Recode Decode: "Hamilton" producer Jeffrey Seller

Ticketing Bots

The theater industry faces significant challenges from ticket-buying bots, which disrupt the market by purchasing large quantities of tickets, making them inaccessible to the general public. Jeffrey Seller emphasizes the need for legal and technological measures to combat these bots, highlighting the importance of intellectual solutions over brute force 1. He acknowledges the limitations of relying solely on platforms like Ticketmaster, as they are bound by agreements with theater landlords, making it difficult for producers to have full control over ticketing 2.

I think we need to go after these bots with laws that will slow them down. And then I think we have to go over them with better software.

--- Jeffrey Seller

Despite these challenges, Seller remains optimistic about finding innovative ways to ensure fair access to theater tickets.

   

Live Streaming

The potential of streaming live theater performances is a topic of interest, with Jeffrey Seller recognizing its benefits in expanding theater's reach. He believes that broadcasting Broadway musicals on television has significantly boosted both TV and theater industries, making live performances more accessible to a broader audience 3. Seller also stresses the irreplaceable value of experiencing live theater, which offers a unique, communal experience that digital platforms cannot replicate 4.

There's nothing about that digital world that's going to replace the experience of going to the theater and seeing the play live.

--- Jeffrey Seller

He remains hopeful that digital advancements will ultimately encourage more people, especially the younger generation, to seek out live cultural experiences.