So what is the software the ticket brokers have?

lateralus963

I am reading a lot people write that ticket brokers have special software that bumps them ahead of us? Is this true? and if so how can we get it? So then we can shut them out, buy a bunch of tickets and sell them to fan club members at face value...

Poncier

I doubt you'd want to invest the cost of that software for your plan of reselling at face value.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

lateralus963 wrote:

I am reading a lot people write that ticket brokers have special software that bumps them ahead of us? Is this true? and if so how can we get it? So then we can shut them out, buy a bunch of tickets and sell them to fan club members at face value...

software costs $10,000........

butterfly1

I know...its kind of odd that someone would write a program to get around the random word input thing. Then again maybe not if there is enough profit potential.

lateralus963

I am thinking more of an organization of people, we get a whole bunch of people to go in on the software... it cant be that much than and the truth of the matter is, it will save money in the long run.

thunderDAN

butterfly1 wrote:

I know...its kind of odd that someone would write a program to get around the random word input thing. Then again maybe not if there is enough profit potential.

so this program works reguardless of having to enter that code thing at TM

Poncier

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

software costs $10,000........

And then upgrades when Ticketmaster tweeks their system cost thousands more.


What say we start a benevolent face value ticket redistribution society...who's gonna pony up the first 10grand to start us up?

restlesssoul

the way i heard it was that they have this software. say if a show, like the eddie vedder show in vancouver, is going on sale. their software blocks most IP addresses on the west coast, but keeps east coast ones open. so not a lot of east coasters try for tickets in van anyways. THEN, i heard the software, constantly keeps trying by the millisecond or something for when they go on sale, and when they do, the software opens up like 30 windows all at once for all the best available tickets. this one guy in the paper, said he had the entire first two rows available on his screen for a show. the software also overrides the buying limit per household. i think it was made in india or something.

i got all that from an article read. i googled i t but couldnt find it. anyways, thats my understanding of it.

ticketmaster addressed this issue by adding another word to type in. i think that foiled the current software out there.

lateralus963

well do 100 people wanta go in with me? it will be $100 per person...lol

Indifference

Due a search on Ticketmaster and RMG Technologies.....plenty to read up on.

Poncier

thunderDAN wrote:

so this program works reguardless of having to enter that code thing at TM

This program deciphers the code thing at high speed.

Cosmo

lateralus963 wrote:

I am reading a lot people write that ticket brokers have special software that bumps them ahead of us? Is this true? and if so how can we get it? So then we can shut them out, buy a bunch of tickets and sell them to fan club members at face value...

...
It's called 'Hannah Montana'.
It gets in line and when it reaches the ticket window... it re-uses the system generated authorization code. They can purchase up to the maximum allotment on different credit card accounts. If the limit is 8 tickets per purchase and they have 100 different credit cards... they get 800 tickets.
...
Think of it in these terms...
You are standing in line to buy tickets at the box office. A fat, hairy, greasy 55 year old man with a bad comb over is in front of you. He buys 8 tickets... but, instead of getting out of line... he pulls out another credit card and buy 8 more. He does this 100 times so by the time you get to the window... the tickets are gone.

lateralus963

restlesssoul wrote:

the way i heard it was that they have this software. say if a show, like the eddie vedder show in vancouver, is going on sale. their software blocks most IP addresses on the west coast, but keeps east coast ones open. so not a lot of east coasters try for tickets in van anyways. THEN, i heard the software, constantly keeps trying by the millisecond or something for when they go on sale, and when they do, the software opens up like 30 windows all at once for all the best available tickets. this one guy in the paper, said he had the entire first two rows available on his screen for a show. the software also overrides the buying limit per household. i think it was made in india or something.

i got all that from an article read. i googled i t but couldnt find it. anyways, thats my understanding of it.

ticketmaster addressed this issue by adding another word to type in. i think that foiled the current software out there.

So that is the purpose for the two word code... interesting

butterfly1

thunderDAN wrote:

so this program works reguardless of having to enter that code thing at TM

No I don't think it can. TM doesn't either. Thats what isn't adding up for me. But then I don't write code. IMO the random code would defeat access blocking software.

sweet adeline

Cosmo wrote:

...
It's called 'Hannah Montana'.
It gets in line and when it reaches the ticket window... it re-uses the system generated authorization code. They can purchase up to the maximum allotment on different credit card accounts. If the limit is 8 tickets per purchase and they have 100 different credit cards... they get 800 tickets.
...
Think of it in these terms...
You are standing in line to buy tickets at the box office. A fat, hairy, greasy 55 year old man with a bad comb over is in front of you. He buys 8 tickets... but, instead of getting out of line... he pulls out another credit card and buy 8 more. He does this 100 times so by the time you get to the window... the tickets are gone.

awesome visual

thunderDAN

butterfly1 wrote:

No I don't think it can. TM doesn't either. Thats what isn't adding up for me. But then I don't write code. IMO the random code would defeat access blocking software.

If you guys have 5-10 minutes I'll go ahead and write some software that can bypass everything at TM and get you past all of that. If you have 5 minutes more I can work on some software that can get you backstage passes.

I'm that good

restlesssoul

thunderDAN wrote:

If you guys have 5-10 minutes I'll go ahead and write some software that can bypass everything at TM and get you past all of that. If you have 5 minutes more I can work on some software that can get you backstage passes.

I'm that good

but can you write the software that can get me a date with natalie portman

freealcibiades

It makes sense if the margin is big enough. And so it's clear, I absolutely abhor the automated programs used by ticket brokers. But see below for why it make sense:

If you spend $10,000 for an account with RMG Technologies (software provider) and it gives you the ability to purchase large blocks of tickets before every John Q. Smith is able to get in his order for 2 tickets, your block of seats will likely be highly sought after in the secondary market (ebay, stubhub) as the seat quality will be higher (read: closer to the stage)

In the example of PJ at MSG let's say Broker XYZ uses the program and purchases 100 tickets and gets great seats. The overhead for this is roughly $9,000 ($90 per ticket in total x 100 tickets). The re-sale value in the secondary market however is likely no less than $20,000. The better the seats the greater the markup. So if 50 of those 100 seats were on the floor the markup would more likely be 300% to 400% creating an even larger profit for the ticket broker. The expense of the program at $10,000 is a bargain and pays for itself after just one use.

SVRDhand13

i wish i could go back in time to like 3 years ago when i got good seats to all the shows i wanted to see. now im struggling to even make it into the arenas. thanks brokers.

butterfly1

thunderDAN wrote:

If you guys have 5-10 minutes I'll go ahead and write some software that can bypass everything at TM and get you past all of that. If you have 5 minutes more I can work on some software that can get you backstage passes.

I'm that good

I don't doubt it. But I am thinking I prefer the old days when the lottery was by mail.
Now that Natalie Portman fix....

thunderDAN

restlesssoul wrote:

but can you write the software that can get me a date with natalie portman

I can, but I will need some duct tape, the case to Mortal Kombat on Sega Gennises, 3 green zip-ties, and most importantly I will need a blue Jacks ball.

If I get all of that, you will also need 7-10 minutes and a box of rubbers for your date with Miss Portman

Kel Varnsen

butterfly1 wrote:

No I don't think it can. TM doesn't either. Thats what isn't adding up for me. But then I don't write code. IMO the random code would defeat access blocking software.

CBC Marketplace did a show on this a few weeks back. The program to recognize those codewords is pretty easy to develop. Check out this link
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/ticket_takers/ They found a PhD Student to do a test for them and he wrote a program that could read those words in about a week.

The thing I don't get is with all the movement towards free computer software, both the legal kind in open source software like Linux and the illegal kind like pirated stuff, why has no one ever made or found a free version of one of these programs that the average ticket buyer can use to at least put them on a level playing field with the brokers?

andrew the legend

Anyone else wishing for the old days when they played timbuktu and it was a HUGE hassle to get there but all the REAL fans got there on face value seats?
I am not complaining i am very good at getting tickets. Got fan club with relative ease for the 2 philly DC and both MSG. the system works for me.
But I have traveled all over North america to see the band. Id liek to see all the real fans get in screw ticketmaster.

slightofjeff

I think they need to go back to selling shit in person. You want tickets, you have to get your ass up to a ticket outlet and buy them.

Of course, this will never happen, because TM doesn't care who the hell is buying their tickets. They're pleased as punch right now. If anything, they are looking to get in on the re-selling game.

thunderDAN

slightofjeff wrote:

I think they need to go back to selling shit in person.

I know a guy named Tyrone you can buy tickets off of right outside the venue here in Cleveland. He must be a giant Pearl Jam fan because not only does he have some great seats to sell you, he will even buy your extras! what a guy that Tyrone is.

Evolver

There are some interesting details of the RMG operation in this NY Times article. For once I think we can all say we are on the side of Ticketmaster in their battle agains these broker assholes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/business/16digi.html?ref=business

augustwest

i read a newspaper article recently that interviewed this local scalper who spent $1million on tickets last year and resold them and made $250K on those tickets in 1 year! Not a bad paycheck!

That article, and this thread, depresses me...

Evolver

Kel Varnsen wrote:

CBC Marketplace did a show on this a few weeks back. The program to recognize those codewords is pretty easy to develop. Check out this link
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/ticket_takers/ They found a PhD Student to do a test for them and he wrote a program that could read those words in about a week.

The thing I don't get is with all the movement towards free computer software, both the legal kind in open source software like Linux and the illegal kind like pirated stuff, why has no one ever made or found a free version of one of these programs that the average ticket buyer can use to at least put them on a level playing field with the brokers?

Programs!?! In this NY Times article, the bastards said they were using a bunch of friggin underpaid workers in India to work in tandem with the program to type in the code words for 2 bucks an hour!!!

Thank you, come again!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/business/16digi.html?ref=business

Poncier

slightofjeff wrote:

If anything, they are looking to get in on the re-selling game.

Not looking to, they are already waist deep in the re-selling game.

butterfly1

I know...anyone else feel weird in this fight...I mean I am rooting for TM to prevail???? Tech makes for some strange choices.

slightofjeff

Poncier wrote:

Not looking to, they are already waist deep in the re-selling game.

I hate ticketmaster.