Back in November, New York State passed a law criminalizing the use of ticket bots to purchase concert and other event tickets.
These scourges of the internet are, as you probably know, a big part of the reason why you can never get tickets at face value and why tickets on the secondary market are so expensive. It was a big deal that New York took the initiative to crackdown on them. The federal government passed a similar proposal soon after.
If you were skeptical about the efficacy of the rule, you had good reason though. Laws have no inherent value without enforcement and the money to actually fund that enforcement. So it was very possible that the New York ticket bot law would have just sat on the books and did nothing.
Turns out that wasn’t the case! New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that five companies in the state of New York and two from neighboring states have agreed to settlements totaling $4.2 million for violating the law. Here are the companies and the amount they’re settling for because why not put them on blast:
- Prestige Entertainment of Connecticut, $3,350,000
- Presidential Tickets of New York, $125,000
- Concert Specials, Inc of New York, $480,000
- Fanfetch Inc. of New York, $55,000
- BMC Capital Partners, Inc. of New York, $95,000
- Top Star Tickets of Massachusetts, $85,000
“Unscrupulous ticket resellers who break the rules and take advantage of ordinary consumers are one of the major reasons why ticketing remains a rigged system,” said Schneiderman in a statement. “We will continue to fight to make ticketing a more fair and transparent marketplace, so fans have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite shows and events. Anybody who breaks the law will pay a steep price.”
Hopefully the New York AG actually bringing charges against companies under the law encourages other companies to shape up and fix their business practices. We’ll all be better off for it.
Keep rejoicing.
Go out tonight, and any night. Jukely is a concert subscription that gives members guestlist access to hundreds of music events – for one price. Whenever you want to go out, you’ll always have something to do. Learn more and sign up at jukely.com.
