Artists selling tickets in person to help fans avoid online bots, fees [Video]

Online ticket sales for music events grossed more than 33 billion dollars in 2023, according to estimates from Statista Market Insights,but critics say that process comes with added fees — as well as competition from bots.On Friday, a line of music fans took over a whole block downtown Chicago — with some folks arriving as early as five in the morning — for the chance to buy Maggie Rogers concert tickets in-person.”In person, you can actually see how many people are buying tickets,” said Meredith Richter, who was in line almost three hours before the box office opened.Indie pop musician Maggie Rogers was nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2020, and her audience has been steadily growing since. For her first-ever arena tour, she says she sold tickets in person in an effort to reduce fees and combat bots — which are automated to buy tickets the moment they …