Taylor Swift recently announced her Eras Tour, which is set to begin in March 2023. As expected, demand for tickets was extremely high, leading to issues for fans trying to purchase presale tickets. The presale roll out did not go smoothly, leaving many fans frustrated and ticket resellers profiting. This article will break down what happened during the presale and why it did not go as planned.
What is The Eras Tour?
The Eras Tour is Taylor Swift’s first tour since 2018. It is expected to be her biggest tour yet, spanning stadiums across the United States. The name refers to the different eras of Swift’s career and music that will be highlighted during the shows. Fans are excited to see Swift perform hit songs from her decade plus in the music industry. Here are some key details about the tour:
- Kicks off March 17, 2023 in Glendale, AZ
- Spans 52 show dates
- Ends with 5 shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in early August
Major cities like Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and Toronto are all part of the itinerary. It is expected to surpass her Reputation Stadium Tour of 2018 as her biggest and highest grossing tour.
When did presales start?
Fans who wanted early access could purchase presale tickets starting Tuesday, November 15. However, entry into presales was limited. Swift has her own fan club called TaylorSwiftTix that some fans were randomly selected to access the Capital One presale through. There was also a presale for Capital One credit card holders only. This meant the majority of her fans were shut out from the first crack at securing tickets.
What caused problems with the presale?
The short answer is the high demand severely overwhelmed the ticketing platforms. But there are some key reasons why this happened specifically:
Limited presale window
Having short, limited time presales that funneled millions of fans to sales all at once was a recipe for failure. The presales were only 4 hours long each, which concentrated huge demand into small windows.
Too many visitors at once
Ticketmaster stated there were 3.5 billion total system requests on the first day of presales. To put that into context, they usually see around 1.5 billion requests for an entire sales period for a huge tour. So the first day had more than double the normal traffic.
Bots and resellers
Bots and automated technology used by ticket resellers compounded problems. Bots can submit thousands of requests per second, overwhelming platforms. Resellers were likely responsible for a huge percentage of requests.
Insufficient safeguards
Ticketmaster did not seem to have adequate safeguards in place. Queue systems, CAPTCHA, and waiting rooms could have smoothed out traffic spikes. But none prevented the ticketing site from crashing.
What happened during the presale?
Now that we’ve covered the background, here is a timeline of events and specific problems during the presale days:
Websites crash
On Tuesday, November 15 when the first Capital One presale started, Ticketmaster immediately crashed and queues formed on the website. Fans reported waiting for hours just to access the site.
Long wait times
Wait times in queues were unreliable, with some fans waiting for 8+ hours. Even if they made it to the front, tickets would sell out.
Lack of Ticket Availability
When fans did finally access the site after waiting, the only seats left were upper levels priced over $500-1000 each. The lower bowl seats were all immediately bought up.
Inflated resale prices
Tickets that did sell out appeared on resale sites like StubHub within minutes at inflated prices. Lower level seats were listed for $5000-$30,000 each.
Presales delayed
On Wednesday, the Capital One presale was postponed after the previous day’s fiasco. But even on Thursday after adjustments, many of the same problems occurred again.
Fans spend all day without tickets
Some fans attempting to get tickets spent their entire work days in queues. After 8 hours, they either faced crashed sites or were shown unavailable tickets.
How fans reacted
To summarize it briefly, Swifties were outraged. After one of the most chaotic presales in recent memory, fans expressed their immense frustration on social media. Here are some of the complaints that emerged:
- Anger at bots and resellers clearly gaming the system
- Confusion at inconsistentqueue times promises vs. reality
- Frustration toward Ticketmaster for web issues
- Resentment that upper/middle class fans got first access
- Criticism that the tour was overpriced
While some secured tickets, the sentiment was overwhelmingly negative. Fans felt the presale process was unfair and designed against regular people.
Example fan reactions
Here are some real example reactions on social media that encapsulated the frustrations:
“The Eras tour presale was a catastrophic failure of epic proportions. @Ticketmaster should be ashamed.”
“Ticketing should not just be open season for scalpers and bots. Real fans waited for hours just for a chance.”
“@Taylor Nation @taylorswift13 the exclusivity of this presale left a sour taste in my mouth. Real fans faced heartbreak trying to get tickets.”
“Spent all day on @Ticketmaster and didn’t get a single ticket. Waste of my time, what a joke.”
How Ticketmaster Responded
Ticketmaster issued several statements as the presale issues mounted. Here is how they reacted:
Defended the website traffic numbers
Ticketmaster said their site could handle 2,000 requests per second, defending it as “a new record” and “3.5 billion system requests on the first day of onsales” for Swift’s tour. But this led fans to question why the sites still crashed under high demand.
Blamed record demand and bot attacks
In their main statement, Ticketmaster attributed problems to “historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up” specifically highlighting attacks from “bots and other bad actors.” But some felt this shifted blame away from their systems’ failures to keep up.
Addressed “technical difficulties”
In posts and emails to fans who struggled, they generally cited “technical difficulties” and “intermittent issues” that occurred due to demand. But they stopped short of apologizing or owning the specific failures.
Could This Have Been Prevented?
While Ticketmaster blamed record demand and bots, experts have suggested there are ways systems could be improved to handle large onsales:
Longer presale windows
Spreading sales over an entire week rather than 4 hour windows would ease traffic spikes. Early access could be still offered but over more days.
Captcha / Pre-registration
Using CAPTCHA and having fans pre-register could filter out bots attempting to swarm the system.
Waiting rooms
Virtual waiting rooms that regularly refresh available tickets into the queue could create a smoother, more organized sales process.
Banning resale tickets
Invalidating tickets on resale sites that are clearly from bots could discourage bad actors from abusing the presale.
Price ceiling on resales
Putting a cap on how much a third party can inflate resale prices could make buying tickets fairer for fans.
Will Regular Public Onsale Be Better?
After the botched presales, the regular public onsale date is Friday, November 18. Ticketmaster claims they are taking steps to improve this round:
- Using Verified Fan for fans selected to get code access
- Staggered appointment times given based on when people signed up for Verified Fan
- Limiting ticket purchase quantities (likely 4 per code)
While not perfect, these measures could help filter out resellers and bots. Code access also randomly levels the playing field. Overall, the public onsale seems better structured than the presales.
However, if 15 million people request access and only 1 million get Verified Fan codes, there will still be huge demand. Appointment times are not guaranteed if people run into technical issues. So while an improvement, the public onsale will likely still frustrate many fans.
How Has This Affected Swift’s Reputation?
This was obviously not smooth rollout Taylor Swift likely hoped for. But has the backlash impacted her reputation with fans? Here are two differing perspectives:
Many fans direct anger at Ticketmaster
Most fans place blame for presale issues on Ticketmaster’s systems, bots, and greedy resellers. Swift’s reputation remains overall positive. She still connects with fans.
Some think Swift could speak out or do more
However, some have questioned why Swift has not spoken out herself on the issues. Others argue she could use her platform to advocate for more access and affordable ticket prices. Her silence has disappointed a portion of fans amid valid criticism of the tour’s exclusivity and ticket prices.
Key Takeaways
Looking back at the Eras Tour presale mess, here are some key conclusions:
- Bot attacks, poor safeguards, and overwhelmed servers ruined the presale
- Demand drastically exceeded early supply for highly coveted tickets
- Fans felt presale was unfairly structured with high prices
- Ticketmaster cited record traffic but failed to adequately adapt
- Taylor Swift stayed silent but her reputation remains largely positive
- Public onsale will likely be better controlled but still have issues
While disappointing, hopefully key lessons are learned to improve access for fans seeking to see one of the world’s biggest artists on a huge stadium tour.
Tables Comparing Presale Dates
TaylorSwiftTix Presale – November 15
Time | Key Events |
---|---|
10:00 AM EST | Presale begins, Capital One cardholderverified fans get code texted to access |
10:30 AM EST | Ticketmaster sites start crashing under high traffic load |
12:00 PM EST | 2 hour wait times reported in Ticketmaster queues |
4:00 PM EST | Presale ends, many fans unable to ever access tickets |
Verified Fan Presale – November 17
Time | Key Events |
---|---|
10:00 AM EST | Presale begins for fans selected through Verified Fan signups |
11:30 AM EST | Fans report glitches in Ticketmaster queues |
12:00 PM EST | Wait times again excessively long |
4:00 PM EST | Presale ends, slight improvements but still major problems |
Sample Ticket Listings on Resale Sites
Section | Original Price | Resale Price |
---|---|---|
Lower Level Side | $500 | $5000 |
Lower Level Corner | $300 | $3000 |
Floor Seats | $800 | $30,000 |
Upper Level | $150 | $500 |
Conclusion
The Eras Tour presale was a debacle that left many Taylor Swift fans upset and ticketless. While Ticketmaster cites record demand, there are better systems that could be explored to handle large onsales and limit resellers. This likely damaged Swift’s reputation to a degree, but she remains hugely popular. Hopefully there are more fair opportunities for fans as the general public onsale approaches.