Lin-Manuel Miranda Hoping 'Ticket Bots' Become Felony; Imprisonment for Repeat Offenders

HAMILTON's Lin-Manuel Mirnada penned a piece in today's The New York Times regarding the recent news that New York State lawmakers are taking drastic steps to finally eliminate the illegal use of special automated software known as "ticket bots," which allow third-party brokers to scoop up the lion's share of tickets to the most popular shows currently running on Broadway.

The unfair practice was discovered by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, who subsequently shared his findings in a detailed report titled "Obstructed View: What's Blocking New Yorkers From Getting Tickets." In the report, Schneiderman explains how brokers use ticket bots to connect to sites such as Ticketmaster at lightning speed and purchase as many high-demand tickets as possible, then offer them on legal resale sites such as StubHub for as much as a 1,000% markup.

While the practice is already illegal under New York law, brokers are not deterred by the civil penalties they must pay when caught, which represent a fraction of the profit they are making. Now however, the full State Senate unanimously passed a bill which will result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment for repeat offenders. The New York Assembly is currently sponsoring a similar bill which if passed, will then be signed into law by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Miranda expresses his desire that in the near future, tickets will be made available to all in a legal and fair manner. He explains, "I want the thousands of tickets for shows, concerts and sporting events that are now purchased by bots and resold at higher prices to go into the general market so that you have a chance to get them. I want theatergoers to be able to purchase tickets at face value at our box office and our website, rather than on a resale platform. And if you do go to a resale platform for tickets, I want the markup you must pay to be clearly displayed.

Most of all, I want you to be there when the curtain goes up. You shouldn't have to fight robots just to see something you love."

Photo credit: Joan Marcus