Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty
Taylor Swiftfans are ushering in a new era for Ticketmaster.
The saga started back when Swiftfirst announced she was going on tourfollowing the release of her 10th studio album,Midnights. Giventhe success ofMidnights, Swift’s overall popularity and the fact that the singer-songwriter’s previous tour had been canceled due to the pandemic, Eras was immediately projected to be the hottest ticket of the year.
When fans eagerly showed up to try and purchase tickets on Nov. 15, however, they were met with a litany of issues on the Ticketmaster website. Some potential ticket buyers were locked out of the sale when their Verified Fan codes failed to work, while others were initially able to secure tickets, only to lose them and get kicked out of the process once they tried to check out.
Ticketmaster later chalked the disaster up to “historically unprecedented demand,” though Swift had some choice words for the company in her response, noting that she and her team had “asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could.” The Grammy winner also wrote that the situation “really pisses me off” and that she was actively working on a solution for her fans.
From how the chaos ensued to the response it’s provoking from lawmakers, here’s everything to know about the debacle surrounding Ticketmaster andTaylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Oct. 28, 2022: Taylor Swift says that aMidnightstour is coming
Taylor Swift.Gotham/WireImage
While appearing onThe Graham Norton Show, the “Bejeweled” singerfirst teased an upcoming tourtied to the release of her latest album.
Nov. 1, 2022: Taylor Swift officially announces the Eras Tour
A few days later, Swiftconfirmed she was going back on tourin 2023.
“I’m enchanted to announce my next tour:Taylor Swift| The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past and present!),” the Grammy winner wrote on social media.
She added, “The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can!”
Swift said that the Eras Tour would kick off on March 18, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, and conclude on Aug. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. She also shared the names of theperformers who will be joining her onstagefor her opening acts, includingParamore, Phoebe Bridgers andHAIM, before ending with a message to her fans: “I can’t WAIT to see your gorgeous faces out there. It’s been a long time coming 🥰.”
Along with the tour announcement came information about how fans could score tickets. Hopeful concert attendees could register in advance throughTicketmaster’s Verified Fan Programfor a Nov. 15 presale, while Capital One cardholders could participate in another presale happening that same day. A general sale was then planned for Nov. 18 for fans who didn’t receive a Verified Fan code or have a Capital One card. Per the release, ticket prices ranged from $49 to $449, with VIP packages going for $199 up to $899.
Nov. 4, 2022: Taylor Swift adds 8 new dates to the Eras Tour
Shortly after announcing the Eras Tour, Swiftadded eight new datesto the highly anticipated event. “UM. Looks like I’ll get to see more of your beautiful faces than previously expected… we’re adding 8 shows to the tour,” the singer wrote on Twitter.
Nov. 9, 2022: Registration ends for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program
Fans had until Nov. 9 to register for the Eras presale through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program. The company later said thatover 3.5 million users pre-registeredfor the sale, making it the largest registration in Ticketmaster history. Presale codes were then sent out to 1.5 million potential ticket buyers, while the remaining 2 million people were put on a waitlist.
Nov. 11, 2022: Taylor Swift announces an additional 17 dates
Steve Exum/LP5/Getty
Even before ticket sales kicked off, the demand for Swift’s upcoming tour was high — so much so that theMidnightssingeradded an additional 17 performances, bringing the total to 52 shows. The extra dates officially made Eras her biggest tour to date.
Nov. 15, 2022: Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan sale starts
Tickets for the Era tour were first available to purchase on Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. local venue time for the lucky 1.5 million fans who received Verified Fan codes. However, the sale quicklydescended into chaosas fans began reporting site crashes, extremely long waits and other technical glitches.
Politicians even got involved, with House Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Corteztweetingthat Ticketmaster has become a “monopoly” after its merger with Live Nation and that “they need to be reigned in.”
A few hours after the sale’s planned start time, Ticketmastertweetedthat the issues were due to “historically unprecedented demand” and announced it was pushing back the start times for some West Coast venues. The Capital One presale was also rescheduled for the following day.
Nov. 17, 2022: Ticketmaster cancels general sale after “extraordinarily high demands”
Fans who weren’t able to secure tickets during the Verified Fan or Capital One presales were shocked when Ticketmaster announced that the general sale planned for Friday, Nov. 18was officially canceled.
“Due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand, tomorrow’s public on-sale forTaylor Swift| The Eras Tour has been cancelled,” read atweetposted to the official Ticketmaster account.
Earlier that morning, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei (Liberty owns part of Live Nation, of which Ticketmaster is a subsidiary), had blamed the situation on the “massive demand” for Swift tickets during an interview withCNBC.
“The site was supposed to be opened up for 1.5 million verifiedTaylor Swiftfans,” he said. “We had 14 million people hit the site — including bots, another story, which are not supposed to be there — and despite all the challenges and the breakdowns, we did sell over 2 million tickets that day.”
Nov. 18, 2022: Taylor Swift speaks out: “it really pisses me off”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
On Nov. 18, Swift spoke out about the fiasco in amessageto her fans via her Instagram Story.
The singer added that she was investigating why the situation unfolded the way it did and how it could be improved in the future. “I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could. It’s truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them felt like they had to go through several bear attacks to get them.”
Swift concluded her note with a sign-off to her fans who weren’t able to get tickets: “All I can say is that my hope is to provide more opportunities for us to all get together and sing these songs. Thank you for wanting to be there. You have no idea how much that means.”
Nov. 18, 2022: Ticketmaster apologizes to Taylor Swift fans and blames issues on high demand and “bot attacks”
On the day the canceled general ticket sale was supposed to occur, Ticketmasterissued an apology to Swift fansalong with alengthy explanationabout what went wrong during the presale.
“We strive to make ticket buying as easy as possible for fans, but that hasn’t been the case for many people trying to buy tickets forTaylor Swift| The Eras Tour,” Ticketmaster began in the statement. “First, we want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans — especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets.”
Ticketmaster then explained their Verified Fan process, which is tasked with “identifying real humans and weeding out bots.” The company noted that although they only gave out 1.5 million presale codes, the site was overwhelmed on the day of the sale due to fans who showed up without a code and a “staggering number of bot attacks.”
While they estimated that only 15% of users experienced issues, Ticketmaster recognized “that’s 15% too many, including passcode validation errors that caused fans to lose tickets they had carted.” Despite the disruptions, the statement explained, the Nov. 15 sale broke the Ticketmaster record for most tickets sold for an artist in a single day, selling over 2 million tickets.
In total, the company explained, 2.4 million tickets were sold across the Verified Fan and Capital One sales on both Ticketmaster and SeatGeek. Additionally, less than 5% of tickets had been sold or posted on the secondary market.
“Even when a high demand onsale goes flawlessly from a tech perspective, many fans are left empty handed. For example: based on the volume of traffic to our site, Taylor would need to perform over 900 stadium shows (almost 20x the number of shows she is doing)…that’s a stadium show every single night for the next 2.5 years. While it’s impossible for everyone to get tickets to these shows, we know we can do more to improve the experience and that’s what we’re focused on,” it concluded.
Nov. 18, 2022: The Justice Department reportedly opens an investigation into Ticketmaster’s parent company
TheNew York Timesreported that the Justice Department was looking into whether Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company for Ticketmaster, has abused its power in the music industry. And while the inquiry is said to predate the Eras tour disaster, the situation further exacerbated complaints from fans, musicians and politicians alike.
In response to the report, Live Nation issued astatementon its website, saying that it “takes its responsibilities under the antitrust laws seriously and does not engage in behaviors that could justify antitrust litigation.”
Nov. 22, 2022: Congress announces an antitrust hearing after Eras Tour fiasco
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Leeannouncedthat a U.S. Senate antitrust panel will hold a hearing “to examine the lack of competition in the ticketing industry.”
“Last week, the competition problem in ticketing markets was made painfully obvious when Ticketmaster’s website failed hundreds of thousands of fans hoping to purchase concert tickets,” said Klobuchar in a statement, citing how the “high fees, site disruptions and cancellations” customers were faced with showed that Ticketmaster “does not face any pressure to continually innovate and improve.”
She continued, “That’s why we will hold a hearing on how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industry harms customers and artists alike. When there is no competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences.”
Dec. 5, 2022: Taylor Swift fans sue Ticketmaster’s parent company
Taylor Swift.Terry Wyatt/Getty
In response to the presale fiasco, more than two dozen Swiftiesteamed up and filed a lawsuitagainst Live Nation Entertainment.
Dec. 12, 2022: Select Taylor Swift fans get a second chance at purchasing Eras tickets
At last, some good news for Swifties came on Dec. 12, when select fans received emails notifying them that they would get a second chance to purchase Eras tickets.
“Congratulations, you have been selected to participate in a limited-time opportunity to request to purchase 2 tickets toTaylor SwiftThe Eras Tour,” the note read, perBillboard.
Dec. 15, 2022: Ticketmaster reportedly has 170,000 remaining tickets to Eras Tour
According toBillboard, Ticketmasterstill has 170,000 remaining ticketsfor the Eras tour — and the company is gearing up to sell them to the lucky fans who previously received emails in the next four weeks.
The outlet reported that Ticketmaster will use Ticketstoday — a ticketing platform first made in the early ’00s for the Dave Matthews Band’s fan club — to sell the tickets, with the hope that the platform will help them avoid crashes or long wait times.
January 18, 2023: The senate sets a date for Ticketmaster hearing
U.S. Senators announced a date for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the lack of competition in the ticketing industry. The hearing will be held at 10:00 am on Jan. 24, 2023,reportsVariety.
In a statement, Senator Amy Klobuchar said, “The issues within America’s ticketing industry were made painfully obvious when Ticketmaster’s website failed hundreds of thousands of fans hoping to purchase tickets forTaylor Swift’s new tour, but these problems are not new. For too long, consumers have faced high fees, long waits, and website failures, and Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company faces inadequate pressure to innovate and improve.”
She added that, at the hearing, “We will examine how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industries harms customers and artists alike. Without competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences.”
January 24, 2023: Senators quote Taylor Swift’s lyrics during arguments at Ticketmaster hearing
Several members of the Senate Judiciary Committeeutilized Swift’s lyrics to make their arguments.
Early in the hearing, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee quoted “Blank Space,” when he referred to the idea of limits on ticket transfers as a “nightmare dressed like a daydream.”
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar opened her remarks with an “All Too Well” reference. Then, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal asked Live Nation’s president Joe Berchtold to look in the mirror and say: “I’m the problem, it’s me.”
March 17, 2023: Taylor Swift hints at Ticketmaster fiasco during opening night of the Eras Tour
Swift kicked off her tour in Glendale, California. At the start of the show, the songstress addressed the sold-out crowd — and subtly hinted at the Ticketmaster debacle.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that if you’re here tonight, there’s a pretty good chance that you went to a considerable amount of effort to be with us tonight,” she said. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for wanting to be with us on night one.”
March 27, 2023: Taylor Swift fans have their first day in court
Swift fans finally got their day in court. Roughly 10 of the 340 plaintiffs in the Live Nation lawsuit showed up for the hearing in L.A. — an opportunity to recount their Ticketmaster experience for the court record. The Live Nation attorneys attended the proceedings virtually.
While the Swift fans are still seeking $2,500 in damages each, plaintiff Penny Harrison toldCNNthat the lawsuit “has nothing to do with the money.”
“It has everything to do with TicketMaster is the only venue in town. It’s the only place to get tickets,” she said. “The hope is that in 10 years from now that they’ll look back and say this was the turning point. This was when competition branched out and ticket prices came down.”
source: people.com
