The demand for presale tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert tour overwhelmed Ticketmaster yesterday, causing “intermittent issues” on the site. The company issued an apology and told fans that it was “urgently” working to resolve the problem, according to The Verge.
“There has been historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up to buy tickets for the TaylorSwiftTix Presale,” Ticketmaster representatives said in a statement. “As you continue to shop some options may be unavailable. If you are unable to find tickets today, we recommend checking back frequently as additional tickets may become available.”
Many fans were left “heartbroken” when Ticketmaster repeatedly failed to process payment for ticket purchases. Given the circumstances, the Capital One presale that had been scheduled to take place the same day was delayed until Wednesday.
Fans flocked to Twitter to voice their frustrations, and politicians weighed in as well. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said the situation is a “reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, [its] merger with LiveNation should never have been approved, and they need to be reigned in.” And Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar described the blunder as “an example of why we need strong antitrust enforcement.”
“When there is no competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences,” Klobuchar added.
Swift’s upcoming “Eras” tour was originally slated for 27 shows, but that number jumped to 35 and now 52 total dates nationwide. Performances are scheduled to kick off on March 23, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona – the same city where Swift’s “Reputation” tour began nearly five years ago.
