The highly anticipated Eras Tour by Taylor Swift was set to be one of the biggest tours of 2023. However, in November 2022, Ticketmaster announced that the public on-sale for the tour was being postponed due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory”. This sparked outrage among fans who were unable to get tickets and raised many questions about what exactly happened with the Eras Tour ticket sales.
What was the Ticketmaster Eras Tour?
The Eras Tour was a stadium concert tour by Taylor Swift to promote her 10th studio album Midnights. The tour was scheduled to begin on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona and conclude on August 9, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. In total, the tour was set to span 45 shows across 5 countries.
The tour was highly anticipated by Swift’s fans as it would be her first tour since 2018. Pre-sales for the concerts began in November 2022 on Ticketmaster. However, the public on-sale scheduled for November 18, 2022 was postponed by Ticketmaster due to overwhelming demand.
What happened during the Eras Tour pre-sale?
The pre-sale for Swift’s tour dates sparked major controversy and highlighted issues with Ticketmaster’s systems.
Unprecedented demand
According to Ticketmaster, there was record-breaking interest in the Eras Tour pre-sales. They stated that over 3.5 million people pre-registered for the Verified Fan program, the largest registration in history. On November 15, over 1.5 million Verified Fans were given codes to participate in pre-sales.
This unprecedented demand put an immense strain on Ticketmaster’s website and apps. Many fans reported issues accessing tickets and lengthy wait times when trying to purchase.
Bot attacks
In addition to organic fan interest, Ticketmaster said their systems were hit with 3.5 billion total system requests on November 15, which was 4x their previous peak. They claimed “horrific” bot attacks contributed substantially to this abnormally high traffic.
These bot attacks allegedly came from cyber scalpers trying to scoop up tickets ahead of the general public on-sale to resell them at higher prices.
Insufficient ticket inventory
After pre-sales on November 15, Ticketmaster announced that due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory” they were canceling the planned November 18 public on-sale date. They stated that 1.5 million tickets were sold during pre-sales, leaving insufficient inventory for the general public.
Many venues Swift was set to perform at had capacities of 50,000-70,000 people. The high pre-sale demand meant the majority of tickets were already sold during the pre-sale before the general on-sale date.
What was the reaction to the Eras Tour ticket fiasco?
The handling of the Eras Tour ticket sales sparked outrage among fans, scrutiny from politicians, and widespread backlash.
Anger from fans
Many fans who were unable to get tickets voiced their anger and disappointment on social media. The hashtags #TicketmasterBoyott and #TicketmasterFail went viral on Twitter as fans accused Ticketmaster of being unable to handle the demand and allowing scalpers to snatch up tickets.
Some fans spent hours in queues on Ticketmaster’s website waiting to purchase tickets, only to come away empty-handed. The canceled general on-sale date left many fans without any opportunity to buy tickets.
Calls for Ticketmaster investigation
In the wake of the furor over the Eras Tour tickets, politicians called for the Department of Justice to investigate Ticketmaster for potential antitrust violations.
Politician | Statement |
---|---|
Amy Klobuchar | “This anti-competitive behavior is exactly what my new bill…aims to prevent.” |
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | “Daily reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, its merger with LiveNation should never have been approved, and they need to be reigned in.” |
Bill Pascrell, Jr. | “Time to break up Ticketmaster.” |
These politicians argued that Ticketmaster was abusing its dominant market position in ticketing and live events.
Lawsuits filed
A number of lawsuits were filed against Ticketmaster in connection to their handling of Swift’s tour. These include:
- A class action lawsuit in California alleging Ticketmaster violated consumer protection laws by overstating ticket availability.
- A lawsuit in Oregon alleging Ticketmaster engaged in fraudulent and deceptive conduct.
- A lawsuit in Pennsylvania alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act due to lack of accessible seating for disabled customers.
These lawsuits are seeking millions of dollars in damages. They also aim to stop Ticketmaster from continuing alleged unfair business practices.
How did Ticketmaster respond?
Ticketmaster defended itself against the widespread criticism, blaming unprecedented demand and bot attacks for the Eras Tour chaos.
Blaming record demand
In statements, Ticketmaster emphasized that the Eras Tour had “unprecedented demand” leading to their system issues. They stated they needed to postpone on-sales to address technical problems before selling more tickets.
Some industry experts argued that no ticketing company would have been able to smoothly handle the sheer level of organic fan interest Swift generated.
Highlighting bot attacks
Ticketmaster also repeatedly highlighted bot attacks as a key factor in the Eras Tour meltdown. They claimed to have the data to show billions of system requests were fake traffic from scalper bots trying to cut in line and scoop up tickets.
They positioned themselves as victims of sophisticated bots that overloaded their systems. However, some computer scientists questioned whether bots could fully account for the technical issues.
Downplaying monopoly concerns
In response to monopoly criticism, Ticketmaster stated that they do not set pricing or ticket allotments for shows. They claimed Swift’s team and her venues were responsible for key decisions about the Eras Tour’s ticketing.
Some analysts noted that Ticketmaster does have an over 80% market share in ticket sales. But they argued calling them an outright monopoly exaggerates their power in the live events ecosystem.
What is the current status of the Eras Tour?
Currently, Ticketmaster has not announced any new on-sale dates for Eras Tour tickets. The situation remains in flux amidst lawsuits and fan backlash.
Remaining tickets on hold
Ticketmaster has not released the “remaining ticket inventory” they referenced for the canceled public on-sale. Those tickets are presumably on hold for now.
Swift’s team has not commented on if or when the remaining tickets may be released for sale to the general public.
Pre-sales under review
According to Ticketmaster, the pre-sales for Swift’s tour are currently under review. While some pre-sale tickets were already issued, further delivery is on pause.
It is unclear how many fans who purchased pre-sale tickets have actually received them versus having their orders canceled or stuck in processing.
Future on-sale dates uncertain
No new on-sale dates have been publicly announced since the November 18 public on-sale was postponed indefinitely. It is unclear if there will be any future on-sale opportunities.
Some analysts speculate Ticketmaster wants to wait for the heavy scrutiny to die down before selling tickets again. But the company has not provided any timeline.
What are the long-term impacts?
While the dust is still settling, the Eras Tour ticketing fiasco appears likely to have some long-term impacts moving forward.
Calls for more tour dates
Many fans continue urging Swift to add more concerts to the Eras Tour to help meet the massive demand. However, Swift has not indicated if extensions to the tour are being seriously considered.
Some analysts think adding 10-15 more shows in larger venues could help temper ongoing outrage by giving more fans access.
Ticketmaster exploring changes
Following the backlash, Ticketmaster stated they were looking at “upgrades and enhancements” to their systems for high-demand on-sales. Potential changes include:
- Updating their website and apps to handle heavy traffic spikes more smoothly.
- Using new technology to better identify and deter bot attacks.
- Improving queue systems and waiting room features to ease congestion issues.
However, major system overhauls will likely take quite some time to implement fully.
Calls for more Ticketmaster oversight
There are growing calls for more regulation and oversight of Ticketmaster in the wake of the Eras Tour debacle.
Some specific proposals include:
- Investigating Ticketmaster for antitrust violations and potentially breaking up the company.
- Banning Ticketmaster’s exclusive contracts with major venues and artists.
- Implementing ticket sale rules, like compulsory lottery systems, to improve access.
However, Ticketmaster retains dominant influence in the industry, making reforms an uphill battle.
Shifts in tour promotion strategies
The Eras Tour ticketing chaos may impact how major tours are planned and promoted in the future. Artists may be more selective about partnering with Ticketmaster as their exclusive ticket vendor.
There are also questions about whether Swift’s team created unrealistic expectations by stoking fan enthusiasm without fully appreciating Ticketmaster’s capacity limits.
Moving forward, artists may take a more restrained approach to building hype prior to the tour actually being finalized to avoid stoking frustrations.
Conclusion
The Ticketmaster Eras Tour saga highlights the immense challenges in managing ticketing logistics for massive fan events in the modern era. While Ticketmaster bore the brunt of criticism, the debacle stems from an intersection of factors including unprecedented demand, technical limitations, and lack of regulation.
In the wake of the backlash over the Eras Tour, all parties involved have some hard lessons to learn. Ticket sellers may need to upgrade systems and reshape business practices. Artists may need to rethink promotional strategies. Regulators may need to reconsider legal oversight.
The situation remains evolving and incomplete as Ticketmaster, Swift’s team, and regulators grapple with the fallout. But the controversy makes one thing clear: the live event ticketing experience urgently requires improvements to meet the expectations of artists, fans, and businesses in today’s highly connected world.