Karma for Taylor Swift fans as Ticketmaster offers second chance for ‘Eras Tour’ tickets
Ticketmaster no longer wants to be the “Anti-Hero” to Taylor Swift fans. At the request of Swift’s team, the ticket seller said on Monday that some fans will have a “limited opportunity” to purchase a maximum of two tickets each to her upcoming “Eras” tour.
“You were selected for this opportunity because you have been identified as a fan who received a boost during the Verified Fan presale but did not purchase tickets,” Ticketmaster wrote in an email to a group of fans Monday. “We apologize for the difficulties you may have experienced, and have been asked by Taylor’s team to create this additional opportunity for you to purchase tickets.”
Many fans took screenshots of the email and posted it on Twitter, sharing their excitement about getting another opportunity to snag tickets to Swift’s 2023 U.S. tour, which kicks off in March.
The news comes one month after the public sale of Swift’s “Eras Tour” was canceled due to “extraordinarily high demand.” Ticketmaster claimed that 3.5 million fans pre-registered for Swift’s Verified Fan program, the largest registration in its history. The company cited high demand and a “staggering number of bot attacks,” resulting in 3.5 billion system requests, or four times their previous peak.
The fumbled presale reignited fan frustration toward Ticketmaster, particularly among those who signed up as “verified fans,” which means they are able to enter a lottery to buy tickets for certain shows. Ticketmaster has said doing so helps to “ensure that more tickets go to the fans who will actually attend the event,” by granting them access to tickets before the public sale. After they register as a “verified fan,” Ticketmaster provides them with a code and a link to the purchase site. When tickets go on sale, the link leads fans to a “Smart Queue” that “keeps ticket bots out.” Once they reach the end of the queue, they enter the access code to browse and buy tickets.
But last month, many of those “verified fans” seeking tickets were subjected to hourslong waits and a website that sometimes crashed, sending them back to the beginning of a virtual queue with thousands ahead of them. Some fans of Swift are now suing Live Nation Entertainment, alleging the ticketing giant “intentionally and purposefully misled ticket purchasers” by failing to protect the presale from scalpers.
Swift apologized in an Instagram story, saying it was “excruciating” for her “to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.” Ticketmaster also tweeted a formal apology to “Taylor and all of her fans” for the “terrible” ticketing experience after the cancellation of the public sale, saying they felt they owed the public an explanation.
Liddy, K. (2022, December 12). Karma for Taylor Swift fans as Ticketmaster offers second chance for “Eras Tour” tickets. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/12/karma-for-taylor-swift-fans-as-ticketmaster-offers-second-chance-for-eras-tour-tickets.html