Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, with millions of devoted fans who snap up tickets whenever she announces a tour. However, her latest tour sale through Ticketmaster descended into chaos, leaving many fans frustrated and angry at being unable to get tickets. This has led many to wonder – did Taylor Swift herself have anything to say about the Ticketmaster fiasco?
What was the problem with the Ticketmaster sale?
When Taylor Swift announced her new Eras Tour, fans rushed to get tickets on Ticketmaster. However, the site appeared to crash or freeze during the presales, with fans reporting huge queues, site errors, and being unable to get tickets despite waiting for hours. Ticketmaster later blamed the issues on record demand and bots attacking the site.
The ticket sale became such a debacle that it even caught the attention of the White House, who stated they would look into whether Ticketmaster was complying with antitrust laws. Overall, it was a public relations nightmare for Ticketmaster and led to questions over its dominance in the ticketing industry.
What has Taylor Swift said about the sale issues?
As one of the biggest music stars in the world, Swift has immense influence and her opinion carries weight with her fans. However, the singer has so far not made any direct public statement about the issues with Ticketmaster.
Some commentators have noted that Swift herself likely does not have much control or sway over how the ticketing for her tours is handled. Her tours and ticket sales are organized by her record label, promoters, and ticketing partners like Ticketmaster.
Here is a summary of what we know about Swift’s response so far:
- No direct public statement from Swift about Ticketmaster issues
- Swift is likely removed from and has little control over tour ticketing logistics
- Swift’s representative said she was “pissed off” about the sale problems
- Swift added more dates to try to meet fan demand
Although Swift hasn’t directly addressed the matter on social media or in an interview, her representative told media that Swift was “pissed off” about the problems fans had getting tickets. Additionally, in response to the high demand, Swift added over a dozen extra dates to her tour.
What are fans saying about Swift’s lack of response?
Many fans have taken to social media to express their frustration with Ticketmaster over the failed ticket sales. Some have also questioned why Swift herself hasn’t publicly said anything or addressed the controversy.
Here are some examples of fan reactions:
- “I wish Taylor would say something about this Ticketmaster mess. Even just tweet #FreeTheTickets or something.”
- “Come on @taylorswift13 your fans deserve some acknowledgment from you about this horrible experience with Ticketmaster!”
- “Taylor is usually so vocal and supportive of her fans. Why is she being silent about the Ticketmaster disaster?”
- “I know it’s not her fault, but Taylor should post something to help hold Ticketmaster accountable for this BS.”
However, some fans have also been sympathetic and understanding about her silence:
- “Taylor probably has little control over how ticket sales are handled, so I don’t expect her to comment publicly.”
- “She likely can’t criticize Ticketmaster too much since they still have to work together for future tours.”
- “I’m disappointed too, but I don’t realistically expect Taylor to be able to fix this mess herself.”
Was Ticketmaster to blame for the issues?
Ticketmaster has faced the brunt of criticism from fans and commentators over the severe issues with Taylor Swift’s ticket sales. The company has become something of a villain in the eyes of her fans. But was Ticketmaster solely responsible for what went wrong?
Ticketmaster’s explanation of what happened
Ticketmaster has acknowledged there were major problems with the Taylor Swift ticket sales. According to their statements:
- They were overwhelmed by “historically unprecedented demand” with 3.5 billion total system requests.
- Fans who had pre-registered for ‘Verified Fan’ codes led to record registrations of 3.5 million.
- 1 million fans were initially able to get purchase codes for presales, but 14 million requests were eventually sent.
- Hundreds of thousands of bots attacked their systems, hampering sales.
The company has apologized to fans for the difficulties and frustration getting tickets. However, they lay most of the blame on record demand from real fans and bots – issues outside of their direct control.
Criticisms and suspicion of Ticketmaster’s explanation
Many fans and commentators have been critical of Ticketmaster’s explanations and don’t fully believe their statements:
- Some analysts believe Ticketmaster’s systems should have been able to handle large demand surges.
- There are suspicions that Ticketmaster may have deliberately throttled supply to drive up secondary market prices.
- Consumer rights groups accused Ticketmaster of being opaque and misleading on ticket availability.
- Critics think more could have been done to detect and stop bots from attacking the system.
Additionally, Ticketmaster is no stranger to controversy and has faced numerous complaints over its fees and market dominance before. This history has made people skeptical over whether they are being fully transparent.
Is Ticketmaster a monopoly in ticketing?
Part of the intense backlash against Ticketmaster is fueled by their dominant position in the event ticketing industry. They sell tickets for many major concerts, shows, and sporting events.
According to some estimates, Ticketmaster controls 70% or more of primary ticket sales and has few major competitors in the US. Their position as an effective monopoly in ticket sales has led to ongoing antitrust concerns and accusations of abusing their power.
The lack of alternatives left many fans feeling they had no option but to use Ticketmaster, even with its flaws and fees. The chaotic Taylor Swift onsale has renewed calls for more competition in ticket sales.
Could Taylor Swift take future tours away from Ticketmaster?
In the wake of the ticket fiasco, some have wondered if Taylor Swift could potentially move her tours away from using Ticketmaster in the future. However, this seems unlikely due to Ticketmaster’s entrenched position in ticketing major tours and venues.
Why it’s unlikely Swift would leave Ticketmaster
Here are some of the major obstacles and complications involved in Taylor Swift holding tours without using Ticketmaster:
- Ticketmaster has exclusive contracts with many major venues and promoters that Swift would need to use.
- Swift is contracted under Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster.
- It would be complex logistically to plan global tours across different ticketing companies.
- Most other ticketing companies lack Ticketmaster’s global reach and inventory.
Additionally, Ticketmaster has pointed out that over 2 million Swift fans did successfully get verified tickets during presales, despite the problems. There were still high sales numbers, indicating many fans remain able to use Ticketmaster.
Precedents with other major artists departing Ticketmaster
Some of Swift’s supporters have pointed to other big acts like Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen who have held tours without Ticketmaster. However, doing so often involves sacrifices such as playing smaller venues.
Here are some examples of major acts touring without Ticketmaster:
- Pearl Jam’s 1995 tour avoiding Ticketmaster played venues like ballparks rather than arenas.
- Bruce Springsteen’s 2016 tour required fans to buy tickets directly through his website rather than third-party sellers.
- Adele’s 2016 tour partnered with Songkick rather than Ticketmaster for US ticket sales.
These examples show it is possible to circumvent Ticketmaster. But it requires an artist to work outside the usual tour booking system and accept different venues. For an artist as popular as Swift used to huge stadium shows, it would be difficult to replicate the same scale without Ticketmaster.
Could Swift force change in the ticketing industry?
While it seems unlikely Taylor Swift’s tours would completely abandon Ticketmaster, the debacle has increased attention on the ticketing giant. Swift has immense influence as one of the world’s biggest artists. If she and her team demanded change, Ticketmaster would likely have to listen.
Ways Swift could potentially push for ticketing reforms
Taylor Swift does have options to potentially advocate for improvements, even if she continues using Ticketmaster itself:
- Negotiate with Ticketmaster to ensure fairer ticket allotments for fans.
- Lobby for legislative changes to increase oversight over ticketing companies.
- Use her platform to boost attention on antitrust concerns.
- Support initiatives for more equitable ticketing models like dynamic pricing.
As one of the music world’s most powerful stars, Swift has channels to lobby for ticketing reform if she desired. Her advocacy could significantly shape the debate.
Swift’s advocacy has impacted other industries before
This wouldn’t be the first time Taylor Swift has used her influence to drive change on an issue affecting her fans. Some examples:
- Swift criticized Apple Music over artist pay, leading Apple to change its policies.
- Swift’s open letter led Sony Music to change its artist compensation policy.
- Her endorsement of Democrats in 2018 correlated with a surge in young voter registrations.
Through public advocacy and smart leverage of her brand power, Swift has enacted reform in tech and politics before. She may be able to shape ticketing policy as well if she champions the issue.
Year | Issue | Swift’s Actions | Result of Advocacy |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Apple Music artist royalties | She wrote an open letter criticizing their policy | Apple changed its policy on paying artists |
2018 | US midterm elections | Swift endorsed Democratic candidates | 65,000 new voter registrations immediately after |
2021 | Music licensing | Swift criticized private equity firms | Sony Music changed license payment policy |
This table summarizes examples of how Swift has successfully driven industry change through leveraging her platform and brand power. She may be able to have similar policy impact on ticketing.
Conclusion
The disastrous Ticketmaster sale for Taylor Swift’s tour has led to widespread fan outrage and calls for the ticketing giant to reform. While Swift herself hasn’t directly addressed the controversy yet, she likely has limited control over her tour’s ticketing process. Having her future tours avoid Ticketmaster altogether seems unlikely due to their entrenched dominance in the industry.
However, Taylor Swift still has immense influence as one of music’s most renowned artists. If she uses her platform to actively campaign for more equitable ticketing practices, she could drive positive change even if still utilizing Ticketmaster. As Swift has demonstrated before with companies like Apple, she can be an effective advocate when she takes up an issue affecting her fans. The debacle provides an opportunity for Taylor Swift to potentially push for reforms that could benefit both artists and audiences in the live music business.