Verified Fan has a 90-per-cent success rate in identifying ticket bots according to Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino.
Described as “a really big robot” by Rapino in an interview on the tech news KindredCast podcast, Verified Fan was introduced earlier this year, and has already been deployed for in-demand tours featuring Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles.
The platform asks those hoping to buy tickets to provide personal information, including their phone number, email and social handles. Verified Fan then assesses whether they are human, looking for clues like past ticket-buying history and social posts, and lets ticket-buyers know if they’ve made the cut.
Speaking to the KindredCast podcast, Rapino said that as well as identifying bots, Verified Fan gives fans a clearer idea of how difficult it will be secure tickets and how they can improve their chances.
“The challenge is we don’t have a mile-wide front row — the old problem in the business is supply and demand,” he said.
“There’s no nice way to tell 9.6 million people you can’t go. The challenge though is being more transparent. We start having a better dialogue. So [the consumer] will feel better if you’ve registered and we tell you, you’re one of 100,000 that are registered. We have 50,000 tickets here. And here’s how you can now increase your spot in the line.”
The interview with KindredCast comes as Live Nation’s stock has hit the $40-per-share mark, a record price for the company – a 47-per-cent rise since the start of 2017.
“There’s probably not been an industry with compounded growth as consistent as the live music business,” Rapino said of the company’s success, explaining that “live concerts continually ranked in the top three things that a consumer wants to attend every year as their escape.”
Verified Fan has recently attracted criticism, with an outcry over its use in the upcoming sale of Taylor Swift tickets.
In announcing the Reputation Tour, Swift and Ticketmaster released a video that said fans are invited to participate in “boost activities” which will “improve their place in line”. Fans can, for example, watch Swift music clips for free, but the video suggests they can also move up to ‘Priority’ category by going to ‘Shop the store’ to buy merchandise or by purchasing the singer’s album.
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