If you’ve ever tried to buy tickets on Ticketmaster for a popular concert or event, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of being stuck in the virtual waiting room queue for a long time without getting through. The anticipation builds as you watch the little graphic spin round and round, yet the estimated wait time barely seems to drop. So what’s behind those long, stagnant Ticketmaster queues that never seem to move?
High demand versus limited inventory
The root cause of Ticketmaster’s sluggish queues is basic economics – supply and demand. Ticketmaster is essentially a marketplace connecting fans to limited event tickets. Primary market tickets are first sold through presales and when the general sale opens, there is pent up demand from fans vying for a small pool of tickets.
Popular headliners like Beyoncé or Taylor Swift consistently sell out arenas of 40,000+ seats in minutes. But only a fraction of tickets actually go on sale to the general public. The majority are held for presales, fan club members, VIP packages, artist and promoter allotments, and corporate sponsors. So when millions of fans log on at 10AM for the general sale, they are fighting over just a few thousand tickets. The high demand inevitably overwhelms the limited supply.
Bots and ticket resellers
The imbalance of supply and demand is further exacerbated by ticket bots and reseller groups trying to buy up tickets. Large scale ticket brokers use specialized software bots that automatically search for and buy tickets the moment they go on sale. The bots can submit orders much faster than regular fans clicking a refresh button. Ticketmaster estimates that 60% of tickets for hot shows are snapped up by brokers within minutes. Most of those tickets end up posted on secondary sites like StubHub at inflated prices. All this reselling activity creates additional congestion in the Ticketmaster queue that slows things down for fans.
Queue system overload
The technical side can also impact queue wait times if the ticketing system gets overloaded with too many requests. Ticketmaster likely configures its queue capacity based on projected ticket demand and expected traffic levels for each onsale. But sometimes the actual volume far exceeds those estimates for mega popular events. Too many users can overload the queuing servers and cause it to slot people into queues in a slower, more staggered fashion. This manifests as purchases happening in small waves rather than a steady stream. Queue capacity limits are likely implemented to maintain system stability and prevent a total crash. But it also results in long waiting lines when demand exceeds expectations.
Queue position prioritization
Ticketmaster also seems to use algorithms to prioritize queue positions based on customer loyalty and other metrics. So not everyone is lined up strictly first-come, first-served. Fans report waiting in the queue right at 10AM but still getting placed behind thousands of others. Presale participants and regular Ticketmaster users may get ahead of new or occasional buyers. The prioritization is somewhat logical since those customers represent a large chunk of Ticketmaster’s business. But it compounds the queue frustration for casual users who feel they logged on immediately yet keep getting pushed back.
Lack of queue transparency
One of the biggest gripes around Ticketmaster queues is the lack of transparency about users’ actual place in line. You’re given an estimated wait time, but no insight into how many people are ahead of you or any sense of actual progress. The incremental movement feels like two steps forward, one step back. Ticketmaster does this probably to manage expectations. If they revealed users’ real queue position, anxiety and complaints would rise from people with no realistic shot as thousands purchase ahead of them. So they prefer to keep users in the dark.
Factor | Impact on Queue Speed |
---|---|
High demand vs low supply | Major slow down |
Bots and resellers | Significant slow down |
System overload | Moderate slow down |
Queue prioritization | Modest slow down |
No queue transparency | Perceived slow down |
Is Ticketmaster deliberately slowing queues?
Given all the above issues, some fans speculate whether Ticketmaster is intentionally throttling queue movement to drive up desperation and prices. After an hour with no progress, even nosebleed seats start looking enticing. However, there is no evidence Ticketmaster artificially manufactures waits. The disconnected experience stems more from outdated website design and piecemeal technology integration after merging with Live Nation. Their priority is delivering a stable system, not a smooth user experience.
Long queues benefit Ticketmaster in that frenzied buyers are less price sensitive and may overpay relative to demand. But intentionally slowing the flow would be risky. Walmart and Amazon have faced major lawsuits for manipulating queues on Black Friday. And Ticketmaster is already under major scrutiny for deceptive pricing and fees. So any intentional system throttling would likely be subtle if it exists.
Regardless of intent, Ticketmaster’s lack of innovation and failure to redesign a modern queue system leaves customers frustrated. The fact that queues rarely “jump” or speed up, even after an hour, just worsens perceptions of mismanagement. And without transparency, customers are left speculating while Ticketmaster offers no explanations.
Solutions to improve queue speed
Here are some ways Ticketmaster could enhance queues to reduce wait times for customers:
– Implement an intelligent “auto queue” system that slots people in line automatically upon page load instead of making fans click a waiting room button.
– Structure queues on a true first-in, first-out basis rather than questionable algorithms.
– Add estimated user queue position regularly updated in real time so fans can gauge actual progress.
– Segment queues to divert resellers and brokers to a separate pool so they don’t clog up fan queue flow.
– Add tiered queue access via Verified Fan or season ticket holder presales to thin out the general onsale demand.
– For very high demand onsales, launch “lottery queues” where users are randomly assigned spots to spread traffic.
– Increase queue capacity limits and load test for spikes above projected traffic levels to prevent overload.
– Provide queue position savings or loyalty rewards fans can use to boost their priority for future onsales.
– Shift to a new platform designed for smoother queue flow rather than layered on an outdated ticketing platform.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster’s sluggish virtual waiting rooms result from some unavoidable factors around supply and demand in the ticketing industry. But there are also technological and design limitations that exacerbate waits due to outdated systems. While Ticketmaster maintains they do not artificially slow queues, they seem unmotivated to implement innovations to improve the experience. The company likely benefits financially from frenzied buyers too flustered to comparison shop.
Moving forward, Ticketmaster should take responsibility and address these issues by rebuilding queue technology, improving transparency, and rewarding loyal customers. Until then, fans will continue venting frustrations over stagnant queues and creeping wait times that rarely seem to move closer to those coveted tickets.