R&B/Soul
RAYE hits out at AI bots after 1.8 million sign‑ups swamp Royal Albert Hall presale
RAYE will perform for 5,000 fans at London's Royal Albert Hall later this month, but the presale sign-up process has been "overwhelmed by scalpers".
RAYE has criticised the use of AI bots in ticketing after her presale for This Symphony May Contain Hope was flooded with fake registrations.
The singer revealed she received 1.8 million sign‑ups for her one‑night‑only show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 23, despite the venue holding just 5,000 seats.
Posting on X on Monday (12.10.26), RAYE said the registration system had been “overwhelmed by scalpers” generating “hundreds of thousands of fake registrations”, adding that she had “never witnessed bots on this scale”. She stressed that keeping tickets at face value for genuine fans was her priority.
To prevent automated accounts from accessing the presale, RAYE and her team opted to manually vet the sign‑up list and create a shortlist of fans they believe to be legitimate. She told followers that those selected would receive a presale link and code by email on Tuesday (13.10.26) at 11.45am BST, with the sale opening at midday. Fans who do not receive a code will need to wait for the general sale.
Reflecting on the experience, she wrote: “I’m not sure what the future holds for ticketing, I do know this experience has really opened my eyes. Me and my team are going to think really hard about what we can do in the future.”
The Royal Albert Hall show will see RAYE perform a symphonic reimagining of her second album This Music May Contain Hope, backed by the Heritage Orchestra and Flames Collective. The project follows the success of her 2023 album My 21st Century Blues and a demanding period of touring and studio work.
Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, RAYE admitted the workload had pushed her to her limit.
She said: “Work has really been my life for the last year, two years, three years."
After completing the record, she said she hoped for “a little bit more balance”, focusing on “shows and rest time”.
