The secondary ticketing platform Viagogo has called for an overhaul of the ticketing industry, following efforts by the singer Raye to manually filter bot activity for her upcoming concert. Viagogo described the manual review process as "absurd" and urged the UK government to introduce reforms that would increase competition among ticket sellers.
The comments follow a statement from Raye last week, in which she stated that "hundreds of thousands of fake registrations" from bots overwhelmed the sign-up process for her October 23 show at the Royal Albert Hall. In response, her team manually reviewed sign-ups to identify legitimate fans. While Viagogo said it supported the artist's goal of reaching real fans, it characterized the manual review as evidence of a "broken" system.
Viagogo, which operates as StubHub in the United States, argued that bot activity occurs on primary ticketing platforms when tickets first go on sale. The company is advocating for an "open distribution" model, similar to how airline tickets are sold, which would allow tickets to be sold through multiple competing firms rather than a single primary seller. The company reported that its global business as a primary ticket seller grew by 400% in its third quarter.
Viagogo argues that sharing technology and data between primary and resale platforms would allow for better identification of suspicious activity, potentially reducing the number of tickets bought by automated bots for the purpose of reselling. The company suggests that an "open ticketing" model, where multiple platforms compete for the same seats, could lead to increased choice and protection for fans.
The proposed changes come as the UK government considers new legislation to limit resale prices to face value plus unavoidable fees. Viagogo is urging ministers to expand this review to include "pro-competitive" reforms that would mandate primary sellers to share information with regulators when their systems are breached. The government has not yet released concrete plans for the new resale laws. A Viagogo spokesperson stated the company is ready to work with officials on these reforms.