Fans trying to buy tickets on Ticketmaster are often frustrated when shows sell out in seconds. This leaves many wondering why tickets disappear so fast and what’s causing the instant sellouts. There are several key reasons behind the lightning-fast selling out of tickets on Ticketmaster.
High Demand and Limited Supply
The number one reason tickets sell out so quickly is that demand vastly exceeds supply. Popular artists and shows frequently only perform a limited number of concerts in major cities on a tour. For massive acts like Beyonce or Taylor Swift, they may do just 1-2 shows in a city with 50,000 seats available. Yet there are hundreds of thousands of fans in each area wanting to attend. This huge discrepancy between supply and demand fuels the rapid sellouts.
To illustrate with numbers: if there are 500,000 Beyonce fans in New York City but only 50,000 tickets available for her shows, only 10% of fans can purchase tickets. The remaining 90% miss out. So even if every fan logs on right at the sale time, the limited supply essentially guarantees sellouts in minutes or even seconds.
Bots and Scalpers
Another major factor is that bots and scalpers use sophisticated software to buy up tickets in bulk. Ticket brokers employ bots that can purchase thousands of tickets per minute. Even if limits are placed per customer, bots enable scalpers to buy the maximum amount across hundreds of accounts. This fatally cripples the average fan’s odds of acquiring tickets during a general sale.
Bots run by scalpers represent a huge chunk of tickets bought during the initial onsale. Some experts estimate 20-30% of all ticket purchases during high demand sales are scooped up by scalper bots within the first minute. The majority of remaining tickets are bought up by fans in the first few minutes. This bot activity contributes to the “sold out” signs fans see instantly.
Fake Scarcity
Some critics accuse Ticketmaster of engaging in tactics that heighten scarcity. One example is presales. A portion of seats to many shows are set aside for presales, like American Express cardholder presales. This reduces the amount available during the general sale, accelerating sellouts.
Ticketmaster also utilizes what’s known as “slow ticketing.” This involves gradually releasing batches of tickets over minutes or hours, rather than all at once. So even if 1,000 tickets are left, they may only release 200 at a time. This can create the appearance of immediate shortages and sellouts.
High Ticket Prices
The high cost of tickets also contributes to rapid sellouts. Promoters and artists continue to push ticket prices higher for premium seats. Top tickets to many shows now cost $500-$1,000 or more. At these extreme prices, there are enough fans willing and able to pay over a thousand dollars who snap up the best seats instantly.
Dynamic pricing also plays a role, where prices fluctuate based on demand. Ticketmaster utilizes “platinum tickets” for in-demand shows which can soar in price. The high prices reduce the pool of fans able to purchase, quickening the pace of sellouts.
Lack of Purchase Limits
Most Ticketmaster sales do not impose per customer ticket limits beyond the usual 4-8 ticket maximum. Limits create more work for Ticketmaster and reduce potential revenue. But this enables resellers to buy more tickets per order.
Some acts like Taylor Swift have urged Ticketmaster to increase purchase limits. But for most events, fans complain there is an open door for bulk buying by scalpers and bots. If 30-40 tickets can be purchased in a single order, sellers gobble up prime seats before fans get a chance.
Preferred Presales
As mentioned above, presales also exacerbate the problem. Artist fan club members, credit card holders, and other groups often get first crack at tickets through preferred presales. These can scoop up 20% or more of available seats before the general onsale.
By the time the mass of fans attempt to buy during the general sale, some of the best inventory has been creamed off. What’s left is fiercely fought over in the free-for-all that ensues, with predictable rapid sellouts.
Changing Market Conditions
The advent of the digital age has dramatically impacted the ticket market. In the past, most fans purchased tickets at physical box offices. Today, everything has moved online. This has allowed scalpers, bots, and sophisticated resellers to manipulate online sales in their favor.
The Internet provides anonymity and automation that enables large-scale speculation. Economic conditions have also made tickets more alluring as investments and assets. Finally, global fan bases through social media create even more demand for limited shows.
These changing dynamics have combined to fuel the feeding frenzy seen on Ticketmaster for hot shows. Everything now converges online, where profiteers take advantage of anonymity, automation, and lax rules to gobble up inventory.
Profit Motive
As a profit-making enterprise, Ticketmaster is incentivized to allow practices like bots and speculation as long as shows sell out. Ticketmaster earns fees from each transaction. So from their perspective, they are indifferent to whether a real fan or scalper buys a ticket.
Thisprofit motive means Ticketmaster has not been very proactive about stopping resellers. Critics say Ticketmaster could easily implement more stringent purchase limits, CAPTCHA, and other controls. But thus far, they have seemed reluctant to sacrifice revenues by impeding scalpers.
Lack of Verification
Ticketmaster does not rigorously verify customers to root out bulk buyers and bots. Unlike sites like StubHub that ensure users are human, Ticketmaster does little to confirm real fans are purchasing. This enables scalpers to create endless accounts to circumvent ticket limits.
Adding phone, credit card, and ID verification could help identify bulk buyers. But Ticketmaster currently only utilizes basic email confirmation. With no stricter verification, bots have an open playing field to procure thousands of tickets.
What Fans Can Do
Given the stacked deck, what can everyday fans do to try and get tickets?
- Get presale codes – Sign up for artist fan clubs and follow bands to get special presale codes. This gives you early access before the general public.
- Use multiple devices – Have friends/family log in and help search for tickets from multiple devices. More devices means more chances to grab tickets.
- Avoid sold out sections – Don’t waste time fighting for sold out sections. Jump quickly to open areas and price points to get any tickets.
- Check again later – Keep checking back for new releases if a show doesn’t fully sell out. Ticketmaster sometimes releases held seats.
- Go to the box office – Try your luck at an old-school box office release. This avoids online competition from scalpers.
Even with these steps, there are no guarantees. The reality is the odds are stacked against fans. Until Ticketmaster implements stronger protections, expect the instant sell outs to continue.
Possible Solutions
Aside from fan tips, there are broader policy changes that could help remedy the Ticketmaster problem:
More stringent purchase limits
Policy | Explanation |
---|---|
Restrict purchases to 2-4 tickets per household. | Lower limits impede bulk buying. Could be tied to credit card and shipping address. |
Enforce limits across presales and general sales. | Currently limits only apply per sale. Overall limits would restrict scalpers. |
Require IDs to match ticket buyer names. | Ensure purchasers are real humans, not bots or fake accounts. |
Stronger bot prohibitions
Policy | Explanation |
---|---|
Require CAPTCHA or other human verification tests. | Adds obstacles to automated bulk buying bots. |
Limit number of transactions per IP address. | Hinders bot networks that rely on thousands of IP addresses. |
Block known bot IP addresses. | Blacklists ranges of IP addresses known to run ticket bots. |
Transparency and oversight
Policy | Explanation |
---|---|
Audit sales and release data. | Analyze sales patterns to identify bot activity. |
Delay transferring tickets from original buyer. | Stops immediate scalper resales. Locks tickets to buyer temporarily. |
Require disclosure of marked up resales. | Force transparency around ticket scalping at higher prices. |
A combination of limits, bot blocks, and transparency could help make a dent. But ultimately Ticketmaster must be pressured to prioritize real fans over profits.
Conclusion
In summary, instant Ticketmaster sellouts result from the perfect storm of high demand, low supply, bots, lack of controls, and profit seeking. Fans face an uphill battle competing with scalpers and their automated software that gobble up tickets.
While some see it as a fact of life, the system is clearly failing regular concert-goers. Until stronger measures are enacted, expect primary sales to routinely sell out within minutes. This leaves many music lovers frustrated and shut out – even if they log on immediately. The system is rigged against them.
Something needs to change to restore fairness and access. But Ticketmaster currently has little incentive or pressure to alter the landscape. The company profits handsomely under the status quo while shirking responsibility. It will likely require legal or political intervention to mandate reforms.
In the meantime, get your speediest thumb and devices ready. The Ticketmaster scramble is poised to continue unabated for the foreseeable future.