Support NeoGAF

[excelsiorlef]

“Taylor Swift is committed to getting tickets into the hands of fans…NOT scalpers or bots."

http://globalnews.ca/news/3707011/taylor-swift-tix/

Taylor Swift [is] partnering with Ticketmaster for a promotion known as “Taylor Swift Tix.” It’s framed as a way for fans to “beat the bots” that scalpers use to mass-purchase tickets and jack up resale prices, and requires you to register on her site to get access to tickets.

From there you pick your preferred city, and then get to choose different opportunities to “boost” your place in line to obtain Taylor Swift concert tickets.

The boosts include things like pre-ordering the album Reputation (labeled as a “high boost”) or posting about it on social media (a low boost.) “Share the news about Taylor Swift Tix and for each share (one per platform, per day) you’ll get a boost,” reads the site.

There’s also a bar on the lefthand of the site that will tell you your place in line. (“wait list” on one end and “priority” on the other.)

...

And you don’t just have to buy the album once; you can buy the album many times across different retailers and get a boost each time. Which means you can buy Reputation on Taylor Swift’s site, you can buy it at Walmart.com, you can buy it at Target.com, you can buy it on iTunes, and each time you’ll receive a boost. The “pre-order and purchase boosts” are limited to 13 total across retailers.

And here's the best part

But it’s worth noting that in the fine print, Ticketmaster says “participation does not guarantee access to purchase tickets or the ability to purchase tickets.”

http://jezebel.com/taylor-swifts-ticketmaster-program-is-a-complex-new-way-1798424061

Buy her album 13 times, buy merch like a 60$ snake ring. Advertise Swift for free! The more you buy, the more you advertise, the better chance you get for tickets buuuut no promises so good luck and may the odds be in your favour.

 

[ViviOggi]

Don't give Nintendo ideas

 

[tbm24]

It's hilariously transparent, Nintendo is taking notes for the N64 classic.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

A complete money scam, even worse that she does it under the guise of helping her fans. When will it ever be enough for her?

 

[Ryaaan14]

Damn she's a fuckin savage

 

[Darryl M R]

 

[Sunster]

what is with Taylor Swift? Why is I always her leading these kinds of fights?

 

[shaneo632]

Legit surprised this isn't satire.

 

[Ozigizo]

Lol, microtransactions in ticket purchasing. Can't wait for the season pass for line spaces.

 

[wenis]

Lol, teaming with Ticketmaster is teaming with the enemy.

Also, this is no different than some artists buying out a quarter or more of a venue to throw those tickets onto stubhub and turn a direct profit. I know it happens, I've been around phone calls while it happens and it's bullshit.

Fuck you taylor. Legit fuck off.

 

[Spike Spiegel]

They made her do it though.

 

[Slayven]

You are literally paying for the privilege to do her marketing for her. LOL jesus they could have hid it a little better

 

[The Llama]

Not sure of the details but I've seen some accusations of sexism in this reporting because apparently some male artists have it before but haven't faced any backlash.

 

[HardRojo]

I get it's aimed at true fans, but can't shake the feeling of "Spend more money to spend more money!".

You are literally paying for the privilege to do her marketing for her. LOL jesus they could have hid it a little better

And this lol, it's genius for Swift and Ticketmaster lol, they don't need to work as hard on promotion.

 

[jfkgoblue]

Not sure of the details but I've seen some accusations of sexism in this reporting because apparently some male artists have it before but haven't faced any backlash.

It probably has more to do with how Taylor Swift is currently the biggest star in the entire music industry.

 

[Ri'Orius]

I like the idea of "if you buy the album you get ticket purchase priority," but the social media aspects really undermines their "true fans only, no bots" rationale.

Turns out bots can spam social media, too.

 

[Moze]

She has shown before that she respects her fans more than most. For example, she doesn't participate in the 'let's charge fans to meet their idol' nonsense that goes on. She does do meet and greets but she does it by randomly selecting people in the audience and inviting them to meet her for free.

That's why this is surprising. Perhaps it's her management and she doesn't know a whole lot about it. I would not be surprised if she speaks out about this and changes it. Say what you want about Taylor, but she has shown she does respect her fans and puts in insane effort for them.

 

[TurnipFritters]

Not sure of the details but I've seen some accusations of sexism in this reporting because apparently some male artists have it before but haven't faced any backlash.

Both Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen have used the Verified Fan Program. So has, and I am saddened to say this, Kesha.

 

[Plum]

Trailer for this "scheme."

I want to be the guy paid to play Night in the Woods and say "hey, a bastardised version of that art-style would really draw in the 16-25 demographic!" or something. Being a hack marketing executive must be so cushy.

As for the idea, can't say it's not clever. Horribly exploitative and downright despicable, but clever.

 

[SwiftDeath]

If only you required Photo ID from the person who originally bought the ticket at the venue and limited purchases to 2 per person or something for the first couple of days

Scalping is only hard to stop if you don't want to stop it

 

[Dierce]

I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be an alt-right orange turd supporter. She is a textbook hypocrite https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/9/15767986/taylor-swift-apple-music-spotify-statements-timeline.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

Not sure of the details but I've seen some accusations of sexism in this reporting because apparently some male artists have it before but haven't faced any backlash.

The only other big (not compared to Swift in 2017) male artist to do this was Springsteen if I am correct, and he faced plenty of backlash especially from his fans. It's not sexist to complain about this when Taylor is the highest demand tour to attempt this so far.

 

[Psychoward]

This is an onion article that hasn't been written yet.

 

[opoth]

A complete money scam, even worse that she does it under the guise of helping her fans. When will it ever be enough for her?

The backlash can't begin soon enough, she's music's version of Trump - I just can't understand how she has cultivated the following that she has.

 

[Linkura]

wrong thread

Also: Partnering with Ticketmaster to "combat" scalpers. lmao

 

[Dierce]

The backlash can't begin soon enough, she's music's version of Trump - I just can't understand how she has cultivated the following that she has.

The same base who listen to country music.

 

[Permanently A]

Y'all are marks, this is just another element of her heel turn. Stay woke.

 

[zeemumu]

This just seems like she stole Thinkgeek's bundle system but made it worse by not guaranteeing the thing you bought the other stuff to get

 

[adj_noun]

 

[Koomaster]

Ugh gross. I'd rather buy a ticket from a scalper than 'boost' some artists ego. Buying someone's album 13 times (!!!) and posting every day on facebook/twitter just for the slim chance I could buy a ticket to a show. GTFO!

Hope no other artists try to do this bullshit.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

It's funny how she thinks this video solved everything when she actually has shown no signs of changing.

 

[boiled goose]

Don't give Nintendo ideas

This would be a way to actually cash in on limited supply instead of letting all gains go to scalpers.

To sophisticated for Nintendo though.

If they wanted to actually reward fans, they could let club Nintendo remembers preorder first.

 

[benicillin]

Verified Fan has been around for a bit (you give Ticketmaster a bunch of info name, email etc and they use algorithms to determine if you're likely to go to the show and boost your place in line) but this is the first time they've gone a step further lottery style.

 

[RMI]

There must be some better way to do this, a lottery system or something that doesn't require you to spend money.

 

[BronsonLee]

Never doubt the ability for Taylor Swift to

A: Be savage
B: Make money

 

[excelsiorlef]

Both Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen have used the Verified Fan Program. So has, and I am saddened to say this, Kesha.

Verfied fan is nothing as insane as this.

 

[illusionspark]

Both Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen have used the Verified Fan Program. So has, and I am saddened to say this, Kesha.

Depeche Mode too. Not sure about the whole buying the album multiple times to get a better chance at a ticket, though.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

I honestly don't hate "buying the album gives you priority access."

I mean, think of the SNES Classic. I mean, most of us have Nintendo games and consoles, right? What if they still had that myNintendo coins system, and the more coins you had collected in, say, the last year meant the higher priority you had to pre-order a SNES Classic?

Seems as fair as fair can get in this situation.

It's all that other social media garbage and the "re-buying" crap that sucks.

 

[old]

Don't Kpop fans buy their favorite kband kalbums multiple times?

 

[Souldriver]

Yeah I saw a video about this from her official channel and I was like WTF. It seems such an obvious way to get more money from her fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i5B1asvFxY

Christ...

 

[illusionspark]

Good way to inflate your sales figures, I guess.

 

[excelsiorlef]

The only other big (not compared to Swift in 2017) male artist to do this was Springsteen if I am correct, and he faced plenty of backlash especially from his fans. It's not sexist to complain about this when Taylor is the highest demand tour to attempt this so far.

And Springsteen's plan failed oh and from what I can tell didn't involve buying merch and the album 13 times for a better chance. It was just an algorithm to scan your social media and shit to figure out if you're a bot or not. I don't think spending money was involved

 

[Stumpokapow]

The correct way to fight scalpers without jacking prices up to in infinity is to force people to verify a phone number (no VOIP) to register, show ID name matching the ticket purchaser at the gate, limit the number of tickets purchased to 2 (effectively doubling the price and forcing the scalper to go to the concert in order to resell the second ticket), give tickets out in a lottery system (so no one is guaranteed a ticket, just an entry), and to schedule several shows so as to sate demand.

 

[navii]

My friend was taken on a tour of Tokyo Disneyland by a hardcore fan of her friend who works in Disneyland Tokyo as a dancer in their stage shows, to see the show you need to scan your ticket to see if you "won" an entry, because it's so popular there are not enough places for everyone. The hardcore fans buy multiple annual passes so if one does not work they scan another.

As to why a stage dancer has so many fans I got no idea.

 

[DrSlek]

I feel like some of the shine is beginning to wear off of Ms. Swift.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

Snek! And she will succeed, her fanbase will eat anything up, then other companies i.e. Nintendo will notice and start to do the same

 

[old]

And Springsteen's plan failed oh and from what I can tell didn't involve buying merch and the album 13 times for a better chance. It was just an algorithm to scan your social media and shit to figure out if you're a bot or not. I don't think spending money was involved

Reminds me of prince. He gave everyone at his concerts a copy of his latest cd. They actually paid for it on the ticket price obviously, but he clearly was doing it to boost album sales numbers.

Honestly, not totally against it as long as it's a special editions or something.

 

[ClosingADoor]

This is a bit stupid. If it was about scalpers, just tie the ticket to the person who purchased it, show ID when going to the concert and done, problem solved. This is just some suits thinking they found a good idea to make more money.

 

[Manu]

She has shown before that she respects her fans more than most. For example, she doesn't participate in the 'let's charge fans to meet their idol' nonsense that goes on. She does do meet and greets but she does it by randomly selecting people in the audience and inviting them to meet her for free.

 

[Simply Sami]

Don't know how people can like her. She cannot sing and she is really fake. Makes a song everytime about her ex which comes across as bitter.