Ticketmaster’s handling of ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour has caused controversy among fans. Many were frustrated when presale codes they registered for went unused and tickets immediately appeared on resale sites for inflated prices. This had led some to speculate that Ticketmaster may cancel the general public ticket sale scheduled for November 18. Here is a quick overview of what happened and whether a cancellation seems likely:
Quick Answers:
– Taylor Swift announced her first tour in 5 years, The Eras Tour, on November 1.
– There was extremely high demand with millions registering for presales.
– Ticketmaster’s site crashed during presales on November 15. Many fans couldn’t get tickets.
– Ticket resale sites like StubHub had tickets listed for thousands of dollars immediately after presales.
– Ticketmaster blamed bots and insufficient ticket supply for issues.
– Some fans suspect Ticketmaster prioritized resale over public sales.
– As of now, Ticketmaster has not announced a cancellation of the November 18 general public sale.
What problems occurred during the Taylor Swift Eras Tour presales?
The Eras Tour presales on November 15 were plagued with technical problems and lack of ticket availability. Here’s a recap of what went wrong:
– Millions of fans pre-registered for presale codes through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program leading up to the sale. Registration was open for 3 weeks.
– On November 15, Ticketmaster sent presale codes to Verified Fans randomly and in waves. Many fans who registered and got confirmation emails never received a code.
– Once presales opened, Ticketmaster’s site and app crashed due to extremely high traffic. Fans reported waiting in queues for hours only to get error messages.
– Ticket supplies seemed unusually limited. Even fans who got through right away found all tickets already sold out.
– Tickets started appearing on resale sites like StubHub minutes after presales opened for prices like $1000s-$10,000s per ticket.
Presale Registration
In preparation for anticipated high demand, Ticketmaster implemented a Verified Fan presale registration period from October 31 to November 9. Fans had to register for a chance to get presale codes. Registration was free but required providing personal info and phone numbers for verification.
Ticketmaster stated over 3.5 million people pre-registered as Verified Fans. However, only 1.5 million presale codes were randomly distributed on November 14 and 15 in limited waves. Fans reported issues receiving confirmations, wrong phone numbers on accounts, and invalid codes.
Technical Issues During Presales
On November 15, Ticketmaster’s website and apps crashed for hours when presales began. Millions waited in online queues with wait times stretching past 8 hours before getting error messages. Ticketmaster cited “historically unprecedented demand” with “3.5 billion total system requests” as the reason for the technical issues.
Many felt Ticketmaster should have been better prepared for the high demand since they controlled registration counts. The technical problems led to rampant complaints across social media.
Presale Date | Key Issues Reported |
---|---|
November 15 – Verified Fan Presale | – Extremely long wait times in queues behind millions of fans – Ticketing website and app crashing with error messages – Presale codes not working properly |
November 16 – Capital One Cardholder Presale | – Similar technical issues like website crashes and long queues – Some cardholders could not access tickets despite presale promotion |
November 17 – Official Platinum Presale | – Platinum tickets reselling for astronomical prices like $6000+ per ticket |
Lack of Ticket Availability
Despite the multimillion-person waitlists, tickets seemed in exceptionally short supply. The majority of fans who got through queues were shown messages that tickets were already sold out or not available.
Tickets immediately started appearing on resale sites like StubHub and VividSeats at astronomical markup prices of $1000s-$10,000s per ticket.
Fans were outraged to see hundreds of tickets on resale sites minutes after presales opened when they couldn’t get any tickets directly through Ticketmaster. Many accused Ticketmaster of holding back tickets.
What explanations were provided by Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster addressed the presale controversies on November 15 and 16 via statements on their website and social media accounts. They provided explanations including:
Unprecedented Demand
– Ticketmaster stated “over 2 million tickets were sold on Ticketmaster.com” for The Eras Tour events during presales.
– They cited this surpassing their previous record by 400%.
– They claimed “typically 40% of tickets for a stadium show are sold during presales” while “The Eras Tour is a dramatic outlier, with demand drastically outweighing supply.”
Insufficient Ticket Supply
– Ticketmaster said only 1.5 million Verified Fan codes were sent out despite almost 3.5 million registrations due to limited supply.
– They stated Taylor Swift is “only playing 27 shows, her smallest US tour in nearly a decade” leading to high demand concentration.
– They claimed their initial on-sale ticket counts were already “25% higher than the average number on Taylor’s 2015 tour.”
Bots and Scalpers
– Ticketmaster stated “historically, around 40% of ticket purchases are sold to bots during high-demand onsales.”
– They claimed bots were “out in full force” and able to “cut the line” during this presale contributing to limited availability.
– They said this facilitates scalped tickets appearing on resale sites so quickly.
Insufficient Infrastructure
– Ticketmaster admitted their “sites and apps could not keep up with the massive demand” and were overwhelmed.
– They pledged to “invest heavily in addressing queue volumes” and “making upgrades” to prevent technical failures recurring.
Was there evidence of unfair ticket allocations by Ticketmaster?
While Ticketmaster denies any shady practices, there are some indications they may have prioritized tickets for resale over public sales:
Lack of Transparency Around Verified Fan Codes
Ticketmaster claims codes were randomly distributed, but they provided no transparency around the selection criteria and process. Despite many longtime Swifties registering immediately, anecdotal reports indicate newer or less frequent Ticketmaster users were more likely to get codes.
Some critics suspect Ticketmaster cherry-picked Verified Fans who seemed less likely to attend and more likely to resell their tickets.
Presale Codes Not Working
A large number of Verified Fans reported their Ticketmaster presale codes were invalid or didn’t work. Often, the codes had missing or incorrect digits and letters. Despite contacting support, backup codes rarely worked either.
This seems too widespread to simply be a technical glitch. Critics believe Ticketmaster potentially distributed invalid codes to make it appear more registered fans got access than actually did.
Presale Tickets Already on Resale Sites
Listings for Eras Tour tickets started appearing on resale sites as early as November 7, over a week before any public presales opened. While presale tickets are not supposed to be transferable, professional scalpers clearly had inventory they could list.
Such early availability of tickets feeds suspicions that Ticketmaster directs inventory to profit from resale markups over public sales.
Astronomical Platinum Ticket Prices
Ticketmaster’s “Official Platinum” pricing for in-demand tickets has dynamic prices that adjust based on demand. During a separate Platinum presale on November 17, Ticketmaster was listing floor seats for over $6000 each – more than 200 times the base price.
These extreme prices well beyond most fans’ means suggest Ticketmaster chose toextract maximum profits over fan accessibility.
Is Ticketmaster likely to cancel general public sales?
The controversies surrounding The Eras Tour presales have led some fans to speculate Ticketmaster may cancel the remaining general public ticket sales scheduled for November 18. Here are some key considerations:
Precedents of Cancelled Sales
In the past, there have been rare instances of Ticketmaster cancelling public on-sales when shows sell out during presales:
– In 2017, a Scouting for Girls concert in Belfast sold out during presales. Ticketmaster decided to cancel the planned general sale.
– In 2021, huge presale demand for Adele’s Las Vegas residency led to Ticketmaster cancelling her public on-sale date.
However, these were isolated cases for specific shows. Canceling an entire high-profile tour’s public on-sale would be unprecedented.
Swift’s Commitment to Fan Accessibility
Throughout her career, Taylor Swift has taken steps to make ticket access fair for fans. This includes discount deals, inflating initial supplies, and combating scalpers.
Canceling the public on-sale would contradict Swift’s usual approach. It’s unlikely she would approve barring the wider general public from buying tickets.
PR and Legal Risks
Mass canceling public sales would create PR issues and legal risks for Ticketmaster. It could be construed as deliberate withholding to drive up resale revenues at fans’ expense.
A public backlash, investigations, and lawsuits could follow from reneging on advertised sales. The potential drawbacks likely outweigh any benefits to Ticketmaster.
Swift’s Silence So Far
Taylor Swift has not yet made any statement about the presale controversies. If Ticketmaster was planning a cancellation, Swift would likely need to address it and offer an explanation to avoid alienating fans. Her continued silence makes cancellation seem less plausible.
Conclusion
Based on Ticketmaster’s statements, Taylor Swift’s history of fan advocacy, and the significant risks of cancellations, general public sales for The Eras Tour are still expected to proceed on November 18. However, it remains to be seen if Ticketmaster will implement any changes to prevent ongoing issues with insufficient ticket supply, technical failures, and potential favoring of resellers over fans. Swift’s engagement as details evolve will be essential in determining whether Ticketmaster takes meaningful steps to improve public accessibility for her remaining tour dates.