The Taylor Swift ticket fiasco refers to the issues faced by fans trying to purchase tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour in 2023. There has been incredibly high demand for tickets, which has caused major problems with ticketing websites crashing, long wait times, and tickets being resold at inflated prices. Swift’s dedicated fanbase, known as “Swifties,” have expressed outrage and disappointment at the difficulties they’ve faced trying to buy tickets.
What caused the high demand for Taylor Swift tickets?
There are several factors that contributed to the extremely high demand for Taylor Swift tickets:
Swift’s popularity and dedicated fanbase
Taylor Swift has become one of the most popular music artists in the world over the past decade. She has a massive global fanbase, known as her “Swifties,” who are intensely loyal and passionate about her music. Many are willing to go to great lengths to attend her concerts.
First tour in 5 years
The Eras Tour will be Swift’s first tour since her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018. Fans are eager to see her live after a 5-year touring hiatus. Her previous tours sold out quickly, so demand was already high.
Increased ticket prices
Ticket prices for the Eras Tour are higher than previous Taylor Swift tours, with floor seats priced from $199 to $449 and lower bowl seats from $149 to $349. The high ticket prices have led to even greater demand.
Limited number of shows
Unlike previous world tours, Swift is so far only scheduled to perform 52 shows, all in the US. No international dates have been announced yet. With fewer shows available, demand far exceeds supply.
Pre-sales issues
There were issues with TaylorSwiftTix pre-sales leading up to the public on-sale date. Fans reported long wait times, website crashes, and confusion over codes. This added to the frenzy and demand.
What happened when Eras Tour tickets went on sale?
When tickets first went on sale to the general public on November 18, 2022, there were major problems across multiple ticketing platforms:
Websites crashing or glitching
Ticketing websites and apps like Ticketmaster, AXS, and SeatGeek all experienced crashes and glitches due to the heavy influx of traffic. Fans reported error messages and issues accessing ticket purchase pages.
Incredibly long online queues
Ticketmaster implemented digital queues with wait times averaging 2-4 hours long just to access ticket sale pages. Some fans had to wait 6-8 hours with no guarantee of getting tickets.
Immediate sell outs
Despite high ticket prices, most Taylor Swift shows sold out in minutes. Ticketmaster reported selling over 2 million tickets on November 18. Shows in major cities like Los Angeles and New York sold out in seconds.
Lack of ticket availability
Many fans logged in right at the on-sale time only to find zero tickets remaining or tickets immediately snapped up before they could select seats. There was a lack of ticket inventory released.
Why were so many Taylor Swift tickets unavailable?
Bots and scalpers
Bots and automated scalpers purchased a high volume of tickets quickly for resale at higher prices. Hundreds of tickets immediately appeared on reseller sites like StubHub for thousands above face value.
Pre-sales and VIP allotments
A large portion of tickets were sold during pre-sales, fan club presales, Spotify presales, and allotted to VIP packages before the public on-sale. Less inventory was available for the general public.
Venue capacity
Many Taylor Swift shows are being held at smaller-capacity venues with high fan demand in each city. Fewer tickets were available than her typical stadium shows.
Ticketmaster dynamic pricing
Ticketmaster used “dynamic pricing” to adjust prices in real-time based on demand. This removed cheaper seats and allowed premium tickets to be sold first.
How were tickets being resold at higher prices?
Within minutes of going on sale, tickets began appearing on resale sites like StubHub for thousands above face value. Some examples:
Los Angeles Tickets
Face value price: $199 to $449
Resale prices: $1,000 to $28,000
New York Tickets
Face value price: $49 to $449
Resale prices: $700 to $21,000
Why resale prices were so high
With limited tickets available and massive demand, resellers could charge inflated prices. Bots swiped large quantities, further limiting supply. Fans were willing to pay due to the small number of shows.
What went wrong with the TaylorSwiftTix presale?
Taylor Swift’s team created an exclusive presale for fans through Ticketmaster called TaylorSwiftTix. It required fans to register for a chance to get presale code. However, the presale also faced difficulties:
Long wait times
Fans reported wait times of 5+ hours to enter the site after getting a presale code. This frustrated many fans.
Crashes and glitches
The TaylorSwiftTix site also experienced multiple crashes, error messages, and glitches due to high traffic volumes.
Lack of transparency
Confusion around the selection process, number of tickets allotted, and Ticketmaster’s role caused controversy. Some felt the process wasn’t transparent enough.
Code scams
Some bad actors tried selling fake presale codes to fans online for hundreds of dollars. Swift’s team warned fans against third-party code scams.
How were bots and scalpers able to get so many tickets?
Bots and scalpers took advantage of flaws in the online ticketing systems to purchase a high volume of tickets quickly:
Automated programs
Ticketing sites have few protections against bots running automated ticket-buying programs which can purchase tickets faster than humans.
Multiple accounts
Scalpers created hundreds of Ticketmaster accounts ahead of time enabling them to buy more than the ticket limit. There was no AC to stop this.
Stolen credit cards
Fraudulent credit cards were potentially used to make large purchases of tickets to resell before the charges were flagged.
Sophisticated networks
Groups coordinated large-scale bot attacks across multiple ticketing platforms to sweep up ticket inventory at high speeds.
What actions were taken in response to the ticket fiasco?
After the widespread backlash and criticism, some actions were taken:
Ticketmaster cancellation of general public on-sale
With their site crashing and long queues, Ticketmaster cancelled the general public on-sale for the West Coast shows. Only presale fans could get tickets.
Taylor Swift’s public response
Swift said her team asked Ticketmaster multiple times if they could handle the demand but “we were assured they could.” She said the situation “pissed [her] off.”
Attorney General investigations
After complaints of predatory practices, Attorneys General across multiple states opened investigations into Ticketmaster and ticket resales.
Class action lawsuit
A class action lawsuit was filed against Ticketmaster for “anticompetitive conduct” violating antitrust laws through exclusive deals with venues.
What changes need to be made to prevent this in the future?
To improve the ticket buying experience, the following measures should be considered for major tours and events going forward:
More shows and tour dates
Adding more concerts in more cities could help meet the demand while keeping ticket prices affordable for fans.
Limits on ticket resales
Capping resale prices and limiting mass purchases by scalpers could ensure fairer pricing and availability. More transparency around secondary sales is also needed.
Stronger bot protections
Using CAPTCHA, IP address monitoring, and other tech measures could help reduce automated bot traffic and level the playing field.
Fan club and presale reform
Refinements like registration limits, improved queue systems, and staggered presale times could make specialized presales more orderly and fair.
More balanced ticketing platforms
Having an open, competitive ticketing market instead of a Ticketmaster monopoly could allow fair pricing, better innovation, and improved sales experiences.
Conclusion
The disastrous rollout of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ticket sales highlighted major problems that need addressing in the ticketing industry. A lack of regulation and oversight allowed bots, scalpers, and unfair practices to create a terrible experience for fans. While high demand is inevitable for major stars like Swift, better systems and reforms are clearly required to make buying tickets less of a nightmare for the fans. By implementing stronger protections and increasing transparency, musical artists can ensure their most dedicated supporters get the chance to see them perform.