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Post by viserys on Apr 11, 2016 18:53:53 GMT
As long as the resales are genuine, i.e. 10-12 tickets per show available, it would be okay. When we get these bots scooping up half the theatre when a booking period opens and selling 200-300 tickets per show at ludicrous prices we're in trouble.
However, in my long experience, London has never been prone to the kind of hype they do on Broadway. And the demand for a rap/hip hop musical about the Founding Fathers of the US will be lower here too. So, in short, even if greedy touts try to flog 200 tickets at $800 here, I doubt they'll find takers.
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Post by firefingers on Apr 11, 2016 19:03:22 GMT
Hopefully the producers will be sensible and introduce a ticket locked to ID for this to stop ticket touts, with the ability to resell your ticket through the box office.
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Post by primitivewallflower on Apr 11, 2016 19:41:41 GMT
How do the bots work now? Don't the primary ticket sale sites have captcha protection?
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 11, 2016 19:42:48 GMT
Hopefully the producers will be sensible and introduce a ticket locked to ID for this to stop ticket touts, with the ability to resell your ticket through the box office. The problem with the first one is then people can't give tickets as gifts. I'm not sure how significant a percentage of sales that would be, though. |
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Post by firefingers on Apr 11, 2016 20:06:44 GMT
Hopefully the producers will be sensible and introduce a ticket locked to ID for this to stop ticket touts, with the ability to resell your ticket through the box office. The problem with the first one is then people can't give tickets as gifts. I'm not sure how significant a percentage of sales that would be, though. Surely you could buy tickets in someone else's name. As long as the name matches the ID it is fine. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 20:20:13 GMT
It depends on how expensive the tickets are gonna be for me. If they're gonna go up to £500 like they do on Broadway then I think people should have the opportunity to sell them or at least return them to the box office for their money back cos that is a lot of money to lose if something unexpected happens and you can no longer make it.
I know this hasn't been the case for recent concerts like Kate Bush and Adele where it was either come to the concert or your ticket goes to waste.
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Post by viserys on Apr 12, 2016 7:52:45 GMT
How do the bots work now? Don't the primary ticket sale sites have captcha protection? In a recent interview with the NY Times, producer Jeffrey Seller was quoted as follows: A complicating factor is that the money being divided derives from the face value of tickets that range from $67 to $477, hardly small change but short of what the tickets are fetching on StubHub and other secondary-market sites — anywhere from $500 to $2,000 or more. The money from these secondary-market sales goes to brokers, many of whom get their hands on tickets by using computer programs, or “bots,” to scoop up huge volumes of seats each time a new batch becomes available. The demand is heightened by a distinct lack of supply. Broadway theaters, in general, are small, much smaller than some of the bigger houses in other American cities. The Richard Rodgers, midsize for Broadway, seats just over 1,300, so during the course of eight shows in a week, far fewer people see “Hamilton” than attend a single Knicks game. Early this year, Seller says, a single bot purchased 20,000 “Hamilton” tickets. Even when the brokers’ methods are discovered, he says, “they figure out a new way to hack the system. It’s frustrating, and it’s infuriating.” Here's the full (very long) interview: www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/magazine/the-ceo-of-hamilton-inc.html?_r=0So, anyway, yes, apparently still a big problem with bots. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 8:16:51 GMT
It's tricky because they are professionals and "skilled" at what they do so they'll find a way sadly. And as there are people willing (and with means) to pay, then they'll keep making money.
It'd be tricky to enforce the ID rule long term as well I think-it was ok with one off concerts and short runs but that's a lot of additional work over a long run.
I do think though here it'll be Book of Mormon level excitement and pricing-so yes some stupid price premium and yes some scalping but I doubt we'll see the level in NY.
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Post by primitivewallflower on Apr 12, 2016 16:28:42 GMT
How do the bots work now? Don't the primary ticket sale sites have captcha protection? In a recent interview with the NY Times, producer Jeffrey Seller was quoted as follows: A complicating factor is that the money being divided derives from the face value of tickets that range from $67 to $477, hardly small change but short of what the tickets are fetching on StubHub and other secondary-market sites — anywhere from $500 to $2,000 or more. The money from these secondary-market sales goes to brokers, many of whom get their hands on tickets by using computer programs, or “bots,” to scoop up huge volumes of seats each time a new batch becomes available. The demand is heightened by a distinct lack of supply. Broadway theaters, in general, are small, much smaller than some of the bigger houses in other American cities. The Richard Rodgers, midsize for Broadway, seats just over 1,300, so during the course of eight shows in a week, far fewer people see “Hamilton” than attend a single Knicks game. Early this year, Seller says, a single bot purchased 20,000 “Hamilton” tickets. Even when the brokers’ methods are discovered, he says, “they figure out a new way to hack the system. It’s frustrating, and it’s infuriating.” Here's the full (very long) interview: www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/magazine/the-ceo-of-hamilton-inc.html?_r=0So, anyway, yes, apparently still a big problem with bots. Thanks very much for posting that. First off, I'm very suspicious about the incentives here. Captchas and other human verifications are now commonplace and ought to be easy to implement, so it's curious that this is a problem at all. I would note, however, that sites like Ticketmaster also host second-hand tickets, for which they take a cut on both the buying and selling end. That means there's basically no incentive for them to clamp down on shenanigans with primary purchases. But taking a step back: yes, the prices absolutely suck, but if scalpers find it worthwhile to buy tickets en masse and then resell them on secondary market sites even with cuts being taken out, then clearly the demand is there and the producers were underpricing tickets to begin with. And the thing is, even if scalping and resales were stopped dead in their tracks and the producers mandated that prices were lower, it'd still be frustrating to get a ticket; not because it was expensive, but because the queue would run the entire length of Manhattan and it would require days or weeks of camping out to have a shot. |
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Post by viserys on Apr 12, 2016 16:53:18 GMT
Well, yes... I can see the argument, which was similarly made by Mel Brooks when he first introduced premium seats for The Producers... and I understand that the producers would rather pocket the money themselves than see it go to touts and scalpers.
However... as we've seen on both sides on the pond, the whole premium seats thing was soon introduced by virtually every production, even those who were/are struggling to sell tickets to begin with. Similarly, as soon as a popular show (or a new big show arriving in town) hikes the prices, virtually all productions follow suit. Which I think contribues to the early demise of new unknown shows such as now Mrs Henderson Presents or Made in Dagenham.
So, okay, let Hamilton charge a hundred pounds for regular good stalls seats when it arrives in London and the market is ready to pay that. But then other shows will hike their prices as well and... price even more theatre lovers out of the market.
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Post by horton on Apr 12, 2016 17:03:24 GMT
I have to agree- there are some shows I simply won't see (unless I get a comp) at the prices charged, (I'm looking at you Book of Mormon). I just don't support those prices- or more importantly, a proper RANGE of prices so that even those on modest budgets can book in advance without the rigmarole of lotteries or dayseat queues!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 20:28:59 GMT
For everyone that ordered the book on Amazon I just checked my account and mine is being delivered on Friday.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 12, 2016 20:31:46 GMT
I want. But I'm broke as hell having bought an obscene amount of tickets from May until December. Time to start giving hand jobs and eating canned cat food to pay them bills.
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Post by Stasia on Apr 13, 2016 9:06:39 GMT
I have to agree- there are some shows I simply won't see (unless I get a comp) at the prices charged, (I'm looking at you Book of Mormon). I just don't support those prices- or more importantly, a proper RANGE of prices so that even those on modest budgets can book in advance without the rigmarole of lotteries or dayseat queues! slightly offtop but with BOM I had no problem booking decent seats that cost me 37-47 pounds around 2 months in advance |
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Post by horton on Apr 13, 2016 10:18:26 GMT
Really? I've only seen £82 seats half way up the circle!
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Post by theatremadness on Apr 13, 2016 10:28:57 GMT
If you choose the right dates you can find a good selection of the circle for £29.75. That's how much I paid last time I went to BoM. Currently, 11th May afternoon has this availability at the back of the circle and 25th May afternoon has this availability from Row F backwards. Dynamic pricing working in our favour!!
EDIT: After a quick check of the DMT website, all Wed afternoon's in June have £29.75 seats in the circle, 29th June & 6th July have them for £27.50!
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Post by charliec on Apr 13, 2016 15:29:29 GMT
For everyone that ordered the book on Amazon I just checked my account and mine is being delivered on Friday. Aargh! I cancelled my order because my Dad is in the U.S so I figured he could pick one up in a bookstore, every shop he's tried is sold out. It's number 1 in all book sales on amazon.com at the moment. Think they've completely underestimated demand for this! |
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 13, 2016 15:58:31 GMT
I have to agree- there are some shows I simply won't see (unless I get a comp) at the prices charged, (I'm looking at you Book of Mormon). I just don't support those prices- or more importantly, a proper RANGE of prices so that even those on modest budgets can book in advance without the rigmarole of lotteries or dayseat queues! slightly offtop but with BOM I had no problem booking decent seats that cost me 37-47 pounds around 2 months in advance That's what I did before my London trip in August 2014. I don't think I bought my BoM ticket until 2 or 3 months before the trip. I forget how much I spent, but it was a box seat and not exorbitant. I'm really interested in the coffee table book, even though I'm not a huge fan of the show -- it looks like the detail and craftsmanship are incredible. Well, maybe I'll get one in a few months and/or at the Broadway Flea Market.  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2016 17:24:26 GMT
For everyone that ordered the book on Amazon I just checked my account and mine is being delivered on Friday. Aargh! I cancelled my order because my Dad is in the U.S so I figured he could pick one up in a bookstore, every shop he's tried is sold out. It's number 1 in all book sales on amazon.com at the moment. Think they've completely underestimated demand for this! Oh no, what a shame. Hopefully it will become back in stock on Amazon soon. Yes the book looks stunning from what I've seen online. I'm very impressed. |
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Post by jek on Apr 14, 2016 13:35:26 GMT
Daughter's copy of the Hamiltome has just arrived (ordered from Amazon on April 5th). If she has got homework tonight it is unlikely to get done. I like the way that she, and other teenagers, are getting their knowledge of American history via musical theatre. Not just Hamilton, but Assassins and the Pajama Game, among others. If only the GCSE boards could be encouraged to set their exams to reflect this specialist knowledge!
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Post by partytentdown on Apr 14, 2016 14:04:21 GMT
My copy arrived - it's a stunning book
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Post by charliec on Apr 14, 2016 14:15:34 GMT
Ah so glad its a great book! My friend is picking me up a copy in Arizona as I type so I'll get mine next week when he brings it over.
Next time i'll just try to be patient and wait for Amazon!
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Post by primitivewallflower on Apr 14, 2016 16:19:44 GMT
Daughter's copy of the Hamiltome has just arrived (ordered from Amazon on April 5th). If she has got homework tonight it is unlikely to get done. I like the way that she, and other teenagers, are getting their knowledge of American history via musical theatre. Not just Hamilton, but Assassins and the Pajama Game, among others. If only the GCSE boards could be encouraged to set their exams to reflect this specialist knowledge! That's awesome. You should all check out Chernow's biography too if you're interested... the musical only manages to touch on half of the amazing stories in Hamilton's life, and the book is able to fill in the broader context of American politics and Hamilton's place in them. |
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Post by ali973 on Apr 16, 2016 13:03:00 GMT
Is this going to be stocked in London soon? I'll be in town in early May and can perhaps pick it up there and kill some time with it on my flight instead of having to oder it on Amazong and probably have to wait for two weeks before stock becomes available.
This makes me miss Dress Circle.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2016 18:55:19 GMT
See tickets have now sent an email out that included a prominent section on signing up for Hamilton should it transfer.
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