So what is the software the ticket brokers have?

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.

Evolver

butterfly1 wrote:

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

Yeah you know the state of affairs is pretty out of whack when Ticketmaster is the good guy.

Evolver

Oh btw, looks like the software isnt *quite* as expensive as we thought -

"...According to the lawsuit, the site sells scalper subscriptions for up to 21 different ticket-buying programs for less than $2,000 a month. Among them is Purchasemaster, which, RMG boasts in an ad, "lets you do the work of a dozen people at once. Just enter the event information from the Ticketmaster.com Web site, and the moment the event goes on sale, Purchasemaster goes into action."

But of course the software is no longer available from RMG due to the TM injuction.

Kel Varnsen

Evolver wrote:

Oh btw, looks like the software isnt *quite* as expensive as we thought -

"...According to the lawsuit, the site sells scalper subscriptions for up to 21 different ticket-buying programs for less than $2,000 a month. Among them is Purchasemaster, which, RMG boasts in an ad, "lets you do the work of a dozen people at once. Just enter the event information from the Ticketmaster.com Web site, and the moment the event goes on sale, Purchasemaster goes into action."

But of course the software is no longer available from RMG due to the TM injuction.

Which begs the question even more why is there no free, or pirated version available online that the average user can download? How do they keep such a tight lid on their software, when it seems that no other type of software in the world is able to do the same thing?

Evolver

Kel Varnsen wrote:

Which begs the question even more why is there no free, or pirated version available online that the average user can download? How do they keep such a tight lid on their software, when it seems that no other type of software in the world is able to do the same thing?

An excellent question indeed. I mean the software was probably created by 2 or 3 geeks at this company, and there are thousands more geeks out there that could probably have come up with a copycat version.

Geeks of the world are letting us down - they're spending too much time on match.com in hopes of one day getting laid (with a girl) and not enough time on useful shit like this!

Stephen Flow

Great read on the software used:

http://www.buxtonspice.com/node/45

butterfly1

Ah my friends, then that geek writes the software, scores PJ tix, gets power, and $$$ and the next thing you know you get Bill Gates.

DP13

There is absolutely NO software that gives a major advantage to scalpers the first second tickets go onsale.

THERE ARE a few programs that can search sold out events constantly and buy any tickets that are slowly released. This also works if you set it to search a sold out section at a show that isn't completely sold out.

Obviously, I am sure there are a few scalpers that run the automated programs on unattended browsers during initial onsales... but they would need more computers than they have "pullers" and they would just have to be running around deciding if they want to purchase the pulled tickets. So, like I said there are not too many scalpers using automated programs on event day.

Scalpers are just better at pulling tickets, they all have very hispeed connections and they are very good at getting through quicker than the average joe can. Their T3 connection on a stripped down $3000 computer is much quicker than your $300 Dell with instant messanger and God knows what else running, hooked up to a dsl connection. They pull tickets all day, everyday. You get very good at the process over time. They use different, stripped down versions of opera and firefox. They have employees that also pull tickets. The artist direct fanclub presales now slowly leak the tickets over a half hour time period which IMHO made it even easier on the scalpers. A polished ticket puller can easily search 10 times for tickets for every one search an actual fanclub member can manage.

Prepaid credit cards and ticketfast have made it pretty simple to avoid household ticket limits. I won't explain it but if you have a brain I am pretty sure you can figure it out.

Around 50% of tickets on stubhub and ticketsnow scalpers don't even have... they presell tickets at higher rates and then worry about getting like or better tickets to fill their orders closer to the event date.

The above is all true, the below is some rumors and other crap I have heard:

I knew one guy that claimed that he bought a house within one mile of TM's servers in Philadelphia.

A scalper I knew claimed for awhile he was able to cut down on a great deal of TM's HTML making forcing the pages to load much quicker.

Some have connections at ticketmaster that will easily cancel any orders they decide will not be profitable. So, when in doubt on the onsale date they just buy, buy, and worry about the tickets later.

Kel Varnsen

butterfly1 wrote:

Ah my friends, then that geek writes the software, scores PJ tix, gets power, and $$$ and the next thing you know you get Bill Gates.

But where is some other geek to write a similar program for free just to get some fame (just like every other piece of shareware/freeware/open source software out there). I mean yes your guy could be the next Bill Gates, but there are free alternatives that a person can use if they don't want to use windows, word, excel or internet explorer.

Alternatively, where is the geek with questionable morals who is willing to steal the program and throw it up on a torrent site?

thunderDAN

butterfly1 wrote:

Ah my friends, then that geek writes the software, scores PJ tix, gets power, and $$$ and the next thing you know you get Bill Gates.

it's been proven that being able to write computer software gets you laid

blondieblue227

did we just give hackers intel to do this shit on their own now?