Raye announced a one-off show at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall, reimagining her album with a full orchestra, and the demand was staggering. 1.8 million people signed up for just 5,000 seats. That’s roughly 360 fans for every single spot in the room.
But there’s a catch that’s becoming all too familiar. Raye’s team says scalpers used AI bots to generate hundreds of thousands of fake registrations, hoping to grab tickets and flip them at inflated prices. In response, the team is now manually reviewing sign-ups to separate real fans from the fakes. Pre-sale codes went out by 11:45am today, tickets went live at midday, and the general sale is set for Thursday, October 15 at 10am.
It’s not just Raye either. Independent shops like Banquet Records say bots are increasingly targeting their bigger shows, and the UK government has promised legislation to crack down on touts, though it hasn’t landed yet. Raye has been clear that fans deserve to buy tickets at face value, and her team is putting in the work to make that happen.
Have you ever lost out on tickets to a bot? Tell us your worst concert ticket war story.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.