Pearl Jam’s verified fan program is a ticket pre-sale system designed to get tickets directly into the hands of their biggest fans. It aims to combat scalpers and bots buying up all the tickets and reselling them at inflated prices. Pearl Jam has used some version of a verified fan program for several years now.
What are the benefits of being a Pearl Jam verified fan?
The main benefit of being a Pearl Jam verified fan is getting access to ticket pre-sales for Pearl Jam shows. This gives fans early access to purchase tickets before the general public sale. Verified fans get first shot at buying tickets, which helps increase their chances of scoring tickets at face value prices before scalpers and bots can buy them all up.
Some other potential benefits include:
- Access to special offers or exclusive merch
- Early entry to venue on show days
- Invites to special events or intimate shows
- Discounts on merch or upgrades
- Chance to buy premium tickets like pit or front row seats
However, these additional perks are not guaranteed with verified fan status. The main consistent benefit is early ticket access before the general on-sale.
How does the Pearl Jam verified fan program work?
Pearl Jam uses Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform to manage the program. Fans must register for a Ticketmaster account and opt-in as a Pearl Jam verified fan. There are usually short registration windows before each tour goes on sale. Here is an overview of how it works:
- Registration: Fans register during the pre-sale window for the upcoming tour. This proves you are an active Pearl Jam fan.
- Verification: Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster use various metrics to verify and validate fans. This cuts down on scalpers or duplicate registrations.
- Selection: Verified fans are selected at random for the pre-sale. The number selected depends on the venue size and amount of tickets available.
- Pre-Sale: Selected verified fans receive a unique code to access the pre-sale and purchase tickets.
- General On-Sale: Any remaining tickets go on sale to the general public after the pre-sale window closes.
Some tours have multiple pre-sales, like one for Ten Club members and one for verified fans. So being a Ten Club member improves your chances of being selected for a pre-sale code as both a fan club member and verified fan.
Why does Pearl Jam use a verified fan program?
Pearl Jam implemented the verified fan program to combat scalpers and get more tickets directly to real fans. Some of the reasons include:
- Shut out scalpers & bots – Scalpers use bots and automation to buy up huge amounts of tickets to resell. Verified fan limits their ability to gobble up tickets.
- Reduce inflated resale prices – Less scalper bots buying tickets means less demand on resale sites like StubHub, which lowers prices.
- Improve fan experience – Real fans get better access to good tickets at face value prices, improving their concert experience.
- Level playing field – All fans have an equal shot at tickets instead of scalpers dominating. Evens the odds.
- Reward loyal fans – Ten Club members and passionate active fans get priority access as a reward for their dedication.
Pearl Jam has seen huge success with verified fan pre-sales. Their 2018 tour had over 1 million registrations for 900,000 tickets requested, with 80% of tickets going directly to fans. Verified fan helps Pearl Jam make ticketing fairer for real supporters.
How do I become a Pearl Jam verified fan?
Here are the steps to become a verified fan for future Pearl Jam tours:
- Have a Ticketmaster account – You need an account to register as a verified fan. Create one if you don’t have one.
- Watch for registration announcements – Follow Pearl Jam’s social media or sign up for email updates so you know when registrations open.
- Register during the pre-sale window – Registration usually lasts about a week. Complete registration during the specified dates.
- Pass the verification process – Pearl Jam checks various account factors to verify you as a genuine fan.
- Hope to get selected – Verified fans are randomly chosen to participate in the pre-sale. You may not get selected every time.
- Use your pre-sale code – If chosen, use your unique code during the verified fan pre-sale to buy tickets.
The most important things are having an active Ticketmaster account, registering as soon as a tour goes on sale, and completing the registration steps fully and accurately to get verified. It takes a bit of effort but is worthwhile to access face value tickets!
What if I don’t get selected for the pre-sale?
If you register for a Pearl Jam verified fan pre-sale but don’t get selected, unfortunately there is no guarantee you will be able to buy tickets. However, here are some tips to still try and get tickets:
- Check for other pre-sales – Oftentimes there are other pre-sales like for fan club members you can try.
- Join Pearl Jam’s Ten Club – Ten Club members get early ticket access and higher odds of getting picked.
- Buy during the general on-sale – Any leftover tickets go on sale to the general public. Log in right when it starts.
- Use refreshing tricks – Refresh constantly leading up to the sale time as people may release tickets.
- Try other sources – Check the venue box office or band’s fan pages for ticket releases.
- Don’t pay inflated resale prices – Be patient and keep trying. Don’t feed scalpers.
While not guaranteed, you can still get lucky with some persistence and continued effort. Don’t lose hope!
What are some tips for getting selected as a verified fan?
Here are some tips Pearl Jam fans recommend to boost your chances of getting selected for verified fan pre-sales:
- Register early – Sign up as soon as registration opens to have the best shot.
- Make sure your Ticketmaster account is fully updated – Have all info like mailing address filled out accurately.
- Only register once – Duplicate registrations get rejected. Just register yourself normally.
- Be an active fan – Engage on their social media, stream music, go to shows when possible.
- Join the Ten Club fan club – Ten Club members seem to get priority selection.
- Link your Ten Club and Ticketmaster account – Connecting accounts may help boost selection odds.
- Express your interest – Ticketmaster asks you to rate interest level, say you are extremely interested.
- Get friends to register – The more real fans registering, the better the odds.
While there is some luck involved in verified fan selection, taking these steps helps demonstrate you are a genuine Pearl Jam fan and boosts your chances versus scalpers trying to game the system.
Does joining the Ten Club help with verified fan access?
Yes, joining Pearl Jam’s Ten Club fan club can definitely help improve your chances of getting access to verified fan pre-sales. Here’s why:
- Early pre-sale – Ten Club members get a separate pre-sale even before the verified fan pre-sale.
- Higher priority – Ten Club membership seems to give priority selection in verified fan pre-sales.
- Ten Club code – Members get a special code just for fan club members to access tickets.
- Ten Club and Ticketmaster account linking – Connecting accounts may help boost selection.
- Proven fan status – Ten Club membership proves you are a true Pearl Jam fan.
Ten Club membership costs $25 a year and members often get first pick of verified fan pre-sale tickets for North American tours. If you want the very best chance at tickets, Ten Club membership can definitely improve your odds over just being a verified fan alone.
Are there any downsides to Pearl Jam’s verified fan program?
The Pearl Jam verified fan program provides significant benefits overall, but there are some potential drawbacks fans complain about, such as:
- No guarantee of tickets – Being verified is no guarantee you’ll actually get a code or be able to buy tickets.
- Difficult to use – The registration steps and process can be cumbersome for some fans.
- Ten Club favoritism – Non-Ten Club members have lower odds for big shows with limited tickets.
- Scalpers still lurk – Crafty scalpers can stillslip through verification to get some tickets.
- Unable to transfer or resell – Inability to freely transfer extra tickets due to ID verification.
- Annoying Ticketmaster – Some fans don’t like having to use Ticketmaster due to service fees.
However, Pearl Jam works to continuously improve the program and overall verified fan beats having no safeguards against scalpers at all. A few extra steps is worthwhile to get tickets directly into deserving fans’ hands.
Conclusion
Pearl Jam’s verified fan program levels the playing field by giving passionate fans priority access to tickets over scalpers, resellers, and bots. The registration process takes a bit of effort upfront, but being verified can help secure you tickets at face value prices if you are selected for pre-sales. Pearl Jam’s system isn’t perfect, but provides a more fair shot versus the alternative of rampant scalpers dominating all the best tickets. For dedicated Pearl Jam fans who want better opportunities to see their favorite band live, becoming a verified fan is definitely worth considering.
