In Depth: Arts venues voice concerns about ticket resellers

Several prominent arts and entertainment venues consider third-party ticket sellers to be a “pervasive threat” to the performing arts industry, but professional resellers are defending their businesses.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT TOPICS ARE TAKING CENTER STAGE. IF YOU’VE PURCHASED TICKETS TO A SHOW AT ONE OF VERMONT’S MAJOR ARTS VENUES LATELY, SAY IN BURLINGTON, STOWE, OR RUTLAND, YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED A NEW PUSH FROM THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. SOME ARE TELLING THEATER GOERS THEY SHOULD REALLY AVOID BUYING TICKETS FROM THIRD PARTY RESELLERS, ALLEGING THOSE RESELLERS OFTEN DRIVE UP PRICES ON CONSUMERS. AND IN SOME CASES, THEY ARE OUT AND OUT. FRAUDSTERS. THE FLYNN IN BURLINGTON SAYS REPORTS OF JACKED UP PRICES AND TICKET SCAMS HAVE SPIKED AFTER THEATERS REOPENED FROM THE PANDEMIC. THE FLYNN, LONG ONE OF VERMONT’S BUSIEST DESTINATIONS FOR FANS OF LIVE THEATER, MUSIC, DANCE, COMEDY AND MORE, IS URGING AUDIENCES TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE TO BUY TICKETS ONLY FROM ITS ONLINE OR IN-PERSON BOX OFFICES, AS WELL AS THE BOX OFFICES OF OTHER ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT VENUES. NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO SEE THE SHOW, THEY SHOULD GO TO THAT VENUE’S WEBSITE, MAKE SURE IT’S THAT VENUE’S WEBSITE, BECAUSE IF YOU’RE BUYING DIRECTLY FROM THE WEBSITE, YOU’RE PAYING THE RIGHT PRICES. YOU GO ANYWHERE ELSE YOU’RE BUYING FROM A RESELLER. WITH MARKUP, THE FLYNN’S KEVIN SWEENEY TELLING NBC FIVE NEWS, AS A NONPROFIT, THE ORGANIZATION JUST CAN’T AFFORD TO PAY TO HAVE ITS WEBSITE COME UP FIRST IN SEARCH RESULTS. WHEN YOU’RE SHOPPING ONLINE FOR TICKETS, INSTEAD, WEBSITES OF THIRD PARTY RESELLERS ARE LIKELY TO APPEAR AT THE VERY TOP OF YOUR BROWSER WINDOW, SWEENEY SAYS, EXPLAINING THAT’S WHERE POSSIBLE PROBLEMS ARISE. WE’VE BEEN SAYING, DON’T GO TO GOOGLE, GO TO FLYNN.ORG, AND THAT’S THE ONLY PLACE WE SELL TICKETS. THERE ARE TWO MAIN REASONS BEHIND THIS MESSAGING CAMPAIGN. ACCORDING TO THE INSTITUTION, THE FIRST IS TO MINIMIZE THE CHANCES YOU’LL FALL PREY TO A SCAMMER. SOME OF THESE UNSCRUPULOUS SELLERS WILL SELL THE SAME SEATS TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE. ONLY ONE OF THE BUYERS IS GOING TO GET TO SEE THAT SHOW. THEY WILL SHOW UP THE NIGHT OF, AND IF IT’S A SOLD OUT EVENT, IT’S REALLY HORRIBLE BECAUSE WE WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE TRY TO FIND THOSE PEOPLE OTHER SEATS. BUT IN A SOLD OUT NIGHT, WE CAN’T. THE SECOND CONCERN THAT FLYNN HAS WITH RESELLERS, IT ACCUSES THEM OF OFTEN CHARGING 2 OR 3 TIMES THE ORIGINAL TICKET PRICE. ONE OF THE SHOWS LAST YEAR WAS IN THE LOBBY AND SOMEONE CAME UP TO AN USHER AND WAS ASKING ABOUT THESE. TICKET PRICES ARE ARE DOUBLE WHAT THEY SHOULD BE SHOWING ON THE TICKET FORM AND I EXPLAINED TO HER WHAT WAS HAPPENING. SHE ASKED ME TO TO SPEAK TO HER TWO FRIENDS WHO SHE PURCHASED THE TICKETS FOR. ALL THREE OF THEM TO EXPLAIN HOW SHE WAS DUPED. SO IT’S VERY SAD YOU KNOW, AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT ANGERS ME A LOT. THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO SKIN IN THIS GAME, YET THEY’RE PROFITING OFF OF OUR INVENTORY AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF JUST SOME PATRONS WHO JUST DON’T KNOW BETTER. AND THE MONEY’S NOT GOING TO THE ARTIST EITHER. IT’S NO, IT GOES RIGHT INTO THE TICKET RESELLERS HANDS. IT’S REALLY BAD. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE WHAT IS DONE WITH THE TICKETS THAT WE SELL, AND WE DON’T AUTHORIZE RESALES ABOVE THE TICKET PRICE. SO PEOPLE SAY, WELL, I CAN’T MAKE THE SHOW. YOU CAN SELL THE TICKETS ONLINE SOMEWHERE, BUT YOU HAVE TO CHARGE WHAT YOU WERE CHARGED FOR. THESE TICKETS TO RECOUP. THESE SHOULDN’T BE RESOLD FOR PROFIT ON THAT FIRST ISSUE. AVOIDING TICKET FRAUD VERMONT ATTORNEY GENERAL CHARITY CLARK RECOMMENDS YOU TAKE SEVERAL STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF, STARTING WITH MAKING SURE YOU ARE ON THE WEBSITE YOU THINK YOU’RE ON. LOOK FOR MISSPELLINGS OR THINGS THAT DON’T QUITE ADD UP. I MEAN, THIS IS LIKE A STANDARD SCAM APPROACH TO TRY TO USE A WEBSITE OR AN EMAIL ADDRESS THAT’S VERY SIMILAR TO A LEGITIMATE WEBSITE OR EMAIL ADDRESS. SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT. HOW YOU PAY FOR SOMETHING IS A GREAT WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS, SO THERE ARE CERTAIN WAYS YOU PAY FOR THINGS THAT HAVE CONSUMER PROTECTIONS BUILT IN. AND I’M TALKING ABOUT THE CREDIT CARD CREDIT CARDS HAVE BUILT IN CONSUMER PROTECTIONS, AND THEY ARE A SAFE WAY OF PURCHASING TICKETS. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS THAT DON’T HAVE THOSE PROTECTIONS. SO VENMO, ZELLE, CASH, ANYTIME SOMEONE WANTS YOU TO BUY SOMETHING WITH GIFT CARDS, IT’S A SCAM. THE OTHER THING IS WHERE YOU BUY THE TICKET CAN BE AN INDICATOR OF HOW LIKELY OR UNLIKELY THIS IS TO BE A SCAM. UNFORTUNATELY, SOCIAL MEDIA IS A POPULAR PLACE FOR SCAMMERS TO GO AND FIND VICTIMS. CRAIGSLIST. UNFORTUNATELY, IS ANOTHER PLACE WHERE SCAMMERS LIKE TO GO AND FIND VICTIMS. SO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, KEEP THAT IN MIND. THE OTHER THING IS, WHEN IT COMES TO SCAMS, PEOPLE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT SCAMMERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A SPIKED EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. BREATHING IN, BREATHING OUT. SO WHEN YOU SEE A TICKET THAT YOU’VE BEEN WANTING AND IT WAS SOLD, THE SHOW WAS SOLD OUT, BUT YOU FOUND THE TICKET AND YOU’RE EXCITED. SO NOW YOU’RE IN YOUR EMOTIONS AND YOU MIGHT LET YOUR EMOTIONS PREVENT YOU FROM SEEING SOME OF THESE CLUES THAT WOULD LET YOU KNOW THIS IS A SCAM. SO ANYTIME YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING, YOU’RE ACTUALLY VULNERABLE TO NOT USING YOUR LOGIC AND PREVENTING A SCAM FROM TAKING PLACE AND PREVENTING YOURSELF FROM GETTING SCAMMED. FOR MORE CONTEXT ON THE SECOND WORRY, THOSE INFLATED PRICES, WE TURNED TO ERIC MALLETTE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DOWNTOWN RUTLAND’S PARAMOUNT THEATER, TO SAY THAT WE’RE BEATING THE DRUM TOO PRETTY HARD WOULD PROBABLY BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT, HE SAYS. THE PARAMOUNT WORKS HARD TO KEEP TICKETS ACCESSIBLE FOR ITS PATRONS, SO HE FEARS POSSIBLE PERCEPTION PROBLEMS COULD ARISE IF A TICKET SHOPPER SEES MARKED UP PRICES ON SOME SITE. THAT’S NOT PARAMOUNT, DAWG, AND MISTAKENLY THINKS THOSE ARE FACE VALUE PRICES. I THINK THERE’S A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY TO THE LOGIC OF SOMEBODY SEEING A TICKET PRICE THAT SIMPLY EITHER JUST TURNS THEM OFF BECAUSE IT’S JUST TOO HIGH, OR LITERALLY JUST THEY CAN’T AFFORD IT, AND THEY’D NEVER THINK TO COME BACK AND LOOK AT US AGAIN. THAT’S WHERE I THINK THE THREAT TO THIS PARTICULAR INDUSTRY IS VERY REAL. I CAN’T TALK TO THE PEOPLE THAT I DON’T KNOW ABOUT, AND IF SOMEBODY GOES TO THE SITE AND SAYS, LOOK, THOSE TICKET PRICES ARE WILD, I WOULD NEVER PAY THAT OR I CAN’T PAY THAT, OR HOW DARE THE PARMOUNT OR INSERT NONPROFIT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER HERE? HOW DARE THEY SUGGEST THAT THIS IS WHAT IT COSTS FOR THIS ENTERTAINMENT? THEY DISAPPEAR. IT’S NOT ONLY THE TICKET SALE I JUST LOST. NOW I HAVE SOMEBODY IN THE COMMUNITY WITH A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTH AND FRANKLY, RIGHTFULLY SO. IF THE TICKET IS SUPPOSED TO BE $35 AND THEY SEE IT LISTED FOR 250, THAT WOULD MAKE ME UPSET TOO. IT’S NOT ONLY THE TICKET SALE AND THE MARGINS THAT WE SURVIVE ON IN TICKET REVENUE THAT POTENTIALLY BEGINS TO DRY UP, BUT IT’S THE CONTRIBUTED INCOME, THE MEMBERSHIPS, THE SPONSORSHIPS, THE FOLKS THAT GIVE TO US PHILANTHROPICALLY. I’LL PUT MYSELF IN THEIR SHOES FOR A MINUTE BEHIND THEIR DESK, BEHIND THEIR SCREEN. IF I GIVE PHILANTHROPICALLY TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT I NO LONGER FEEL WELCOME TO ATTEND BECAUSE THE TICKET PRICES HAVE PUT ME OUT OF BUSINESS, I’M NOT GOING TO WRITE A CHECK TO THAT ORGANIZATION TO HELP THEM REMAIN SUSTAINABLE, AND THAT’S WHERE THIS SNOWBALL STARTS TO REALLY PICK UP STEAM DOWN THE HILL. SOME RESELLERS ARE VOCALLY DEFENDING THEMSELVES AT SELF-SERVING FOR THESE TICKET ISSUERS TO PUT OUT THIS KIND OF PROPAGANDA. GARY ADLER IS WITH THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TICKET BROKERS, THE VERMONT IS THE SEASON OF THE STICKS AND I THE TRADE GROUP, BELIEVES CONSUMERS AND LEGITIMATE SELLERS ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP BUYING AND SELLING TICKETS IN THE SECONDARY MARKETPLACE BASED ON SUPPLY AND DEMAND PRICING, WITHOUT TOO MANY RESTRICTIONS LIKE PRICE CAPS, HE SAYS. NATB MEMBERS FOLLOW A CODE OF ETHICS AND DELIVER 200% REFUNDS IF TICKETS AREN’T DELIVERED AS PROMISED. WE ARE WORKING REALLY HARD. WE HAVE REALLY GOOD BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING. WE SEE EYE TO EYE WITH THE FLYNN AND OTHER VENUES IN CERTAIN REGARDS. THERE SHOULD BE NO FRAUD THERE SHOULDN’T BE PEOPLE PRETENDING THAT THEIR THE BOX OFFICE WHEN THEY’RE NOT. THERE SHOULD BE DISCLOSURE. WE’RE IN FAVOR OF TRANSPARENCY. WE’RE PRO-CONSUMER, WE’RE PRO COMPETITION. EVERYTHING WE DO IS TO MAKE IT EASIER AND A BETTER EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE 55% OF TICKETS ON THE SECONDARY MARKET GET SOLD BELOW WHAT YOU WOULD PAY AT THE BOX OFFICE. IF YOU’RE DEALING WITH A LEGITIMATE PROFESSIONAL RESELLER, FOR EXAMPLE, A MEMBER OF OUR ASSOCIATION, YOU CAN KNOW THAT YOU’RE BUYING WITH SOME CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OUR MEMBERS DO THE RIGHT THING, OR THEY WOULDN’T BE IN BUSINESS. BUT THE ARTS PRESENTERS ARE NOT CONVINCED. THE FLYNN CALLS THIRD PARTY RESELLERS A PERVASIVE THREAT TO THE PERFORMING ARTS INDUSTRY AS A NOT FOR PROFIT, WE WANT TO MAKE EVERYTHING. WE WANT TO MAKE WHAT WE DO ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE IN THE STATE. SO WE STARTED DOING FREE PERFORMANCES OUTSIDE THE BUILDING AND THE PLAYING FIELDS AND ARCH AND THE JAZZ FESTIVAL. WE REALLY OPENED UP BRAINTREE TO ONLY TWO PAID PERFORMANCES. SO ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO MAKE TO REMOVE THESE FINANCIAL BARRIERS AND THESE RESELLERS ARE GETTING IN THE WAY OF THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WALK AWAY AND GO, I WOULD NEVER PAY THAT MUCH TO GO SEE SOMETHING AT THE FLYNN. IF THE PRICES LOOK TOO HIGH, DO MORE RESEARCH BECAUSE RARELY I HAVEN’T SEEN A TICKET PRICE OVER $140 WITH ALL FEES. SINCE I’VE BEEN HERE AT THE FLYNN FOR TWO YEARS NOW. PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO PAY THAT MUCH TO SEE SOMETHING AT THE FLYNN, YOU KNOW. HAVE YOU HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH LAWMAKERS WHETHER IT’S AT THE LOCAL STATE LEVEL OR THE FEDERAL LEVEL, TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS? INTERESTINGLY, YES. JUST LAST WEEK, I HAD A TEAMS MEETING WITH PEOPLE FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE. ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE MAKE TO PEOPLE WHO’VE BEEN DUPED IS TO CALL THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE AND LET THEM KNOW. SO, YES, WE HAD A MEETING AND IT WAS EARLY JUST OVER A WEEK AGO NOW, BUT WE ARE LOOKING FOR STEPS TO KIND OF PULL ALL THE VENUES TOGETHER. THERE’S PROBABLY ABOUT A DOZEN OTHERS IMPACTED ACROSS THE STATE, LIKE HIGHER GROUND, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY EXPO I KNOW WAS HIT UP WITH SEES THAT IT’S ABOUT US ALL GETTING TOGETHER AND FIGURING OUT WHAT THE COMMON STEPS MOVING FORWARD CAN BE. CAN WE AFFORD TO PUT A CAMPAIGN TOGETHER AND GET IT EVERYWHERE, ALL OVER THE PLACE IN TV AND RADIO? AS A GROUP? OR IS IT TO GO TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SEEING IF SOMETHING CAN BE WRITTEN, PERHAPS, AND PUT IN FRONT OF THE LEGISLATURE TO HELP PROTECT THE CONSUMERS OF OUR STATE? YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU TELL SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO A SHOW FOR WEEKS THAT THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET TO SEE IT BECAUSE THE TICKETS THEY HAVE ARE INVALID? IT’S HEARTBREAKING. NONE OF OUR NONE OF OUR PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THAT WE WE’RE IN THE BUSINESS OF OFFERING SHARED EXPERIENCES TO GROUPS OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY VERY UPBEAT, POSITIVE, GOOD EXPERIENCES. SO ANYTHING THAT GETS IN THE WAY OF THAT, THAT GOES AGAINST WHAT OUR BRAND IS AT THE FLYNN ABOUT MAKING SURE PEOPLE COME IN THERE AND ENJOY EVERY MINUTE FROM THE MINUTE THEY WALK IN THE DOORS UNTIL THEY LEAVE AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, THAT THEY’VE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE. AND THAT’S WHAT OUR STAFF IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING. AND BECAUSE WHAT THESE SCALPERS ARE DOING IS NOT ILLEGAL, IT’S WILDLY UNETHICAL. IN MY BOOK, BUT BECAUSE IT’S NOT ILLEGAL, I THINK VERMONT IS SOMEWHAT OF A MAGNETIC DRAW TO THESE INDIVIDUALS. VERMONT HAS JUST NOT PICKED UP THAT THREAD IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. AND THEY NEED TO. WE SAVE THESE STAGES DURING COVID. WE SURVIVED BECAUSE OF OUR COMMUNITIES. WE SURVIVED BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT HELPING, STEPPING UP AND AND HELPING US TO CONTINUE OUR GOOD WORK AND OUR COMMUNITIES TO NOT TAKE THAT ADDITIONAL STEP TO PROTECT THE CONSUMER WHO ULTIMATELY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH THEIR PURCHASES OF OF TICKETS AND THROUGH CONTRIBUTED INCOME. IF THEY’RE NOT BEING PROTECTED? I DON’T KNOW WHAT WHAT WOULD SLOW THIS TRAIN DOWN. I CAN ONLY SEE IT PICKING UP STEAM, WHICH IS WHAT IT’S DONE SIGNIFICANTLY POST COVID. THE OPPORTUNITY IS THERE FOR MONTPELIER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS AND FRANKLY, SO FAR IT’S FALLEN ON DEAF EARS. NOW WE SHOULD POINT OUT THE TRADE GROUP FOR PROFESSIONAL TICKET RESELLERS. WE SPOKE WITH INDICATED IT WOULD VIGOROUSLY OPPOSE NEW LEGISLATION AIMED AT REINING IN THE SECONDARY TICKET MARKET. THE FLYNN SAYS IT HAS A PART TIME STAFF MEMBER WHO SPENDS MUCH OF HER TIME RESEARCHING SALES FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY, TRYING TO SPOT ANY SUSPICIOUS PURCHASES LIKE ABNORMALLY LARGE NUMBERS OF TICKETS SOLD. SHE THEN DOES OUTREACH TO THOSE BUYERS TO VERIFY THEY ARE VALID PURCHASES, AND NOT FOR RESALE. YOU HEARD THE RESELLERS TRADE GROUP SAY IT AGREES WITH THE ARTS VENUES ON A NUMBER OF POINTS. THOSE INCLUDE NOT PAYING CASH, NOT BUYING TICKETS FROM A GUY ON THE STREET CORNER. BOTH SIDES SAY YOU REALLY NEED

Some of Vermont’s most prominent arts and entertainment venues are encouraging patrons to buy tickets only from their official box offices and not from third-party resellers. Their public messaging campaign was one of the subjects of this week’s episode of NBC5 In Depth.”No matter where they are going to see the show, they should go to that venue’s website,” advised Kevin Sweeney, the director of marketing at the Flynn in downtown Burlington. “Make sure it’s that venue’s website, because if you’re buying directly from the website, you’re paying the right prices. You go anywhere else, you’re buying from a reseller with markup.”On its website, Flynn called third-party resellers a “pervasive threat to the performing arts industry.” The nonprofit organization said in some cases, they are simply fraudsters. In many other cases, the Flynn accused resellers of often charging two or three times the ticket price.To reduce the chances of falling victim to a ticket scam, Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark urged consumers to double-check that they are on the website they want to be on. Scammers may use slight variations of real web or email addresses to trick people into believing they are on a legitimate website, Clark said. She also encouraged shoppers to use their credit cards to complete transactions.”Credit cards have built-in consumer protections, and they’re a safe way of purchasing tickets,” Clark said. “There are other ways that don’t have those protections. Any time someone wants you to buy something with gift cards, it’s a scam.”Clark urged people who believe they have been ripped off in a ticket scam to contact her office’s consumer assistance program.As for the accusation that resellers unfairly jack up prices, Eric Mallette, the executive director of the Paramount Theatre in downtown Rutland, said that could have future impacts to arts organizations’ reputations.”I think there’s a very real possibility to the logic of somebody seeing a ticket price that simply either turned them off because it’s just too high or literally they can’t afford it, and they never think to come back and look at us again,” Mallette said. “That’s where I think the threat to this particular industry is very real.” Sweeney and Mallette said Vermont venues are in the early stages of discussing ways to amplify their messages to the public and to advocate for possible policy changes they said would protect shoppers and venues.”The opportunity is there for Montpelier to make a difference in this,” Mallette told NBC5 In Depth. “And frankly, so far, it’s fallen on deaf ears.”Some resellers are vocally defending themselves. “It’s self-serving for these ticket issuers to put out this kind of propaganda,” Gary Adler, the executive director of the National Association of Ticket Brokers, said.The NATB, a trade group, told NBC5 In Depth it believes consumers and legitimate sellers absolutely should be able to keep buying and selling tickets in the secondary marketplace, based on supply and demand pricing, without too many added restrictions like price caps. Adler said NATB members follow a code of ethics and deliver 200% refunds if tickets aren’t delivered as promised.”We have really good businesspeople who are doing the right thing,” Adler said.Both sides do agree on certain steps, including not paying cash for tickets and not buying tickets from strangers outside of a venue.For more from the Flynn, the Paramount, the Vermont Attorney General, and the NATB, watch the full segment from this week’s episode of NBC5 In Depth.

BURLINGTON, Vt. —

“No matter where they are going to see the show, they should go to that venue’s website,” advised Kevin Sweeney, the director of marketing at the Flynn in downtown Burlington. “Make sure it’s that venue’s website, because if you’re buying directly from the website, you’re paying the right prices. You go anywhere else, you’re buying from a reseller with markup.”

On its website, Flynn called third-party resellers a “pervasive threat to the performing arts industry.” The nonprofit organization said in some cases, they are simply fraudsters. In many other cases, the Flynn accused resellers of often charging two or three times the ticket price.

To reduce the chances of falling victim to a ticket scam, Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark urged consumers to double-check that they are on the website they want to be on. Scammers may use slight variations of real web or email addresses to trick people into believing they are on a legitimate website, Clark said. She also encouraged shoppers to use their credit cards to complete transactions.

“Credit cards have built-in consumer protections, and they’re a safe way of purchasing tickets,” Clark said. “There are other ways that don’t have those protections. Any time someone wants you to buy something with gift cards, it’s a scam.”

Clark urged people who believe they have been ripped off in a ticket scam to contact her office’s consumer assistance program.

As for the accusation that resellers unfairly jack up prices, Eric Mallette, the executive director of the Paramount Theatre in downtown Rutland, said that could have future impacts to arts organizations’ reputations.

“I think there’s a very real possibility to the logic of somebody seeing a ticket price that simply either turned them off because it’s just too high or literally they can’t afford it, and they never think to come back and look at us again,” Mallette said. “That’s where I think the threat to this particular industry is very real.”

Sweeney and Mallette said Vermont venues are in the early stages of discussing ways to amplify their messages to the public and to advocate for possible policy changes they said would protect shoppers and venues.

“The opportunity is there for Montpelier to make a difference in this,” Mallette told NBC5 In Depth. “And frankly, so far, it’s fallen on deaf ears.”

Some resellers are vocally defending themselves.

“It’s self-serving for these ticket issuers to put out this kind of propaganda,” Gary Adler, the executive director of the National Association of Ticket Brokers, said.

The NATB, a trade group, told NBC5 In Depth it believes consumers and legitimate sellers absolutely should be able to keep buying and selling tickets in the secondary marketplace, based on supply and demand pricing, without too many added restrictions like price caps. Adler said NATB members follow a code of ethics and deliver 200% refunds if tickets aren’t delivered as promised.

“We have really good businesspeople who are doing the right thing,” Adler said.

Both sides do agree on certain steps, including not paying cash for tickets and not buying tickets from strangers outside of a venue.

For more from the Flynn, the Paramount, the Vermont Attorney General, and the NATB, watch the full segment from this week’s episode of NBC5 In Depth.

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In Depth: Arts venues voice concerns about ticket resellers

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