RIOT ‘GIVING BACK’ AFTER HACK
Festival uses settlement cash on free passes, discounts — but not all fans are happy
Despite dealing with a major Ticketfly data breach, Riot Fest is on track to match last year’s attendance numbers after giving fans free and discounted tickets.
Riot Fest was just one of many events affected by a Ticketfly data breach on May 30 — the night of Riot Fest’s lineup announcement and ticket on-sale. About 27 million Ticketfly customers were affected by the breach; it’s unclear how many of those were Riot Fest patrons. While hackers did obtain the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of Ticketfly users, they didn’t gain access to passwords or credit card and Social Security numbers.
While the hack could have been far worse, Riot Fest founder Mike Petryshyn — aka “Riot Mike” — said it still struck a blow to the festival’s credibility, citing a “loss of confidence.”
To regain fans’ trust, Riot Fest decided to use the money from a Ticketfly settlement to give back to the fans. Individuals who purchased a three-day pass before July 24 will receive a free, one-day pass and can purchase a three-day pass for Riot Fest 2019 for $99.98 — $60 less than the original price. There are also a limited number of discounted three-day 2018 passes available to anyone.
Zack Marshall said he think’s it’s great that Riot Fest is “giving back to the fans” as it’s “a good-spirited thing they didn’t have to do.”
“It’s kind of like the equivalent of waiting too long for fries at a restaurant, and then they come back with a huge coupon for next time,” he said.
But not all fans are pleased. Neal Mahoney said he’s seen complaints on Reddit from fans who recently bought the three-day passes at the original price. They say they feel cheated after paying an extra $60 per ticket just days before the discount took effect.
Petryshyn said Riot Fest is on track to meet its attendance goal of 40,000 people per day despite the hack, causing some fans to speculate Riot Mike’s act of goodwill was fueled by ulterior motives to make up for ticket sales lost by the hack.
Some fans shared they hadn’t seen as much excitement from fellow Riot Fest groupies over this year’s lineup. Riot Fest superfan Greg Boysen said he was a little disappointed with the lineup, as Riot Fest has a history of “blowing people away.” In 2016, Riot Fest reunited The Original Misfits for their first onstage performance in 33 years.
“I think they got to the point where they set themselves up,” Boysen said. “Everybody thinks they’re going to (have) some huge reunion every year, and when they can’t come up with it people feel let down.”
Still, Riot Fest has a devoted group of followers who attend the festival regardless of the lineup, Boysen said. He’s been to every Riot Fest since the festival’s inception in 2005 save one: he conceded that standing up at a wedding was more important than attending his beloved fest.
“It’s geared towards music fans as opposed to being a destination for the summer,” Boysen said. “It’s not (for) people that are there to just party and take selfies all day; it’s (for) people that are there to enjoy the music and have a good time. That’s why I’ll go back regardless (of ) who’s playing.”