Senator Richard Blumenthal recently hosted a press conference at Connecticut's Infinity Music Hall to address predatory ticketing practices and their impact on live entertainment. He issued an open letter to the FTC demanding investigation and enforcement of the BOTS Act.

The Fix the Tix Coalition and National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) supported this initiative, emphasizing how predatory practices harm local economies and entertainment venues.

A recent study by Connecticut venues identified four major deceptive practices:

1. Ticket Hoarding and Bots

• Resellers bulk-purchase tickets and list them at inflated prices
• Use illegal botting software to acquire tickets
• Prevent fans from buying at face value

2. Deceptive SEO and IP Theft

• Secondary sellers manipulate search results to appear before official venues
• Misuse venue and artist imagery to mislead consumers
• Hide cheaper primary market tickets from consumers

3. False Demand Creation

• Platforms create artificial urgency
• Mislead about ticket availability
• Force rushed purchasing decisions

4. Price Gouging

• List tickets at excessive markups while cheaper options exist
• Target consumers unaware of primary market availability

Tyler Grill, CEO of Infinity Music Hall, confirmed these practices directly impact both venues and fans, emphasizing the need for reform to restore fairness in ticket sales.

The BOTS Act, despite being law since 2016, has only been enforced once, highlighting the urgent need for stronger enforcement and consumer protection measures.

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