With popular concerts and events selling out quickly, it’s important to know how early to sign in to Ticketmaster to secure your tickets. Timing varies based on factors like demand and presales, but signing in at the right time is key.
What is Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster is a ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California. It sells tickets for concert, sports, arts, theater, and family events across the US and abroad. Ticketmaster has exclusive partnerships with many major venues and artists to be their official and sometimes only ticket provider.
Key facts about Ticketmaster
- Founded in 1976
- A subsidiary of Live Nation since 2010
- Serves over 11,000 client venues worldwide
- Processes around 475 million ticket transactions yearly
- Over 32,000 events use Ticketmaster annually
Due to its dominance in ticket sales, Ticketmaster is essentially a monopoly in the industry. It has no major direct competitor in the primary ticket outlet space. This lack of competition allows Ticketmaster to charge higher fees on tickets with limited alternatives for fans.
When do tickets go on sale?
There is no universal on-sale date and time across Ticketmaster. Ticket on-sale dates and times vary based on the event, venues, promoters, and pre-sales. Typically, tickets go on sale between 10am to 12pm local venue time. Here are some general on-sale windows:
If there are no presales
- 1-2 months before the event for major concerts in big venues
- 1-4 weeks before for smaller concerts and shows
- Anytime for low demand events
If there are presales
- Presales typically begin 2-4 days before the general on-sale
- The general on-sale is often 1-2 weeks before the event
Promoters want to release tickets when there is enough awareness of the event but still urgency to buy from fans.
When do presales happen?
Presales give certain groups exclusive early access to tickets before the general public on-sale. Presales are a strategy to increase ticket sales, build hype, and reward loyal groups.
Here are the most common Ticketmaster presale windows:
Artist presales
- 2-3 days before on-sale
- For fan club members and email list subscribers
Venue presales
- 1-2 days before on-sale
- For venue email list members
Promoter presales
- 1 day before on-sale
- For American Express cardholders
Spotify presales
- 1 day before on-sale
- For Spotify Premium subscribers
Private presales give fans early ticket access before the general public. Signing up for artist fan clubs or venue newsletters is the best way to access presales.
When should you log in before tickets go on sale?
Timing your Ticketmaster log in is vital for high demand events. Ticketmaster often has virtual waiting rooms to handle traffic surges when tickets go on sale. Spots in the waiting room are first come, first served.
Here is when experts recommend logging into Ticketmaster before tickets go on sale:
- 30 minutes early – For lower demand events like minor league sports or smaller music acts. Little risk of a sell out.
- 1 hour early – For medium popularity events like theater shows, comedy acts, or major league sports. Moderately high demand.
- 2 hours early – For very high demand events like major rock concerts and Broadway musicals. Expect a rapid sell out.
- 1 day early – For mega events like the Superbowl, playoff championships, or iconic legendary musicians. Virtually guarantee a sell out in seconds.
Timing depends on the expected demand and your tolerance for risk. The more popular the event, the earlier you need to log in to buy tickets.
Tips for finding presales and wait room links
Getting ahead of the crowds requires finding Ticketmaster presale passwords and wait room links which are sometimes hidden until the last minute.
Here are useful tips for discovering wait room links first:
- Search artist fan clubs and venue social media for presale passwords 1-2 weeks ahead
- Sign up for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan presales – Get wait room links emailed before on-sale
- Follow fan accounts and presale link sites on social media
- Google search for the event name + “presale code” the day before on-sale
- Check Ticketmaster’s event page constantly the day before on-sale
Wait room links usually get revealed 12-24 hours before the presale begins. Being among the first into the waiting room is vital.
What if I miss the main on-sale?
If you miss getting tickets during the popular on-sale window, don’t lose hope yet. There are still options to find tickets:
Check again for ticket releases
Venues often release select ticket inventory leading up to events week by week. Check Ticketmaster repeatedly for new seats.
Try reseller sites
Tickets are frequently resold on sites like StubHub and VividSeats. Prices are inflated but tickets are available.
Wait for day before walk up sales
Many big events release a small number of tickets at the venue box office the day before the event. Get there extremely early.
Is there a way around Ticketmaster?
Given Ticketmaster’s dominance in ticketing, avoiding them completely for major events is very unlikely. However, here are some tips to minimize Ticketmaster’s role and fees:
- Buy directly through the venue box office if available
- Use Ticketmaster just to find seats then purchase resells
- Buy on the secondary market first instead of face value
- Attend smaller events not using Ticketmaster
While inconvenient, going around Ticketmaster is possible for some events. But for most major concerts and games, Ticketmaster is unfortunately unavoidable.
Key takeaways
Here are the key things to remember when timing your Ticketmaster log ins and purchases:
- Sales usually begin 10am – 12pm local venue time
- Presales start 2-4 days before general on-sale
- Log in 30 mins to 2 hours early based on demand
- Find presale codes and wait room links on social media
- Keep checking for ticket releases until the event
Ticketing can be very competitive for top events. Planning ahead, monitoring presales, and timing your Ticketmaster log in well is key to success.
Conclusion
Timing your Ticketmaster login is crucial to secure in-demand tickets these days. Research on-sale times, find wait room links early, and log in hours before the general public for hot events. While challenging, with careful planning you can still get seats to top concerts and games.