Ticketmaster is able to determine a user’s address through a few different methods. When you purchase tickets on Ticketmaster, they collect information like your name, email address, and phone number. Using this information, they are able to look up your address in various databases.
Checking your purchase history
One way Ticketmaster identifies your address is by checking their own internal records of your previous purchases. If you have bought tickets through Ticketmaster before and provided your billing address, they will have this information on file and can connect it to your account. So when you log in to buy new tickets, they will already have your address from prior transactions.
Using your email address
Ticketmaster can take the email address you provide when purchasing tickets and use it to search marketing databases that contain names, emails, and physical addresses. Services like Acxiom, Oracle, and Salesforce aggregate data from many sources like loyalty programs, mailing lists, census records, and public records. By matching your email to a database profile, Ticketmaster can then access your associated name and address.
Looking up your phone number
Similar to using your email, Ticketmaster can take the phone number you enter and search various consumer databases to find corresponding name and address records. There are data services like Whitepages, Intelius, and Spokeo that all license large amounts of phone number information from telecom providers, directories, and other sources. Ticketmaster likely has access to some of these databases to reverse lookup phone numbers.
Using your billing information
When you enter payment information like a credit card number to purchase tickets, Ticketmaster can take key pieces of that data like your name, ZIP code, and sometimes full credit card number to identify your address. They may work with payment processors and credit bureaus to match your billing details with current address records tied to your financial accounts.
Accessing venue customer data
For certain events, Ticketmaster may get customer address information directly from the venue hosting the event. Venues collect data like names, emails, and addresses when fans purchase tickets directly from the venue’s box office. In some cases, venues may share these customer lists with Ticketmaster to aid in marketing efforts.
Using cookies and device tracking
The Ticketmaster website uses cookies stored on your device and other methods like tracking device identifiers to recognize return users. By tying your digital interactions back to a persistent ID, they can connect your browsing activity over time. Features like auto-fill on the website rely on accessing your saved address information from previous Ticketmaster logins. Their tracking across devices and sessions lets them maintain these address details.
Accessing social media data
Ticketmaster may be able to retrieve your address when you log in using an existing social media account. Platforms like Facebook enable third-party apps to request certain profile data like your name, email, birthday, and current city listed on your account. While this doesn’t provide full address details, it gives Ticketmaster a general location for their records.
Purchasing data from data brokers
There is an entire industry of data brokers that specialize in collecting and selling consumer personal information for marketing purposes. Ticketmaster likely purchases additional customer data like names, emails, addresses, and browsing histories from some of these brokers to supplement what they capture directly.
Obtaining info during ticket transfers
If you obtain tickets from someone by having them electronically transferred to you through Ticketmaster, this process will likely require you to provide identifying details like your name, email, and billing address. Ticketmaster is then able to add this new information to your existing account profile or create a new one.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster is able to determine addresses by compiling data from numerous internal and external sources, both online and offline. Much of the address matching happens behind the scenes when you provide identifying information during ticket purchases and account creation. They also supplement their records by purchasing additional customer data from brokers and partners. While users may not always realize it, Ticketmaster ends up with a surprisingly complete profile of names, emails, addresses, and purchase histories for targeted advertising and other business purposes.
Address Collection Methods Table
Method | Description |
---|---|
Internal purchase history | Checking previous ticket purchases with billing addresses provided |
Email matching | Searching marketing databases using email address |
Phone number lookup | Querying consumer databases by phone number |
Billing info matching | Using payment details like name and ZIP to find address |
Venue customer data | Accessing address info from venue box office records |
Cookies and tracking | Recognizing returning users across sessions and devices |
Social media login | Collecting some location data from Facebook profiles |
Purchased data | Buying additional consumer personal information from brokers |
Ticket transfers | Requiring address when tickets are electronically transferred |