Yes, Ticketmaster did cancel the general public sale for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour due to high demand during the pre-sales. Fans expressed frustration as many were unable to get tickets despite waiting for hours in online queues. Ticketmaster stated that over 2 million tickets were sold for Swift’s tour during the pre-sales, leading to insufficient inventory for a general public sale. This unprecedented demand highlights Swift’s immense popularity and the challenges of managing ticketing for in-demand events in the digital era.
What events led up to the cancellation of the general public sale?
Taylor Swift announced her first tour in over 4 years, The Eras Tour, on November 1st, 2022. The tour is scheduled to begin in March 2023 in support of her recent album releases folklore, evermore, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and Midnights. Pre-sales for the tour commenced on November 15th for fans who had pre-sale codes from Swift’s website,previous album purchases, Verified Fan signups, and other partner pre-sales.
Demand immediately exceeded supply, with millions trying to purchase tickets. Fans reported waiting for hours in Ticketmaster’s online queue only to be kicked out when trying to checkout. Ticketmaster’s site crashed numerous times due to the traffic surge. Many fans were unable to get tickets despite having pre-sale codes. Resellers began listing tickets on secondary sites for huge markups. Frustration mounted among fans online as Ticketmaster apologized for site issues but did not delay or pause the pre-sales.
Over 2 million tickets were sold during the pre-sales per Ticketmaster. On November 17th, Ticketmaster announced that due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand” the general public on-sale scheduled for November 18th was cancelled. Swift later posted a statement expressing anger and frustration over the handling of her tour pre-sales.
What issues did fans experience during the pre-sales?
Swift’s fans encountered numerous problems and difficulties trying to purchase tickets:
– Excessively long waiting times in Ticketmaster’s online queues, often resulting in getting kicked out after hours of waiting
– Frequent crashes of Ticketmaster’s site and apps during the pre-sales due to high traffic
– Inability to access tickets even with pre-sale codes due to high demand
– Receiving error messages when trying to checkout and complete purchases
– Seeing tickets immediately appear on resale sites like StubHub at hugely inflated prices
– Lack of communication from Ticketmaster on site issues and status of ticket availability
– Confusion over whether there were still tickets remaining or all were sold out
The technical difficulties in Ticketmaster’s systems created a frustrating, chaotic experience for fans hoping to see Swift on her first tour since 2018. With demand far exceeding the number of tickets available, many fans were left disappointed despite their efforts to purchase tickets.
What was the reaction to the general public on-sale cancellation?
The reaction to Ticketmaster’s cancellation of the general public ticket sale was extremely negative from fans and observers:
– Swift herself said the situation was “excruciating” for her to watch and she was not willing to work with Ticketmaster on future tours
– Fans were outraged that only pre-sale buyers had a chance for tickets and vented their frustrations online
– Some fans filed lawsuits against Ticketmaster alleging antitrust violations and unfair business practices
– U.S. lawmakers called for investigations into Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s dominance in event ticketing
– Claims emerged that over 60% of tickets for Swift’s tour were immediately listed for resale after the pre-sales
– Ticketmaster was accused of prioritizing its reseller clients over general fans
The cancellation highlighted issues of bots, insufficient ticket supply, and lack of competition in ticketing markets. It left many questioning if everyday fans have a fair shot at buying tickets anymore for top acts like Swift. Calls grew for reforms and greater transparency in the ticketing industry.
How many tickets were sold during the pre-sales?
According to Ticketmaster, over 2 million tickets were sold for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour during the pre-sales windows from November 15th to 17th.
Some key stats on Swift’s tour pre-sales per Ticketmaster:
– Over 3.5 million people pre-registered for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program in hopes of getting a code
– 1.5 million Verified Fans were given codes allowing them to participate in the pre-sales
– 2 million+ tickets were sold across the Verified Fan pre-sale, other pre-sales like for Capital One cardholders, and partner platform sales
– This resulted in the tour having the most tickets ever sold for an artist in a single day on Ticketmaster
The massive number of pre-sales tickets purchased left insufficient inventory for a general public on-sale, leading to Ticketmaster’s controversial decision to cancel it. The pre-sales numbers illustrate the enormous demand to see Swift, who has not toured since her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.
How did Ticketmaster explain the situation?
Ticketmaster released statements as the backlash grew over its handling of Swift’s tour ticket sales:
– They said the site slowdowns and crashes were due to “historically unprecedented demand” with millions trying to buy tickets
– Over 3.5 billion total “system requests” were received, 4x their previous peak
– Hundreds of thousands of tickets per minute were sold across thousands of venues
– They apologized for the difficulties but maintained the huge demand exceeded “any other onsale we’ve seen”
– 2 million tickets sold surpassed any single artist pre-sale on Ticketmaster previously
– Inventory remaining for the general public on-sale was insufficient due to the volume of Verified Fan and other pre-sales
– They declined to reveal the total ticket inventory available to avoid advantages for resellers
While acknowledging fans’ frustrations, Ticketmaster asserted the volume simply could not be anticipated or adequately handled despite their preparations. They claimed no single entity could have managed smoothly at such demand levels.
What safety measures did Ticketmaster have in place for the pre-sales?
Ticketmaster utilized some safety measures aimed at trying to ensure a fair and smooth ticket purchasing process:
– Verified Fan Program – Fans pre-register and are verified as real people to get codes to access pre-sales
– Use of digital tickets to reduce fake tickets – All Swift tickets were digital requiring ID of buyer at entry
– Limits on number of tickets permitted per purchase – Between 2 and 8 ticket limits per show
– CAPTCHA to identify bots – Users had to pass periodic CAPTCHA tests showing they were not bots
– Queue system – Online “waiting room” queues were used to control surges in traffic
– Staggered sales times – Pre-sales were spread over multiple days and times to spread demand
However, these measures proved inadequate at the unprecedented demand levels for Swift’s tour. Fans reported long queue wait times resulting in timeouts, frequent CAPTCHAs while waiting, and crashes across Ticketmaster’s platforms. The safety steps became essentially ineffective when demand exceeded systems’ capabilities by such large margins.
What are some of the main criticisms of how Ticketmaster handled the situation?
Ticketmaster faced intense criticism over the pre-sales fiasco from fans, industry watchdogs, and elected officials:
– Botched technical execution – Sites crashed, queues stalled, fans were kicked out after waiting for hours
– Poor communication – Confusing messages whether tickets remained available amidst issues
– Refusal to pause or delay sales – Sales continued despite frequent problems for buyers
– Prioritizing resellers – Many tickets immediately popped up at high markups indicating reseller focus
– Canceling general on-sale – Denied chance for tickets for the wider public not in pre-sales
– Lack of transparency – Did not reveal total number of tickets available for sale
– Anti-competitive practices – Live Nation-Ticketmaster dominates primary + secondary ticketing markets
– Price gouging – Service fees as high as 50%+ on top of ticket face values
Overall, Ticketmaster was seen as prioritizing its own profits ahead of providing a fair, equitable ticket buying experience for fans. The technical issues and lack of transparency further eroded trust between Ticketmaster and consumers.
How has Ticketmaster responded to the backlash?
In the wake of intense backlash from Swift’s fans and the general public, Ticketmaster has taken some steps to address the controversies:
– Apologized for technical issues and fan difficulties but said demand could not have been anticipated
– Announced they will examine their technology stack and make upgrades to handle better extreme traffic
– Hired an independent cybersecurity firm to review protections against bot attacks
– Claimed they are working on improving visibility for ticket availability and timing during sales
– Published a FAQ page for fans on the verification process, wait times, and other ticketing questions
– Said they are focused on ensuring more tickets get into hands of fans rather than resellers
Despite these efforts, many are skeptical meaningful changes will occur within Live Nation and Ticketmaster to improve ticket buying experiences, absent regulatory and legal reforms. The companies continue to dominate primary and secondary ticketing markets with limited oversight.
What potential changes have been suggested to the ticketing industry?
In light of the Taylor Swift ticketing fiasco, policymakers, industry experts, and consumers have suggested various reforms:
– Break up Ticketmaster – Enforce antitrust laws to stimulate competition in ticketing markets
– Ban ticketbots – Make illegal the use of software ticket scalpers utilize to buy up inventory
– Enhanced ticket caps – Limit how many tickets an individual can buy to hinder resellers
– Price caps – Put upper limits on fees added onto ticket prices that boost costs
– Transparency laws – Require disclosure of total event tickets available for public sales
– Licensing regulations – Set qualifications and requirements for ticketing platforms
– Minimum ticket holds – Ensure a portion of inventory is reserved for general public on-sales
– Paperless ticketing – Mandate digital tickets requiring ID of buyer to reduce counterfeits
While no silver bullet exists, a combination of regulatory oversight, industry reforms, and new technologies could help improve the ticket buying experience for fans. Increased transparency may be the most immediate necessity based on the Swift tour pre-sale controversies.
Could Ticketmaster have handled the situation better? What could they have done differently?
Yes, there are a number of ways Ticketmaster likely could have handled the Taylor Swift tour pre-sales better:
– Be more transparent on total ticket inventory and sales in real-time
– Pause or delay sales when major technical issues emerge
– Implement waiting room queues and CAPTCHAs before users access purchase pages
– Limit buyers to 2-4 tickets maximum to discourage resellers
– Stagger sales over more days at lower volumes to spread demand
– Do not begin sales until site stability is rigorously tested at peak loads
– Offer fans alternatives like lottery systems to compete for tickets
– Enforce stringent purchase limits after initial sales to hinder scalping
– Add customer service staff to handle huge call and inquiry volumes
– Provide option for fans to receive a refund and be re-entered into ticket queues
Fundamentally, Ticketmaster needed stronger contingencies for extreme demand surges that vastly exceeded systems’ capabilities. Taking proactive steps to throttle and smooth out traffic could have mitigated some of the most chaotic aspects of the pre-sales.
Are there any notable previous examples of concerts with very high ticket demand similar to Taylor Swift’s tour?
Here are some major past tours that also saw massive ticketing demand analogous to what Taylor Swift’s tour is experiencing:
– Spice Girls Reunion Tour, 2019 – Over 700,000 fans registered for pre-sales, crashing sites
– Avengers: Endgame cinema screenings, 2019 – Websites crashed, long virtual queues formed from high demand
– Justin Bieber, Purpose World Tour, 2016 – #Belieber fans overloaded servers, caused site outages
– One Direction, On The Road Again Tour, 2015 – Fans faced long wait times, Ticketmaster crashed repeatedly
– Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, Best of Both Worlds Tour, 2007-2008 – Massive demand from younger fans overwhelmed ticketing systems
– The Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang Tour, 2005-2007 – Huge demand saw sites crash, tickets immediately resell for 2-3X
– Spice Girls, Return of the Spice Girls World Tour, 2007-2008 – Demand similarly crashed sites, required added concerts
These cases illustrate how enormous interest in top pop culture phenomenons can repeatedly push ticketing systems beyond their capabilities even a decade ago. While lessons should have been learned, extreme demand continues to trigger familiar pain points for fans and vendors alike in the digital era.
Could pre-sales issues like this happen again in the future for other artists or events? What can be done to prevent similar problems?
Unfortunately, incidents like the chaos around Taylor Swift’s tour pre-sales could absolutely occur again in the future for other hot ticket events. Demand already frequently exceeds supply for major artists’ tours, festivals, and more. A few tactics could help mitigate the severity of issues next time:
– Implement strict purchase limits per buyer from the outset
– Use more rigorous queue systems before purchases are allowed
– Confirm site stability at 10X or more projected peak traffic pre-launch
– Announce sales far in advance to spread buyer demand over time
– Limit or eliminate pre-sales to ensure sufficient inventory for public on-sales
– Deploy load balancing across servers and content delivery networks
– Build in sales triggers to pause or delay if technical issues emerge
– Develop emergency overflow auxiliary sales channels if primary vendor fails
– Enforce strong bot protections and order review mechanisms
– Establish clear communications plans for site issues and sales status
Fundamentally, vendors like Ticketmaster require contingency plans for demand surges that reasonably anticipate scenarios of systems overloads based on past issues. Technical capabilities, security measures, and communications must all be rated to handle extreme edge cases.
Conclusion
The cancellation of Taylor Swift’s general tour ticket sale generated intense controversy and backlash against Ticketmaster. It laid bare flaws in ticketing systems’ abilities to handle once-in-a-generation levels of demand in a fair, transparent manner. Moving forward, strengthening sales infrastructure, enforcing consumer protections, and nurturing real competition seem crucial to rebuild trust in the ticketing industry. Time will tell whether regulators and companies take meaningful action, but it is clear the status quo requires change to better serve artists and fans.
