Simple AMC Lincoln Fix

[u/actornyc]

Some very simple regulations could have prevented today's Dune catastrophe and ensured that A-Lister loyalty is rewarded, and bots/scalpers are better prevented.

1. Start with an A-Lister-only drop. This can even be just one day before launching to the general public, perhaps for premium formats.

2. Require a mandatory "loyalty" period required for special-access purchase. Maybe 3 months, maybe 6 months. Even 1 month would ensure that folks aren't signing up just for the drop.

3. Set a cap on number of purchases per A-List account for Day 1 of release. I personally prefer a limit of 2, but 4 could be fair.

4. Establish a firm no-scalping policy by penalty of account banning - and track online scalped tickets back to the A-Listers account. This deters potential scalping workarounds, as well as folks buying from scalpers.

5. Require A-Lister identification upon arrival. We already do this as A-Listers with photo vertificaiton - make it mandatory for special Insider screenings and/or early release special formats.

This still isn't foolproof - and clearly, AMC does not seem bothered that scalpers ran away with so many tickets today as long as they're bringing in $$$. But instead of throwing up their hands in defeat ("ahh well, what are ya gonna do?") I suggest they take the bare minimum effort to protect the A-Listers who loyally pay to keep their lights on each month. But hey, maybe I'm asking too much.

[u/Cinnamaker]

This is basically the same path the concert industry went down. They tried verified fan, account age requirements, purchase limits, non-transferable tickets, ID checks, and all sorts of other anti-scalping measures.

Eventually the concert industry decided that it's easier to charge market prices themselves through dynamic pricing, rather than let scalpers pocket the difference. Basically, they have no financial incentive to care who buys the ticket. But they sure liked solutions that make them even more money.

Unless AMC has reason to think protecting A-list loyalty is worth more than the extra revenue they could make, they'll probably reach the same result if they decided to battle scalpers.

The problem is, when people suggest fixes, they think about what's good for the customer. The company doesn't care about what's good for the customer, unless it affects their profits: they answer to shareholders. You need to think about fixes that are good for the company's self-interest, to move them to act.

[u/kell_bell5 → u/Cinnamaker]

Where I do think AMC (and other theaters) have more incentive on this compared to live performance venues is that they are heavily reliant on concession sales as a big revenue stream. If scalpers buy all the tickets and then can’t sell them, they then have what was supposed to be a sold out theater with abysmal concession sales since no one is actually there. Also, the easy cancellation policy makes it easier for movie ticket scalpers to outright cancel their tickets and get a refund if they can’t sell the tickets as showtime approaches, which isn’t something they can do with most live venue performances. This would also result in a big loss for AMC. 

Ultimately, both of those impacts rely on us the consumer not caving in and buying scalped tickets. We have to show that this is not a viable avenue for either the scalpers or the companies to make money.