Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour has caused quite a stir among fans trying to get tickets. There was extremely high demand when tickets first went on sale, with Ticketmaster’s site crashing and many fans unable to get tickets.
What happened with the Ticketmaster sale?
When Ticketmaster first opened up sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, their site was overwhelmed by the huge demand. So many fans were trying to get tickets that Ticketmaster’s site crashed, preventing many people from being able to purchase tickets.
Ticketmaster later announced that they were canceling the public general sale that was supposed to happen on November 18th due to insufficient remaining ticket inventory. The only tickets still available would be through Verified Fan presales, VIP packages, and other limited options.
Why did Ticketmaster cancel the general sale?
According to Ticketmaster, the general sale was canceled because the high demand during the presales left very few tickets remaining. They stated:
“Due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand, tomorrow’s public on-sale for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour has been cancelled.”
Essentially, the presales had already sold the vast majority of tickets available for Swift’s tour dates. With fan demand so high, Ticketmaster determined the general sale would not have enough inventory left to satisfy the public on-sale demand.
How have fans reacted?
Many Swift fans were extremely frustrated and disappointed by the cancellation of the general sale. Fans who didn’t get verified fan presale codes now have very limited options to still try to get tickets.
There has been significant criticism of Ticketmaster online, with fans and others arguing the sales process was unfair and poorly handled. Some are concerned scalpers using bots were able to buy up many tickets ahead of real fans.
What options do fans have now?
With the general public on-sale canceled, options are now limited for fans who want Eras Tour tickets. Here are some of the remaining ways to still try to get tickets:
- Verified Fan presales – Some dates may still have tickets available in presales for verified fans who received codes.
- VIP packages – VIP/premium ticket packages are still on sale for most dates via Ticketmaster.
- Reseller sites – Tickets are available on reseller sites like StubHub, but prices are very inflated currently.
- Future ticket releases – More tickets may be released closer to show dates as production requirements are finalized.
Fans may have to explore paid options like VIP packages or reseller sites if the want tickets. But prices will likely be very high, especially initially while demand remains so intense.
Will there be more tickets later?
While the general on-sale was canceled, there is still a possibility more tickets may be released over time leading up to the shows. Ticketmaster stated the following regarding potential future ticket releases:
“There will be no additional concert dates added. Any future releases will come from existing venue inventory, artist holds, or production holds.”
Venues typically hold some tickets to sell closer to the event dates. And the tour production team may release holds on tickets that were initially held for things like staging requirements. So fans should keep checking Ticketmaster periodically for ticket releases.
That said, these releases may be quite limited compared to normal public on-sale inventory. Given the extremely high demand, any released tickets will likely sell out incredibly quickly again.
Will Ticketmaster make any changes?
In response to the backlash over Swift’s on-sale issues, Ticketmaster has stated they are working to improve their systems. A statement said:
“Once we get through this, if there are any learnings that could improve the experience for fans or enhance the process… we will work hard to get those implemented by the time the next big onsale occurs.”
Potential changes could include augmenting their website and servers to handle larger volumes. There are also calls for Ticketmaster to address bot issues that allow scalpers to buy up tickets ahead of fans.
But large spikes in demand will remain a challenge. For massive artists like Swift, it can be extremely difficult to satisfy all fans vying for tickets online simultaneously.
Conclusion
Taylor Swift’s Eras tour presales overwhelmed Ticketmaster systems and exhausted nearly the entire inventory of tickets. This forced the cancellation of a planned general public on-sale, angering many fans.
Options are now limited for fans without tickets, including reseller sites with inflated prices. More tickets may be released over time, but likely in small quantities that will sell out fast.
The debacle demonstrates how modern online ticket sales still struggle to smoothly meet surges in demand. Ticketmaster faces calls to improve and adapt their systems to better serve fans going forward.
But much of the challenge is unavoidable when dealing with fan demand at such a huge scale. Even with improvements, landing tickets will remain very difficult in any scenario where millions of fans want tickets and supply is limited.