Three Year Investigation Reveals the Corruption of New York City’s Ticketing Industry

After a three year investigation, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman has exposed the corruption of New York City's event ticketing industry.

In a report titled "Why Can't New Yorkers Get Tickets," Schneiderman addresses numerous abuses to consumers by both ticketing corporations and scalpers. As reported by The New York Times, the report discusses how specialized computer programs enable a single buyer to instantaneously purchase large amounts of tickets. Shows at Madison Square Garden, which previously hosted Jack Ü's 2015 New Year's Eve celebration and a sold-out show of Armin Van Buuren's "A State of Trance" are often targeted. Most notably, one of U2's shows there sold 1,000 tickets in less than a minute.

The attorney general also found ticketing companies continuously withheld tickets from the public, sometimes holding up to 70% of seats in a venue for insiders and pre-sales; he notes a Kanye West concert there in which 29% of tickets were kept for private purposes.

"Ticketing is a fixed game," says Schneiderman. "My office will continue to crack down on those who break our laws, prey on ordinary consumers and deny New Yorkers affordable access to the concerts and sporting events they love."

The New York Times reports that the problem of illegal or unfair ticket sales largely escalated when online ticketing increased in popularity.

Ticketmaster has since issued a statement insisting that they cooperated with Schneiderman and supported his efforts.

Rebecca is on Twitter.