. Everyone should have access to see their favorite artist when they’re in their city for cheap prices. What kind of precautions would you like to see in place?
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