Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour, announced in November 2022, was met with unprecedented demand from fans. Over 3.5 million people pre-registered for the Ticketmaster Verified Fan presale, which allowed fans to purchase tickets before the general public on-sale. So just how many tickets were sold when they finally went on sale on November 15th?
How popular is Taylor Swift?
Taylor Swift is one of the most popular music artists in the world. She has amassed a massive global fanbase over her near 20-year career. Her last tour, the Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018, broke the record for the highest-grossing tour by a woman in history. It grossed over $266 million with only 38 shows. Swift has won 11 Grammy Awards, including three Album of the Year awards, making her the first woman to win the prize three times. Her album sales have exceeded 200 million worldwide. She is also the most streamed female artist of the 21st century. Suffice to say, Taylor Swift concerts are a big deal.
When did Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets go on sale?
There were two main on-sales for Taylor’s Eras Tour in North America:
Verified Fan Presale
November 15, 2022
General Public Onsale
November 18, 2022
International on-sale dates varied by country. The tour is Swift’s first since 2018 and fans were eagerly awaiting their chance to get tickets, even though details of cities and dates were not announced until November 1st.
How did Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan work?
Ticketmaster implemented its Verified Fan system for the Eras Tour on-sale to try to get tickets directly into the hands of Swift’s biggest fans. People had to pre-register and be verified as fans before getting a code to access the presale. Over 3.5 million people pre-registered, but only 1.5 million were verified. Verified fans were emailed presale codes on November 14th to use on November 15th. Codes were only good for one ticket purchase and had to be used immediately. Extra measures like CAPTCHAs, number matching, and waiting rooms were used to try to deter bots and scalpers. However, these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful due to the unprecedented demand.
How many tickets were sold in the Verified Fan presale?
Ticketmaster has not released official numbers, but estimates put the number of tickets sold in the Verified Fan presale between 1.5-2 million. Every available ticket was sold during this presale according to Ticketmaster.
How did the general on-sale go?
The general on-sale to the public on November 18th was, in a word, disastrous. With millions of Verified Fan tickets already sold, the remaining allotment was extremely limited. Fans reported constant errors trying to access tickets. Wait times stretched on for hours only for the tickets to vanish from carts. Ticketmaster’s systems were completely overwhelmed.
Within minutes, resale sites like StubHub were flooded with overpriced tickets going for thousands of dollars. Almost no one was able to successfully obtain tickets at face value during the public on-sale.
How many tickets total were sold?
Ticketmaster has not released any official numbers, but based on estimates from the Verified Fan presale and the extremely limited general on-sale, the total number of tickets sold for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in North America is likely between 2 – 2.5 million.
How does this compare to other major tours?
Tour | Total Tickets Sold |
---|---|
Taylor Swift, Eras Tour (2022) | 2-2.5 million |
Coldplay, Music of Spheres World Tour (2022) | Over 5.4 million |
Taylor Swift, Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) | Over 2 million |
Beyonce & Jay Z, On The Run II Tour (2018) | Over 2.1 million |
Ed Sheeran, Divide Tour (2017-19) | Over 8.5 million |
As we can see, the demand for Taylor Swift tickets exceeded even some of the biggest world tours in history like Beyonce and Jay-Z’s On The Run II Tour and her own previous tour. Swift now claims three out of the top five highest-grossing tours by a woman.
Why was demand so high?
There are several factors that contributed to the unprecedented demand for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets:
Swift’s Mega Popularity
As previously mentioned, Swift has become one of the most popular artists in the world over her career. Her fanbase is massive and extremely passionate. She could likely sell out dozens more shows at stadiums and arenas across the globe.
Scarcity of Tickets
While Swift’s popularity continues to grow, she has actually reduced the number of shows on her tours over the years. The Eras Tour has only 52 shows for the entire North American leg. Her 2018 Reputation Tour had 38. Compare that to someone like Ed Sheeran who played over 250 shows on his Divide Tour. The limited number of tickets available only intensifies demand.
Long Break Between Tours
The Eras Tour is Swift’s first since 2018 and fans were eager to see her live after a 4+ year wait. Tours are really the only way for fans to see Swift live now as well since she no longer performs many one-off shows or appearances.
The Midnights Effect
Swift timed the Eras Tour announcement perfectly just weeks after releasing her record-breaking new album Midnights. The huge success and acclaim for Midnights only heightened the craze for concert tickets.
FOMO
The fear of missing out is very real when it comes to live events. Fans knew tickets would be in short supply and wanted to make sure they got theirs the moment sales started.
What does this mean for the future of ticketing?
The issues with the Taylor Swift Eras Tour on-sale highlight some major problems in the ticketing industry:
Bots/Scalpers
Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan was supposed to eliminate scalpers and bots, but both the presale and general on-sale saw tickets immediately hit resale sites at inflated prices. New technology is needed to truly ensure real fans get first access.
High Demand
There is a real gap between high demand for major concerts and the inventory available. Venues can only hold so many fans. Other options like additional shows or larger venues help but don’t completely fix things.
Technical Issues
Websites crashing, fans stuck in queues for hours – the surge in demand overwhelmed Ticketmaster’s systems. Better load balancing and stability is required to handle massive traffic spikes.
The bottom line is that there are no easy answers. The ticketing process for huge global superstars like Taylor Swift will continue to be messy as long as demand far exceeds supply. Fans can only hope that improvements will be made over time to help get tickets into the hands of real people who just want to see their favorite artist perform live.
Conclusion
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour broke ticket sale records and caused major widespread issues for fans trying to get seats. Over 2 million tickets were sold in North America alone, making it one of the hottest tours ever. Demand drastically exceeded supply due to Swift’s mega popularity, limited tour dates, and the lack of availability of her concert tickets over the past few years. The debacle highlights problems with bots, scalpers, technical glitches, and the ticketing industry as a whole that will continue to be a challenge for these massively in-demand global arena tours. Swift beat her own 2018 record for the highest grossing tour by a woman with these astonishing ticket sale numbers. Her music and performances continue to resonate with fans worldwide who will pay almost anything to see her live on the Eras Tour.