Lin-Manuel Miranda Proposes Legislation

Lin-Manuel Miranda has an op-ed in the NY Times today arguing for the criminalization of ticket brokers' use of bots. I'm with him all the way. How do all of you see this issue?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/opinion/stop-the-bots-from-killing-broadway.html?emc=edit_ty_20160607&nl=opinion&nlid=2180396&_r=0

Audrey

How is it ironic? He's not arguing against high ticket prices. He's arguing that people be allowed to purchase the tickets, regardless of price, and not bots who will instantly send the tickets to stubhub

gypsy101 said: "ironic that he is the one saying this since it's HIS show that just put tickets on sale for $849.



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That doesn't match the definition of irony. You definitely just pulled an Alanis.

Saw an interesting response so this on reddit. Pasting below:



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<3 u Lin but this seems like lobbying copy fed to you by Ticketmaster and/or production companies. They have an interest in being the scalpers themselves. (See Premium seat prices, and Ticketmaster resale). If you want a full investigation of how this works (many performing artists scalp their own tickets), see this leaked Justin Bieber ticket distribution plan from 2013: http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/435883-justin-bieber-hold-instructions.html

I'm all for criminalizing the use of bots or increasing it to a felony, but it won't solve the problem of high ticket prices or stop them from "killing Broadway". Robots don't use tickets or occupy theatre seats, paying customers do. The resale market for tickets is close to a free market, and the reason prices are so high is the demand is high. When demand is low, you will often find resale tickets for much below face value. Here are people in this sub openly contemplating at what high price they'd sell their tickets for, a.k.a. capitalism: https://www.reddit.com/r/hamiltonmusical/comments/4muedm/how_much_money_would_it_take_for_you_to_give_up_a/

"Killing Broadway" is an odd metaphor to use for a show that is sold out for eternity and making its investors including Lin a lot of money. Eliminating bots, while probably a good thing to do, won't lower prices for high demand shows and performers. It'll just somewhat change the distribution of people that make money off it.

Notice that he calls out SH and vivid but not TM?

gypsy101 said: "ironic that he is the one saying this since it's HIS show that just put tickets on sale for $849.



I think you need to look up the definition of irony my friend.

The title of this thread is misleading. For one thing, Lin-Manuel Miranda can't propose anything. Since he is not an elected official, all he can do is express an opinion on something. However, this op-ed piece IS in support of legislation that has already been proposed and awaiting passage. So a better thread title would be "Lin-Manuel Miranda Supports Legislation"

However, I agree that his op-ed is somewhat ironic. While he does explicitly state that ticket buyers should have an opportunity to purchase tickets directly, he also implies that the use of bots is what dramatically increases the costs of tickets. He also states that re-sales "punish" ticket buyers who cannot buy tickets at face value. The structure of the piece would make the reader think he is siding with the consumer with a desire to keep prices "affordable" (i.e., not being gouged). But as I read the op-ed, it seems that he is on the side of face value tickets with the value being what the brokers are charging. He's not at all on the consumer's side: he just wants the money the brokers are getting.

The only true way to stop brokers is simply to make it illegal to charge more than face value for a ticket and restricting service fees. If the producers of Hamilton wanted, they could simply make the tickets non-transferable with a system that verifies the ticket holder also is the original purchaser of the ticket. When you buy the tickets, you have to identify who will be using them. It works for the airlines (and Amtrak).

"The only true way to stop brokers is simply to make it illegal to charge more than face value for a ticket and restricting service fees. If the producers of Hamilton wanted, they could simply make the tickets non-transferable with a system that verifies the ticket holder also is the original purchaser of the ticket. When you buy the tickets, you have to identify who will be using them. It works for the airlines (and Amtrak)."



All of this. It works in the concert industry too. It would fix the problem almost overnight.

The only way he'll be able to combat it is to go to QR scanning of mobile phones instead of print-at-home, like the Yankees switched to (and promptly pissed off all their season ticket holders).

AHLiebross said: "Schubox, capitalism is fine when there's a level playing field. I'd rather the investors reap the benefit of high ticket prices, and I'd REALLY rather that the creatives do.

Although we're talking about screwing the middle class here, and not the poor, ticket scalpers who use bots remind me of payday lenders and auto title loan lenders. And they call us lawyers sharks....

Audrey



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Ha, I'm also a lawyer. And I don't know if I 100% agree with that post but I thought it was an interesting perspective. It is hard to take him seriously when premium seats are now close to $900 face value

imeldasturn said: "I'm honestly surprised it doesn't already work in this way, like in most of the countries



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When I lived in NYC there WAS a legal limit to what a broker or charity could charge over the listed ticket price. It was 10%, no matter how much good your charity did.

I moved to LA in 1985 (where there was no such restriction) and the difference was immediately apparent: concerts or theater, the entire front section was filled with wealthy people, many of whom seemed to be there only because it was the thing to do. The true fans were relegated to back sections.

At a Eurythmics concert in the late 1980s, Annie Lennox stopped at the end of a song, looked out at the people standing and screaming in the back and the people sitting on their hands in the front, and said to the latter, "What the f**k is wrong with you? Stand the f**k up!" And stand they did. Moral: don't mess with Lennox when she's performing.

I don't know when the law changed in NYC.

The situation has become dire and it seems these days that average theater lovers can't afford the price of a ticket. These bots gobble up all the tickets and, if you want to see a show you have to take out a second mortgage on your house or give away your first born. It is ridiculous.