If you’ve tried to get concert tickets, especially to the big shows here in Michigan like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Zach Bryan and John Mayer at the Big House, or when the WWE comes to town, you can already relate to my pain.
The show goes on sale at 10 a.m., you’re logged in at 9:59, and by 10:01 the tickets are “sold out.” Not because 20,000 real people bought them… but because of bots.
As someone who goes to nearly every concert in the area (seriously, if there’s a tour or festival coming through Detroit, Grand Rapids, or really anywhere in Michigan, I’m probably there) I can’t tell you how frustrating it’s been. And that’s why I’m thrilled to see Michigan finally taking some serious steps to stop the madness.
The “Taylor Swift bills,” just passed by the House and now headed to the Senate, aim to make it harder for ticket bots to grab up tickets the very second they go on sale. They’d give the Attorney General the power to go after scalpers using these shady tools, by giving out fines of up to $5,000 per ticket…