In November 2022, Ticketmaster experienced major issues with their website during the pre-sale event for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras tour. Demand for tickets far exceeded supply, causing the website to crash and leaving many fans unable to purchase tickets. This resulted in outrage among Swift’s devoted fanbase and widespread criticism of Ticketmaster’s handling of the pre-sale.
What was the pre-sale event for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour?
Taylor Swift announced her Eras tour on November 1, 2022, her first tour since 2018. The tour was slated to begin in March 2023 and visit stadiums across the United States over the course of 5 months. Due to extremely high demand whenever Swift announces a tour, Ticketmaster held a pre-sale event on November 15 for fans who had received special codes via Swift’s fan club or through other promotions.
The pre-sale was staggered across two days – some fans got codes for November 15 and others for November 16. Over 3.5 million people pre-registered for the pre-sale and 1.5 million codes were distributed, the largest registration in Ticketmaster’s history. The pre-sale was meant to give Swift’s biggest fans first access to tickets before the general public sale on November 18.
What issues did Ticketmaster experience during the pre-sale?
The Ticketmaster website and app began experiencing major glitches from the moment the pre-sale opened at 10AM EST on November 15. Fans reported endless queues, error messages, and being kicked out after waiting for hours. Ticketmaster later said they were fielding 3.5 billion total system requests, 4x their previous peak.
Many who persevered and reached the front of queues were met with another problem – no tickets available. Ticketmaster tweeted that there was “historically unprecedented demand” and “insufficient remaining ticket inventory” to meet it. Some shows, such as those in Los Angeles and Nashville, had already sold out completely on the first day of pre-sale.
On November 16, things were no better for the second group of pre-sale ticket holders. Site crashes continued and Ticketmaster postponed the general public sale, citing “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems.” Tickets for the majority of shows never made it to general public sale at all.
How did Taylor Swift and her fans react?
As reports of the ticket fiasco spread across social media, Swift herself addressed the situation on her Instagram story. She said it was “excruciating” for her to watch mistakes happen without recourse and that she had been assured multiple times that Ticketmaster could handle the demand.
Swift’s fanbase was outraged, feeling the pre-sale system had rewarded resellers using bots while locking out real supporters. The hashtags #TicketmasterTaylorSwift and #TicketmasterScandal trended on Twitter as fans complained of unfair practices.
Many demanded investigations into Ticketmaster and called for the company to be broken up, referencing its 2010 merger with Live Nation that created a dominant force in event ticketing. Fans also asked Swift to speak out against Ticketmaster’s monopoly in the industry.
How did Ticketmaster respond to the backlash?
Ticketmaster released several statements over the course of the pre-sale defending their position. They claimed the site issues were due to a “staggering number of bot attacks” along with fans without codes trying to get in, not lack of preparation. The company also noted they try to keep holds on tickets low during pre-sales to enable more fans to get them.
In a letter to Swift, Ticketmaster President Joe Berchtold profusely apologized for the “terrible experience” many fans endured. He stated that Ticketmaster should have “paused” sales earlier and promised to address fan concerns around bots and ticket access going forward.
However, many were unsatisfied with the response, feeling it deflected blame and did not promise meaningful change. Tennessee’s Attorney General announced an investigation into the pre-sale, scrutinizing Ticketmaster for potential anticompetitive conduct.
How were tickets allocated for the pre-sale?
According to Ticketmaster, the allotment of tickets for Swift’s pre-sale was as follows:
| Ticket Type | Number Available |
|---|---|
| Verified Fan Pre-Sale | 40% |
| Capital One Cardholder Pre-Sale | 10% |
| Official Platinum Seats | 18% |
| Venue and Artist Holds | 32% |
So prior to the general public sale, only about 40% of tickets were made available to Swift’s biggest supporters through the Verified Fan pre-sale. The Capital One pre-sale was another fan club allocation, while Official Platinum seats are scalped by Ticketmaster itself at higher prices.
Significant inventory was held for future sales channels as well, leaving only a small fraction for the general public. With such massive demand, these allocations guaranteed that the vast majority of genuine fans would leave empty-handed after the pre-sales.
What are some of the biggest criticisms of Ticketmaster’s policies?
Ticketmaster has faced backlash over several of their sales practices exposed by the Swift on-sale disaster:
Excessive service fees
Ticketmaster tacks on substantial “processing” and “service” fees to every ticket purchase. For highly in-demand events like major concerts, these fees can more than double the base price of a ticket. Critics argue these exploitative fees maximize Ticketmaster’s profits at the expense of fans.
Official Platinum dynamic pricing
Ticketmaster uses software to engage in surge pricing, markedly raising prices for hot events based on demand trends. Fans must pay exorbitant premiums for Official Platinum seats, enabling Ticketmaster to scalp its own tickets.
Pre-sales favoring scalpers over fans
The pre-sale events, meant to benefit an artist’s core fanbase, are actually notorious for rampant reseller activity. Third-party brokers use bots and page refreshes to scoop up pre-sale tickets in bulk.
Obscure ticket holds and allocations
Vast ticket inventory is reserved for artist and venue holds, pre-sales, and other industry stakeholders. The dwindling remainder is what actually goes on sale, guaranteeing sellouts and shutting most fans out of buying at face value.
What are some potential remedies proposed to address Ticketmaster’s dominance?
In the wake of the Taylor Swift fiasco, a number of measures have been suggested to curb Ticketmaster’s outsized control and improve fairness for consumers:
- Break up the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger to reduce their vertical integration in the live events business
- Prevent Ticketmaster from engaging in scalping through Official Platinum seats or other means
- Cap service fees at a reasonable percentage of ticket face value
- Enhance bot protection so human buyers have a fair shot, especially during pre-sales
- Limit ticket holds/allocations so more seats make it to public on-sale
- Require more transparency around ticketing data like seat maps and waitlist numbers
- Allow ticket transfers to fight scalping by enabling fans to freely exchange tickets
While Ticketmaster maintains their policies aim to deter scalpers, their critics argue serious changes are needed to restore power to everyday event-goers. Taylor Swift’s tour exposed the company’s shortcomings once again, so time will tell if they spur meaningful reform.
Conclusion
The Ticketmaster meltdown during Taylor Swift’s Eras pre-sale created a PR crisis for the company and exposed deep flaws in their sales system. With impatient fans kept waiting for hours only to find no tickets, it represented a failure to serve their core audience – yet another example of Ticketmaster prioritizing profit over fairness.
Swift and her supporters are justified in demanding change after thousands of her true fans were shut out. Until reforms are enacted, Ticketmaster’s dominance will continue to stifle competition and gouge consumers amidst soaring live event costs.
The fiasco has generated momentum for legal action to challenge Ticketmaster’s supremacy in the industry. If solutions like enforced caps on fees, fewer ticket holds, and cracking down on scalpers can be achieved, events could become more accessible to the artists’ biggest supporters. In the digital era, a ticketing process that frequently crumbles under high demand is unacceptable.
Though Ticketmaster blamed record web traffic and bots, those were foreseeable challenges for such a high-profile sale. By mismanaging a pre-sale meant to benefit ardent fans, Ticketmaster ruined what should have been a celebratory event for Swifties. The debacle made clear that serious improvements to their systems and sales policies are needed to treat fans, artists, and the spirit of live music with more care.
