This is a common question that many music fans have when trying to get tickets to popular concerts and events through Ticketmaster presales. The short answer is yes, Ticketmaster does only release a portion of the total event tickets for presales. However, the exact number or percentage of tickets held back for general on-sale dates varies based on the event promoter’s wishes.
What is a Ticketmaster Presale?
A Ticketmaster presale allows select groups of people access to purchase event tickets before the general public on-sale date. Presales are typically offered to fan club members, credit card holders, mobile app users, and sometimes local venue or radio station email list subscribers. Presales give these select groups the first chance to buy tickets and can sometimes offer access to better seat options compared to what’s available during general on-sale.
Why Do Presales Only Release Some Tickets?
There are a few key reasons why event organizers and Ticketmaster limit the number of tickets available during presales:
- To create an incentive for people to join fan clubs, loyalty programs etc. Access to presales is a major perk used to drive membership/enrollment.
- To give the core fan base or loyal customers first crack at the best available tickets before the general public has access.
- To help drive hype and media buzz around the on-sale dates. Having high demand tickets sell out during presales helps build excitement and urgency around the general on-sale.
- To ensure there is adequate ticket inventory available for the general public on-sale date. Typically the largest number of tickets are made available when sales open to the general public.
How Many Tickets Are Held Back from Presales?
There is no set rule or percentage that dictates how many tickets are made available during presales. This is determined on an event-by-event basis at the discretion of the event organizer and artist management. The size of the venue, expected demand, and history with past presale ticket allotments are all factors that come into play.
That said, it’s fairly typical for only 10-30% of the total event tickets to be released during presales. Some general estimates indicate:
- Fan club presales: 10-20% of total tickets
- Venue/radio station presales: 5-10% of total tickets
- Credit card presales: 10-20% of total tickets
- Mobile app presales: 5-10% of total tickets
In very high demand situations like major artist arena tours or music festivals, the presale ticket allotment may be closer to 25-30% of all tickets. For lower demand events, presale inventory could be as little as 5-10% of seats. Promoters will ultimately decide what makes sense for each show’s presale breakdown as they balance serving die-hard fans with general public on-sale ticket availability.
Examples of Presale Ticket Allotments
Here are some real world examples of how many tickets have been available during recent presales for high profile concerts and events:
Harry Styles 2022 Tour
- Venue capacity: 18,000 seats
- Total tickets: 14,000 (rest held for ADA seats etc.)
- Fan club presale: 2,000 tickets (14% of total)
- Spotify/Live Nation presale: 1,500 tickets (11% of total)
- Remaining 10,500 tickets released for general on-sale
Coachella Music Festival 2023
- Total weekend passes: 125,000
- Amex presale: 12,500 passes (10% of total)
- Coachella website presale: 12,500 passes (10% of total)
- Remaining 100,000 passes for general on-sale
The Weeknd After Hours Tour
- Venue capacity: 20,000
- Total tickets: 16,500
- Venue presale: 1,000 tickets (6% of total)
- Fan club presale: 3,000 tickets (18% of total)
- Spotify presale: 1,000 tickets (6% of total)
- Remaining 11,500 tickets for general on-sale
As you can see from these examples, presale ticket allotments vary widely depending on the artist, demand, and number of different presales offered. For major tours, you often see between 10-25% of all tickets set aside for various presale events.
Tips for Getting Presale Tickets
Here are some tips and best practices for trying to score tickets during presales:
- Join fan clubs and mailing lists as early as possible. This ensures you get presale code emails and access.
- Save payment info in your Ticketmaster account ahead of presales. This speeds up the checkout process.
- Use multiple devices across different internet connections to search for tickets. Presales typically “drip” release inventory.
- Target lower demand shows or venues. Presale sellouts are less likely compared to major markets.
- Aim for singles or obstructed view seats. These are slower to sell out compared to pairs/groups of tickets.
- Be persistent and keep searching if tickets disappear. More inventory may be released as carts time out.
Getting Tickets During General On-Sale
While presales offer the first chance at tickets, the general on-sale date is when the largest number of tickets are made available to the public. Here are some tips for scoring seats once sales open up to everyone:
- Get online early – at least 30 mins before on-sale time.
- Use waiting rooms on Ticketmaster when available to evenly distribute traffic.
- Try searching Ticketmaster for single seats. These may sell out last.
- Check venue box office sites in addition to Ticketmaster.
- Don’t give up right away if nothing comes up initially. Inventory is frequently released in waves.
- Consider re-sale sites like StubHub which often have inventory within minutes of a sell out.
Is it Possible to Buy All the Tickets?
In some high-profile instances, it appears that a large portion of tickets end up getting purchased by ticket brokers who then resell them on secondary market sites at inflated prices. This can make it seem like all the tickets got bought up instantly. However, Ticketmaster does implement some safeguards to try to prevent mass purchases:
- Limits on the number of tickets that can be purchased in a single transaction (typically 4-8 tickets).
- Canceling orders or restricting users who utilize bots or duplicate accounts to scoop up inventory.
- Verifying identities by cross-referencing billing addresses used on orders.
That said, sophisticated ticket brokers are constantly finding creative ways to secure large quantities of tickets. Ticketmaster is actively working to identify and restrict these types of bulk purchases through presales and general on-sales.
Tips for Avoiding High Resale Prices
If you weren’t able to get tickets at face value through Ticketmaster, all hope isn’t lost. Here are some tips for potentially finding deals and avoiding sky-high resell prices:
- Check fan-to-fan exchange boards for fans selling extra tickets at reasonable prices.
- Wait until closer to event dates when prices on resale sites tend to come down.
- Consider attending shows in nearby cities or tour stops where demand may be less intense.
- Target seat locations farther from the stage where prices are typically lower.
While there’s no surefire way around ticket resale markups, being smart and persistent about how you search for tickets can help maximize your chances of getting seats at or closer to face value.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster does strategically limit the number of tickets released during presales, ranging anywhere from 10-30% of total event inventory. This helps ensure there is adequate ticket availability for each event’s general on-sale date. While presales give fan club members and select groups the first access, the bulk of tickets are still made available to the general public. Persistence, preparation, and flexibility are key to improving your chances of getting great seats at face value through any Ticketmaster on-sale event.