Any concert-goer will tell you one of the most frustrating things in the world are ticket scalpers.
Iron Maiden have agreed for some time, and have made it their mission to eliminate the problem. Apparently, their new “paperless ticketing” system has decreased listings on secondary sites by over 95 percent.
While ticket bots would often scoop up large amounts of the better seats for Iron Maiden, the band implemented a policy that started to require ticket purchasers’ credit cards and ID upon entry to the venue along with several other measures.
Here’s a full breakdown of just how successful the band’s crackdown has been:
“• In November 2010 when tickets went on sale eight months in advance for Maiden’s 10 date 2011 Summer UK arena tour, 6,294 tickets appeared overnight on three of the biggest secondary ticketing platforms (Viagogo, Seatwave, Getmein) compared with just 207 tickets in 2016, all of which were listed only on Viagogo. With secondary ticketing much more developed now, the difference is probably much greater.
• In 2010 Getmein and Seatwave accounted for 67% of the listed tickets. In 2016 both de-listed the Maiden tour at our request so no tickets were available from them. Stubhub also agreed not to list any Maiden tickets, so it was only Viagogo who decided to list and then, before tickets had even gone on sale to the general public, misleadingly stated there were only a few tickets still available presumably to justify the excessive pricing.
• Of those 207 tickets listed by Viagogo in 2016, most were identified as bogus and are now in the hands of the relevant authorities investigating criminal activity. The few genuine tickets which made their way onto Viagogo have been made null & void per our conditions of ticket purchase.
• Maiden’s promoter Live Nation confirms that overall sales are higher than the equivalent sales point in 2010.
• Live Nation also confirms that customer feedback has been excellent and Ticketmaster report that they have had only positive comments about the fact the artist is trying to restrict exploitative pricing via the resale market.
• Having our own dedicated support team helped our Fan Club’s ticketing experience be as seamless as possible.”Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood commented on the new system and the issue of scalping at large, saying “we are delighted that the paperless ticketing system and other measures we instigated here in the UK have proved a massive deterrent to touts and counterfeiters.”
“We want to thank our fans for their enduring support and patient. We appreciate that our stringent policy has meant fans having to jump over one more hurdle in the ticket-buying process but the results speak for themselves.”
The new ticketing system should be a huge relief to fans who are looking to catch the band on their North American tour this year with opening act Ghost.
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