Ticketmaster is urging fans of Taylor Swift to register their interest in tickets before they go on sale for the US singer’s newly scheduled international tour dates in an effort to avoid a repeat of the problems that scuppered initial sales on The Eras Tour.
The 12-time Grammy winner has announced 50 new international destinations on the tour, which started in March in the United States, including 26 dates in Europe.
Fans in the UK have been given until midnight local time tomorrow (Thursday) in the UK and midnight local time on Friday in all other European destinations to register their interest via Ticketmaster. Registered fans will receive a unique code and will be given priority access to tickets when they go on sale.
In November, Ticketmaster halted the general sale of tickets for the tour after its system crashed due to high demand.
The episode, which led to widespread criticism and lawsuits from some fans, led to a combative US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing involving Live Nation and Ticketmaster in January.
Ticketmaster admitted that it should have staggered the sales process for the tour’s earlier dates. However, it said yesterday on its website that the registration phase “gives fans an extra line of defence against bots”, which it said contributed to its system being overwhelmed last year.
Ticketmaster stated: “Ticket Sales Registration is being used to help fans get tickets for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour in the UK. This helps us to filter out buyers looking to resell tickets, and instead get them into the hands of fans who want to attend the show.
“Registration does not guarantee access to the sale, or to tickets. We expect there will be more demand than there are tickets available. A limited number of fans will get access to the sale, and others will be put on the waitlist.”
The tour will head to Mexico in August before heading to Argentina and Brazil before the end of the year, and then on to Australia and Singapore in February 2024. The European leg of The Eras Tour will kick off in Paris in May and conclude in London in August, with both France and the UK hosting multiple performances. Concerts will also be staged in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.