Bots—automated programs capable of completing tasks online far faster than us mere mortals—have been wreaking havoc on the concert ticket-buying public for decades.

A single bot can purchase over a thousand tickets in under a minute. There are cases where just a few bots have managed to snap up 15,000 tickets in a single day. When tickets for a highly sought-after event go on sale, it’s estimated that bots account for at least 40 per cent of the traffic to ticketing websites. In some instances, this figure has soared to an astonishing 96 per cent.

These bots relentlessly elbow their way to the front of the queue, buying tickets in bulk and immediately listing them on resale platforms with extortionate mark-ups. They can bypass restrictions like “limit four tickets per person” quicker than it takes a human to enter their payment details.

How Do Bots Work?

The secret lies in their speed and volume. Bots launch coordinated attacks, overwhelming the ticketing system and outpacing human buyers the instant sales open.

A specialised bot can create hundreds, sometimes thousands, of accounts on platforms like Ticketmaster or infiltrate existing accounts by cracking passwords and other credentials. When the clock strikes sale time, these bots mimic the actions of countless humans patiently waiting in line.

Once sales go live, a buying bot—actually, multiple bots working in tandem—activates scripts that race through the purchasing process. Some bots, known as “expediting bots,” can open up to 100 purchase windows simultaneously, heading straight to checkout. Others clog up the system by hoarding tickets in shopping carts, making them unavailable to everyone else. These tickets are held until the bots can finalise the purchase and transfer them to resale sites. This tactic, aptly named “denial of inventory,” is designed to frustrate genuine fans.

Some bots even resort to credit card fraud or find ways to circumvent the “X tickets per person” rule. They’re employed by ticket resellers, corporate hospitality firms, and big businesses eager to secure seats for clients. Others are operated by criminal organisations or entrepreneurial individuals. In fact, a quick search online reveals websites selling ticket-buying bots for as little as £75 to £700. Some even offer instructions on building your own.

The Man Behind the Mayhem

So, who do we have to thank for this chaos? To find the answer, we must travel back to 2001. Enter Ken Lowson, a former insurance salesman from Arizona and the man widely credited with unleashing bots upon the world of concert tickets.

Lowson, a ticket reseller by trade, teamed up with a teenage programming prodigy from Bulgaria to develop an automated ticket-buying program. Over the years, they honed the program to become faster, more aggressive, and virtually unbeatable when it came to snapping up tickets.

Lowson’s company, ironically named Wiseguy, amassed tens of millions of dollars from scalping tickets between 2001 and 2010. At the height of its dominance, Lowson claimed Wiseguy controlled 90 per cent of ticket sales in the United States during the 2000s.

The Legacy of Ticket-Buying Bots

Lowson’s creation set a precedent that others have eagerly followed. The ticket resale market has become a lucrative industry, with bots playing a central role. Genuine fans are left frustrated, unable to compete with the speed and efficiency of these automated programs.

Despite efforts by ticketing companies and lawmakers to curb the use of bots, they remain a persistent issue. Measures such as CAPTCHA tests, ticket limits, and anti-bot software have only been partially effective, as bot developers continuously find new ways to outsmart these defences.

Lowson himself has since distanced himself from the ticketing industry, claiming to regret the impact of his actions. However, the legacy of his creation endures, leaving concertgoers battling bots for the chance to see their favourite artists live.

A Frustrating Reality

For now, the fight against bots continues, but the damage has already been done. What started as a clever innovation has evolved into a plague, robbing music fans of the joy and fairness of purchasing tickets. As long as there’s money to be made in the resale market, bots will remain a thorn in the side of the ticket-buying public.