Music Industry

The US Senate is Now Going After Ticket-Buying Bots

As part of a wave of populist fervour racing around the planet, the US Senate is now suddenly concerned about ticket-buying bots snapping up thousands of concert tickets before us poor meatbags get a chance to click “enter.” From Billboard:

Senators passed legislation by voice vote Wednesday that would make using the software an “unfair and deceptive practice” under the Federal Trade Commission Act and allow the FTC to pursue those cases. The House passed similar legislation in September, but the bills are not identical so the Senate legislation now moves to the House.

Even Ticketmaster and StubHub(!!!) seem to be on the same page. The Hollywood Reporter reports:

During a recent U.S. Senate Subcommittee hearing on the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, bitter industry rivals Ticketmaster and StubHub came together in rare unity to praise the bill. The BOTS Act, expected to pass before Christmas, would make it illegal to use software to buy mass quantities of tickets online. Ticket “bots” are why good seats often are hard to find and why hot acts such as Hamilton and Adele increasingly are trying to pre-empt the secondary market by offering high-priced tickets of their own.

New York State has also made bots illegal, complete with threats of jail terms, fines and points against drivers’ licenses.

Love it. Keep it coming.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37838 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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