Artists who have tried to fight back against bots and scalpers - Action News
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Artists who have tried to fight back against bots and scalpers

Fans aren't alone in their frustration with the massive ticket resale industry. Some big-name artists have tried in their own ways to fight back against scalpers and the software bots that snatch up prime seats and resell them at often astronomical prices.

It's an uphill battle against the massive ticket resale industry

Fans aren't alone in their frustration with the massive ticket resale industry.

Some big-name artists have tried in their own ways to fight back against scalpers and the software botsthat snatch up prime seats and resell them at often astronomical prices.

Adele

Tickets for Adele's 2016 tour sold out in minutes, with 10 million people in the U.S. alone rushing online. Resellerssnatched upmany of those tickets and postedthem for up to $5,000 on sites like StubHub. Adele's team had tried to combat the problem by partneringwith SongKick an independent ticket site to allocate a percentage of face-value tickets for fans. Reps also went through lists of buyers and refunded those who purchased tickets in large numbers.

(Kevin Winter/Getty) (Kevin Winter/Getty)

Miley Cyrus

Singer/songwriter Miley Cyrus has taken the "paperless" approach to tryto prevent scalping. The system requires ticketbuyers to show credit cards and ID to get into concerts.

(Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Tom Petty

In what was considered a first for the music industry, singer Tom Petty cancelled up to 460 tickets sold on Ticketmaster for his June 2006 show with Pearl Jam at theXcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.,and resold them to fan club members who were then required to bring ID to the concert. The move was prompted by complaints that advanced tickets to the show appeared on resale websites immediately after their release.

(Scott Dudelson/Getty)

Louis C.K.

Comedian Louis C.K. has taken a toughstance against scalping for many years, fiercely maintaining an average ticket price of $50 for his sold-out performances. Representatives for the starinvalidate tickets sold on sites like StubHub and Vivid Seats, and in 2012, he even went so far as to only sell tickets on his own website,bypassing Ticketmaster completely.

(Mike Coppola/Getty) (Mike Coppola/Getty)

Bruce Springsteen

According to the Wall Street Journal, StubHub,TicketNetwork and Vivid Seats were selling tickets for Bruce Springsteen's2016 tourbefore they even went on sale some for as high as $5,800 or $24,000 for a luxury box.

In 2009,twoCanadian law firms launched a class action lawsuitagainst Ticketmasterfor allegedly "conspiring" to divert fans to its own resale site, TicketsNow.Springsteensaid he and the band were "furious"that tickets had been marked up by hundreds of dollars on TicketsNow. Ticketmasterdidn't admit liability but settled the suit for $36 per ticket.

(Roberto Panucci/Corbis/Getty)

Eric Church

Country musicianEric Churchwas angered when scalpers started joining his website and fan clubto purchase large quantities of exclusive seats in the pit and front row of his shows. Church's reps now closely monitor the origin of sales and cancel the memberships of known scalpers.

(Richard Gabriel Ford/Getty)

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, musical creator of the Broadway smashHamilton,worked with Senator Charles Schumer earlier this year to develop the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, or BOTS, with the aim of reducing the number of tickets purchased by resellersusing automated software. Miranda became involved in the issue after seeing tickets for Hamilton being resold for up to $2,000 online. If passed, offenderscould face fines of $16,000 per ticket.

(Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond has tried the, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach. In 2008, around 100 tickets for Diamond's concert at Madison Square Garden in New York were posted on Ticketmaster's TM+, a fan-to-fanresale venture. It was later discovered Diamond posted the tickets himself in order to gain some of the revenue that typically goes to scalpers who inflate prices.

(Brill/ullstein bild/Getty)