Raye presale targeted by ticket bots ahead of Royal Albert Hall show

British singer Raye announced on October 13, 2026, that ticket scalpers used automated software to flood the presale registration for her upcoming London concert. Music Business Worldwide and NME reported that the registration system received nearly two million sign-ups for just 5,000 seats. Music Business Worldwide specified that the total reached 1.8 million registrations. [1][2]

The presale registration was hosted by fan marketing platform co:brand, according to Music Business Worldwide. Music Business Worldwide, NME, and Clash Magazine reported that scalpers used automated bots to generate hundreds of thousands of fake registrations. To counter the secondary market exploitation, Raye stated that her team is manually reviewing the registration list to identify legitimate fans before tickets go on sale. [1][2][3]

The one-off show, titled This Symphony May Contain Hope, is scheduled to take place on October 23, 2026, Music Business Worldwide reported. Clash Magazine reported that the symphonic performance will feature material from her second album, titled This Music May Contain Hope. The Royal Albert Hall, located in South Kensington, London, opened in 1871 and has a seating capacity of 5,272. [1][3][8][9]

The controversy highlights ongoing ticketing challenges for high-demand live music events in London venues. Raye noted on social media that the experience opened her eyes to the future of ticketing, NME reported. [2]