Ticketmaster recently halted sales for Taylor Swift’s upcoming concerts in a major European capital due to high demand and technical issues with their website. This caused outrage among Swift’s fans who were eagerly awaiting access to tickets for her highly anticipated shows. In this article, we will examine the background leading up to Ticketmaster suspending sales, provide details on what happened, look at the fallout and fan reaction, and discuss what actions Ticketmaster is taking moving forward.
Background on Taylor Swift’s Upcoming Tour
Taylor Swift is one of the most popular music artists in the world today. She has a massive global fanbase, known as “Swifties”, who are extremely passionate and loyal. In late October 2022, Swift announced a new tour called “The Eras Tour”, in support of her recent album releases folklore, evermore, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and Midnights.
The tour announcement was a huge deal, as Swift has not done a proper stadium concert tour since 2018. The Eras Tour promises to take fans through the different musical eras of Swift’s career, including country, pop, and alternative/indie. Stadium shows were announced in major cities across the US and Europe.
Demand for tickets was expected to be extremely high, given Swift’s immense popularity and the fact she has not toured in years. Fans were eager to get their hands on the coveted tickets.
Ticketmaster Presales and Website Issues
Tickets for The Eras Tour went on presale through Ticketmaster in mid-November. However, it quickly became clear that the ticketing site was overwhelmed by the intense demand.
On November 15th, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during the Capital One cardholder presale for her US shows. Fans reported long wait times, error messages, and inability to access tickets. Ticketmaster blamed “historically unprecedented demand” for the issues and stated that over 2 million tickets were sold for Swift’s US shows on that first day of presales alone.
Similar issues emerged during international presales. On November 17th, Ticketmaster UK held a presale for Swift’s shows in London, Manchester, and Dublin. Their site struggled under the traffic load, with long queues and frozen pages. Fans voiced frustration at the problems, concerned they may miss out on seeing their favorite artist.
Ticket Sales Suspended in One European Capital
TheTicketing troubles came to a head on November 18th during a presale for Swift’s concerts in the Belgian capital of Brussels. Demand for the two shows scheduled at King Baudouin Stadium completely overwhelmed the system.
Within minutes of sales opening, fans reported immediate issues accessing tickets through Ticketmaster Belgium’s site and app. After less than an hour of struggling under the strain, Ticketmaster made the unprecedented decision to halt ticket sales for Swift’s Brussels shows completely.
In a statement posted to social media, Ticketmaster Belgium cited “extraordinarily high demand” and “insufficient remaining ticket inventory” as reasons for shutting down the presale. They noted that over 200,000 people were simultaneously online trying to purchase fewer than 15,000 remaining tickets.
The decision left thousands of Belgian Swifties upset and concerned that they had missed their chance to see their favorite singer live. Ticketmaster did not indicate when, if ever, sales would resume.
Outrage from Fans
The ticketing debacle in Brussels sparked outrage and disbelief among Taylor Swift’s fanbase worldwide. On social media, fans quickly rallied around hashtags like #TicketmasterBelgium and #TaylorSwiftTix to express their complaints.
Many questioned how a ticketing giant like Ticketmaster could be so overwhelmed by demand in 2022. Some accused them of intentionally limiting supply to drive up prices. Others called the system “broken” and a monopoly in need of more competition.
Swifties also suspected greed and mismanagement. Ticket prices for the Brussels shows started at over €200 each, with resale prices estimated to reach into the thousands of euros. Fans cried foul over the excessive costs.
Harsh criticism also fell on Ticketmaster for lack of transparency and failure to create an equitable experience for all. The presales were plagued by glitches, unclear session timeouts, and rampant online queue skipping.
Through all the chaos, one thing was clear – Taylor Swift fans were unhappy with Ticketmaster. The backlash raised doubts about whether Ticketmaster would be able to handle upcoming sales for other stops on The Eras Tour.
Ticketmaster’s Response and Plan Moving Forward
Facing heat from inconsolable fans, Ticketmaster has responded with sympathy but few solutions. In a statement, they reiterated the “huge demand” and “insufficient inventory” as complex factors that required halting Brussels sales.
Some fans have received email notifications from Ticketmaster that they may get “priority access” when sales resume, although details are scarce. There has been no indication of exactly when or how sales will recommence for the shows.
In the interim, Ticketmaster has made efforts to beef up their systems for future shows. Their Chief Executive stated they are working to “shore up our technology” to handle demand moving forward.
Some measures include:
- Increasing server capacity by adding billions of incremental transactions per hour to handle surges
- Injecting “all new code and hardware” to stem long queues and wait times
- Adding staff to customer service teams to provide support during high-volume sales
Despite these promises, it remains unclear if Ticketmaster will be prepared for upcoming presales. Swift fans continue to worry over their chances of getting tickets amidst the fiasco.
Wider Impacts and Analysis
The issues with Taylor Swift’s tour ticketing highlight broader flaws in the live entertainment industry’s current ticket sales system:
Lack of Competition
Ticketmaster is essentially a monopoly, controlling around 70% of the primary ticket sales market. This lack of competition reduces pressure to innovate and upgrade, as evidenced by the recent failures. Breaking up the Ticketmaster monopoly could incentivize other ticketing companies to create better systems.
Bots and Scalpers
Third-party bots and scalpers exacerbate supply problems by gobbling up tickets en masse. Strict limits on mass purchases could help get more tickets directly into the hands of genuine fans.
Transparency Issues
More transparency is needed on ticket availability and pricing. Capping prices and fees could also help reduce gouging of passionate fans.
Fairness and Access
The presale model often favors certain groups like credit card holders over the average fan. Lotteries, waiting rooms, and other new approaches could help level the playing field.
| Issue | Potential Solutions |
|---|---|
| Lack of competition | Break up Ticketmaster monopoly |
| Bots and scalpers | Strict purchase limits |
| Transparency | Caps on fees/prices |
| Fairness | Lotteries, waiting rooms |
Conclusion
Ticketmaster’s decision to suspend sales for Taylor Swift’s shows in Brussels highlights serious problems with today’s live event ticketing industry. System failures and lack of supply left thousands of fans without tickets. While Ticketmaster has promised improvements, broader reforms may be needed to improve competition, fairness, and transparency in the future.