DICE stands up against scalpers
On Monday, DICE, the live event ticketing and discovery platform which has powered tickets for some of the world’s biggest artists including Kanye West, Adele, Diplo and Rex Orange County, has launched in the U.S. after achieving a cult following in the U.K. DICE’s stateside arrival brings with it ambitious expansion plans and a bold mission to eradicate the nationwide problem of ticket scalping.
The British company, which uses innovative mobile technology to ensure tickets are anti-scalper, begins its U.S. rollout in New York and Los Angeles, with plans to land in Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Austin and Atlanta. Out of the gates, DICE already has several exclusive U.S. venues confirmed, including Sound, The Lyric and Gold Diggers in Los Angeles, as well as Chelsea Music Hall, Alphaville and Kinfolk in New York City.
DICE stands up against scalpers:
The timing of DICE’s stateside arrival coincides with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) upcoming crack down on problematic practices in the online event ticket marketplace, a move supported by close to2,000 public complaints about the current broken ticketing system.
DICE utilizes a multi-pronged approach to stop scalping; mobile tickets locked to smartphones are hassle-free for fans but a nightmare for scalpers, refunds to sold-out shows removes the need for secondary resale, and machine learning capabilities within the app monitor for (and ban) any user trying to cheat the system.
As a proof point, not one of DICE’s mobile tickets has been listed on a secondary site since it launched, with tens of thousands of shows under its belt to date. Additionally, in 2017, DICE was referenced by the UK Government in anti-scalping legislation, nodding to how its innovative technology is helping to beat the scalpers.
Phil Hutcheon, DICE CEO and Founder says: “DICE was born out of frustration. I managed artists whose tickets were being sold at inflated prices that we couldn’t control. Everyone told me that it couldn’t be solved but no one had thought about creating a platform that was really built for fans, which is the most obvious approach. We’re obsessed in making it easy for fans and there’s never been a better time for DICE to launch in the United States. US fans hate scalping, we’re here to kill it. American scalpers be warned, it’s over.”
Heading up DICE’s expansion into North America is Andrew Foggin, a member of the company since day one who previously led the company’s growth across the UK.
DICE’s fan-first model extends to up-front pricing. The first price shown is the price fans will pay. This model has also garnered the support of artists and venues, who use DICE because they know digital tickets locked to smartphones keep scalpers out, and ensure fans get in at a fair price.
Megan Gaver, Director of Operations at Los Angeles-based venue Sound said: “DICE has scalping prevention features that we have found to be invaluable and of great importance to the fans purchasing tickets. With so many platforms online that allow resale, even against the artist’s or venue’s direction, fans in the past found themselves purchasing drastically higher priced tickets to sold-out shows. DICE has developed a backend that disallows resale and transfer without the express permission of multiple parties that ensure the price remains the same compared to the original.”
How DICE makes it easy to discover the best events in major cities:
It’s not just buying the ticket – DICE is aiming to double the $30BN global live entertainment industry by getting fans to go out twice as much. The app is personalised for each user and its Discover function recommends events by linking with fans’ Spotify or Apple Music music library to learn what they love, as well as machine learning that keeps up with which shows fans have been to before.
Shanna Jade, Head of Music North America at DICE adds: “A big problem in live entertainment is that fans can’t go to an event they don’t know about. Discover solves that by bringing fans a list of events curated just for them based on their music libraries & events they interact with on the platform. If an event is on DICE, it’s worth your time, and Discover means that the more you use DICE, the smarter its recommendations get. Right now, we’re focused on bringing the best of Los Angeles and New York’s thriving music and culture scenes onto DICE, as well as exploring other North American cities that are as passionate about going out as we are.”
To explore events in the US fans can download DICE on iOS or Android.
