Here’s How Rage Against the Machine Are Raging Against Ticket Scalpers
Rage Against the Machine aren't going to let ticket resellers get the jump on concertgoers when it comes to the band's upcoming reunion tour. The charity-guided and activism-minded rockers already have a plan to combat ticket scalping while using any extra money to benefit a range of helpful organizations.
That's what the group outlined in a statement Thursday (Feb. 13), the day tickets go on sale for the first Rage Against the Machine concerts in nearly nine years. The band initially reunited last year, and will rock across North America this spring before headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals across the pond in August. The secondary ticket market will naturally attempt to profit from the tour, but not if the group has anything to say about it.
In a way, the band is becoming a reseller itself by holding back 10% of allotted tickets. Rather than vend those tickets at exorbitantly high prices at a later date, however, Rage will add a nominal fee to the base price of those remaining tickets and give the extra profit to charities and/or "activist organizations."
The group will also "do everything [it] can" to protect the other 90 percent of tickets from predatory selling practices. In addition, Rage Against the Machine are donating all profits from the first three shows entirely to charity. Those concerts take place in late March in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
Get Rage Against the Machine tickets here.
"Since the announcement of our tour, scalpers and broker sites have been listing fake tickets for RATM. We want to do everything we can to protect our fans from predatory scalping and, at the same time, raise a substantial amount of money for charities and activist organizations we support in each city. At many concerts, up to 50% of the seating is scooped up by scalpers and then resold to fans at much higher frees. We are doing everything we can to protect 90% of the RATM tickets from scalpers, and then WE are holding in reserve 10% of the seating (random seats throughout each venue) to sell at a higher ticket price (but low enough to undercut the scalpers). We will donate 100% OF THE MONEY over the fees and base ticket price to charities and activist organizations IN EACH CITY. We are confident this will help many more fans get tickets at face value and put a big dent in the aftermarket gouging. WE HATE SCALPING AS MUCH AS YOU DO and will continue to try to find ways to combat it. Additionally, we are donating all profits from our first three shows to immigrants' rights organizations and will be supporting multiple charities and activist organizations throughout the tour."
20 Rock + Metal Bands Who Reunited in the Last Decade