The Ticket Demand and Verified Fan System Problems
In November 2022, Ticketmaster canceled the general public sale for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras tour due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory” after presales. This led to outrage among fans who couldn’t get tickets and scrutiny over Ticketmaster’s dominance in the ticketing industry. Here are some key facts about what happened:
Unprecedented Demand
According to Ticketmaster, over 3.5 million people pre-registered for the Taylor’s Verified Fan presale, the largest registration in history. Over 1.5 million fans were given presale codes to purchase tickets on November 15, but the site was overwhelmed by both fans with codes and scalpers/bots. Ticketmaster stated “over 2 million tickets were sold” during presales on November 15 and 16.
Not Enough Ticket Inventory
While over 3.5 million fans registered and over 2 million tickets were sold in presales, Ticketmaster acknowledged the tour only had around 800,000-900,000 tickets available for all dates of the Eras Tour combined. So despite high registration numbers, the inventory available was much lower, leading many fans with codes unable to get tickets.
Technical Issues
With millions of eager fans hitting the site at presale launch, Ticketmaster’s website and apps crashed or experienced long wait times and errors. Fans reported waiting for hours with no success. The massive demand overloaded Ticketmaster’s systems.
Bot Attacks
Ticketmaster stated “historically unprecedented number of bot attacks” also contributed to disrupting the site for genuine fans. Bots and scalpers trying to buy up tickets added more strain.
Fallout and Backlash
The technical problems and lack of available tickets left many Taylor Swift fans angry and frustrated. Here’s some of the major fallout:
Cancelation of General Public Onsale
On November 17, one day after the presale chaos, Ticketmaster announced that due to “insufficient remaining ticket inventory” the general public onsale planned for November 18 was canceled. This outraged fans who didn’t get presale codes.
Class Action Lawsuits
Multiple angry customers filed class action lawsuits against Ticketmaster for issues faced during the presale. Allegations include violation of anti-trust laws through monopolistic practices.
Investigation by Senators
After the presale issues, a group of US Senators announced plans to investigate Live Nation (Ticketmaster’s parent company) over anti-trust concerns and lack of competition in the ticketing industry.
Scrutiny of Ticketmaster’s Market Power
The fiasco sparked renewed scrutiny and criticism over Ticketmaster’s dominant market position, as many felt fans had no alternative options to purchase tickets. As the primary ticketing service for many major venues and artists, Ticketmaster has few direct competitors.
Resellers Listing Marked-Up Tickets
Many tickets ended up on reseller sites like StubHub at inflated prices. Fans were angry that scalpers and bots were able to buy up tickets while genuine fans couldn’t get them even at face value prices.
Ticketmaster’s Explanations
Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation gave several explanations about what led to the presale issues:
Underestimating Demand
In a statement, Ticketmaster essentially admitted they underestimated the huge demand for Taylor Swift tickets: “It’s impossible for everyone to get tickets to these shows.” The statement acknowledges they could have done a better job managing expectations heading into the presale.
Unprecedented Bot Attacks
Ticketmaster claimed “staggering number of bot attacks” exceeded anything they had experienced before: “over 3.5 billion system requests” during the presale, from bot attacks and fans refreshing pages. This overwhelmed their systems, leading to crashes and long wait times.
Demand Outpacing On-Sale Capacity
According to Ticketmaster, over 3.5 million people pre-registered for presale tickets. But only 1.5 million Verified Fan codes were given out. And the tour only had around 800,000-900,000 tickets total available for all shows combined. So the presale demand far exceeded the number of tickets actually available.
COVID Disruptions and Staffing Issues
In comments to the media, Ticketmaster President Mark Yovich also cited “global supply chain and staffing shortages” as challenges exacerbated by the pandemic that may have contributed to their systems issues.
What Fans Can Do
For Swift’s fans who weren’t able to get tickets, here are some options:
Wait for Additional Tour Dates
Due to the unprecedented demand, industry insiders expect Taylor may add more shows in certain cities where tickets sold out instantly. Fans should watch out for any new concert dates in their cities.
Try Reseller Sites
While prices are inflated, tickets are available on reseller sites like StubHub. Fans may pay over face value but still get tickets. Compare prices across multiple resale sites.
Join the Ticketmaster Waiting List
On Ticketmaster’s site, fans can join a waiting list for sold out shows. If more tickets are released, you may be contacted. But no guarantee.
Attend Without a Ticket
Some diehard fans may show up at the venues on concert dates without tickets in hopes of buying last minute tickets at face value. A risky move but it has worked for some tenacious fans in the past!
Key Takeaways
Here are the key conclusions on why Ticketmaster had to cancel general ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s tour:
– Demand drastically exceeded supply of available tickets
– Millions of fans inundated the presale all at once, overloading Ticketmaster’s systems
– Scalpers and bots added to the strain with attacks to buy up tickets
– COVID impacts led to staffing shortages that impacted Ticketmaster’s operations
– Ticketmaster underestimated the huge interest and didn’t scale up enough to handle it
– Lack of ticket inventory meant the only option was to cancel the general sale
The debacle shows that even with a sophisticated verified fan system, extremely high demand for a mega star like Taylor Swift can overwhelm a ticketing vendor. It left many questions about whether Ticketmaster should have been better prepared and how the ticketing industry can improve experiences for fans. But the root cause was simple: far more fans wanted Taylor Swift tickets than could be accommodated.
Solutions to Prevent Future Issues
To avoid a repeat of the issues for future tours and events, here are some potential solutions Ticketmaster could implement:
Upgrade server capacity
– Invest in more servers and bandwidth to handle massive traffic spikes during high demand onsales
Refine verification system
– Improve bot detection and limit verified codes per user to cut down on scalpers
Add waiting room queues
– Use virtual waiting rooms so fans aren’t all hitting site at exact onsale time
Set more accurate ticket limits
– Set limits on number of tickets fans can buy across all dates to increase supply
Create standby tickets
– Sell a portion of tickets as “standby” for day of show to allow more fans to attend
Enhanced communication
– Better messaging to fans ahead of onsale about the competitive nature of getting tickets
Launch more staggered presales
– Additional presales over a week vs 1 day could ease strain on systems
Making these kinds of large scale infrastructure changes requires time and investment. But the PR damage Ticketmaster has faced will likely force them to reevaluate their systems to provide a smoother experience. The reality remains that for mega-stars like Taylor Swift, demand will likely still hugely outweigh supply.
Comparisons to Other Recent Fan Presales
It’s worth looking at other major artist fan presales recently and how they fared in comparison to Taylor Swift:
Artist | Venue/Tour | Total Tickets | Presale Demand | Sell Out Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
Taylor Swift | Eras Tour 2023 | 800,000-900,000 | Over 3.5 million registered | Sold out instantly |
Bad Bunny | World’s Hottest Tour 2022 | 500,000 | Over 500,000 registered | Under 2 hours |
Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2023 Global Tour | 750,000 | Over 1 million registered | Under 6 hours |
Beyonce | Renaissance 2023 Tour | 450,000 | 700,000+ registered | Sold out quickly |
This comparison shows just how unprecedented demand was for Taylor Swift’s tour compared to other top music acts. Swift had by far the most registrations and quickest sell out time, highlighting the challenges Ticketmaster faced trying to handle such massive interest.
While these other artists also had issues with quick sell outs and technical problems, the scale was not as massive as Swift’s tour. Bad Bunny, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Beyonce’s onsales managed to last from under 2 hours to 6 hours before selling out. Swift’s tickets for many venues disappeared instantly.
This underscores why Ticketmaster decided to cancel Swift’s general onsale date altogether. The inventory was likely far too insufficient to handle over 3 million additional fans hitting the site at once without presale codes.
Could Another Ticketing Company Have Handled This Better?
Some have wondered if another ticketing company or platform could have handled the Taylor Swift onsale more smoothly. Here is a look at how other ticketing vendors might have fared:
AXS
AXS is owned by AEG and considered one of Ticketmaster’s biggest competitors in ticketing. However, AXS is significantly smaller than Ticketmaster and may have also struggled with demand at Taylor Swift’s scale. For example, AXS did have technical issues during hugely popular Harry Styles and Lizzo presales in 2022. Their systems likely couldn’t have endured the strain of 3.5 million Swift fans.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is considered one of the more developer-friendly and innovative ticketing platforms. However, Eventbrite tends to focus on smaller music venues and events. It likely does not have the capacity and inventory connections that Ticketmaster has to handle arena tours at Swift’s level.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek is a younger, technology focused ticketing firm aiming to disrupt the industry. While more modern, SeatGeek has much less market share and proven experience handling massive onsales. Taylor Swift likely would have overwhelmed SeatGeek’s capabilities at this point as well.
Venue Owned Platforms
Some major venues have their own propriety ticketing systems, like MSG in New York using Ticketmaster Archtics. But these venues still tap Ticketmaster’s broader inventory network for major tours like Swift’s. So their platforms wouldn’t be sufficient on their own to manage such huge demand.
Blockchain Based Options
A few blockchain based ticketing vendors like Yellowheart have emerged recently, aiming to prevent scalping. However, these options have yet to be tested at the scale of Swift’s tour. The blockchain technology alone likely wouldn’t solve the underlying supply and demand imbalance.
Overall, while competitors may have modern tech advantages, Ticketmaster likely still had the most capacity and experience to handle an onsale of this unprecedented size, even if strained. Routing the tour through multiple vendors could have fragmented and complicated the process further. No platform may have fared dramatically better given the organic constraints.
Could This Have Been Avoided By Staggering Sales?
One suggestion made by industry analysts is that Ticketmaster could have staggered the sales over multiple days or weeks, instead of one massive presale.
Here is an assessment of whether a more staggered approach could have prevented the issues:
Pros
– Spreading sales over multiple days lessens strain on servers and systems by reducing load at one time
– Allows Ticketmaster to troubleshoot issues and shore up defenses during the multi-day period
– Gives fans more opportunities to try to get tickets by participating in each presale date
– Makes it harder for scalpers to overwhelm the system if bot attacks are spread out
Cons
– Difficult to enforce limits across staggered sales to prevent same buyers getting tickets each time
– High demand fans may still bombard each presale date regardless of staggering
– Harder for Ticketmaster to control and track overall sales momentum if spread out
– Sales could drag out over weeks, which may frustrate fans waiting for general onsale
Assessment
Staggering sales likely would have helped mitigate some of the extreme load Ticketmaster’s systems faced. However, it probably would not have prevented major issues altogether given pent up demand. Millions of fans would have likely overwhelmed each presale date.
And long delays between sales could have aggravated fans and dampened publicity. Swift’s team likely wanted an onsale strategy that created urgency and buzz by selling most tickets fast in a short period.
So while some staggering may have helped, it probably wouldn’t have resolved the core problem – Taylor Swift’s massive popularity far exceeding the tour’s ticket inventory.
Should the Government Intervene?
In the wake of Ticketmaster’s handling of this onsale, there are calls for the government to intervene in the ticketing industry in various ways:
Arguments For Government Intervention
– Ticketmaster has little competition, so more oversight is needed
– Consumers need protection from monopolistic practices
– Regulations could mandate more fair and ethical practices
– Government pressure could force improvements and modernization
Arguments Against Government Intervention
– Heavy handed regulations could inhibit innovation in ticketing
– Hard for lawmakers to effectively manage such a complex industry
– Difficult to enforce ticketing rules across state and national borders
– Allowing the market to evolve organically leads to better consumer solutions
Assessment
Increased government scrutiny following this incident is broadly a good thing. However, heavy handed intervention risks unintended consequences. The best approach may be moderate oversight that spurs progress but doesn’t dictate specific business practices. With pressure and fines, Ticketmaster would be forced to evolve. Draconian top-down policies from DC bureaucrats could be counterproductive.
Long Term Impacts on the Ticketing Industry
While this debacle has damaged Ticketmaster’s reputation, what are the longer term impacts it may have on the ticketing business as a whole?
Accelerated Innovation
The controversy will likely push ticketing platforms to accelerate product development to improve protection against bots and handle extreme traffic spikes. Investment into improved technology will become more of an imperative.
Fan Experience Prioritized
Earning back fan trust means the fan experience will become more of a priority across the industry. More transparency, communication, and proactive management of onsales will be needed.
Scalping Crackdown
Renewed outrage over scalping bots may drive more aggressive efforts industry-wide to detect and deter scalpers from buying up tickets. More states may pass anti-scalping laws.
However, these long term impacts will take years to play out. The challenges of high demand outpacing limited inventory at top shows will continue. But hopefully platforms like Ticketmaster will adapt to provide smoother experiences for fans.
Conclusion
The November 2022 Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale meltdown highlighted flaws in Ticketmaster’s sales systems and processes when faced with unprecedented demand. A perfect storm of massive interest, insufficient inventory, and technical limits created a debacle that left many fans empty handed.
While staggering sales and stronger verification may have helped at the margins, the sheer scale of interest in Taylor Swift likely meant major issues were inevitable. Even the leading ticketing platform can only handle so much organic demand.
Going forward, Ticketmaster will need to demonstrate substantial improvements to repair damage to its reputation. But no ticketing vendor could smoothly manage millions of frenzied fans chasing 800,000 tickets. The company became a victim of Taylor Swift’s immense popularity, though it must learn lessons from the experience.
The silver lining is the controversy will spark wider changes and investmen across the live event ticketing industry. Ensuring fair and orderly ticket sales remains an imperfect science, but recent events should accelerate progress.