When you think of concerts, you probably think of fun: dancing, singing, smiling. However, the process behind securing tickets for such events is anything but fun. Long ticket queues, overpriced seats and scalpers plague ticket-buying sites such as Ticketmaster. Yet, presale and general on-sale events are still incredibly popular due to the cultural significance of concerts and the lack of an alternative system. Are there ways to improve this flawed ticket-buying system?
Seemingly never-ending queues to buy tickets, as well as limited ticket availability, are a common problem for concerts. Even if someone is fortunate enough to receive a presale code or have the chance to purchase tickets, they may get stuck in a virtual line for so long that their opportunity fades away.
Maia Arthur ‘25 is just one of many to experience such an issue. An especially frustrating experience for her was when she attempted to buy Zach Bryan tickets for his upcoming summer show at Gillette Stadium. “I got kicked out right before…because of Wi-Fi issues or [Ticketmaster] just thought I was a bot…then just, the time I got in, it was already like $600 for tickets,” said Arthur.
Buying tickets in school can be another battle, too. Unfortunately for students, many presales take place in the middle of the day when they are at school. Not only do students have to use a busy Wi-Fi network and potentially compete against classmates for tickets, but their focus is then taken away from their school work. The timing is certainly inconvenient, for both students and teachers.
A recent presale that comes to mind when thinking of such an issue is Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour.” Swift spent three nights at Gillette Stadium this past May, and to no one’s surprise, the demand for tickets was extremely high; the presale began on a Tuesday at 10 AM, right in the middle of the school day. Most decided to stay in school for the sale, but others (such as myself) decided to stay home and miss most of the school day in order to secure tickets; it was totally worth it. However, not everyone had the same levels of success.
Gina Anton ‘25 is one student who attempted to score tickets for one of Swift’s shows while in school. Anton waited for hours in the Ticketmaster queue, yet no tickets were available once she reached the front of the line. “It was horrible. I really was competing against my other classmates…and it was really bad because they were getting all the tickets and they were stealing literally 18 tickets from Taylor Swift and I couldn’t get any,” said Anton.
World history teacher Christina Ellis offered a different perspective on the issue. While Ellis has not had to struggle through coveted presales herself, she has witnessed students do so in her own classroom. “The most interesting thing that I’ve seen on my end is people either missing school or having to skip parts of my class so that they can buy tickets. Which, of course, trust me, I get it. If Taylor Swift tickets are on the line, I support you,” said Ellis. “But at the same time, it’s pretty showing that people are willing to either allow their students or have that moment where they are putting their education to the side so they can get concert tickets.”
With so many issues afflicting the ticket-buying system—especially for students—it’s hard not to think of solutions to improve it. High ticket prices often prevent hopeful buyers from attending concerts, even if there are still seats available. Especially after waiting in a long queue, tickets going for hundreds of dollars are the last thing consumers want to see. On reforming the concert buying procedure, students had some thoughts: “I think the prices are very hiked right now and I think the waiting process just is too, too stressful really. Psyches you out of buying it,” said Arthur.
Anton shared a similar sentiment on the high prices, yet presented a new idea to give buyers a better idea of what their highly coveted seats will provide them. “I think you should be able to see a photo of where you sit,” said Anton. “And I also think the ticket should be less expensive because I’m just a teenage girl who makes bare minimum wage.”
It’s not all bad, though. Despite the problems found on sites like Ticketmaster, many fans are still able to score tickets to their favorite artists’ shows, and some experiences buying tickets are even looked fondly upon. Ellis, a frequenter of rock concerts, hasn’t had trouble finding reasonably priced tickets to her desired shows due to less demand, especially when compared to big-ticket concerts. Additionally, Anton had a positive experience buying Boston Bruins’ tickets for games throughout the season, all in one day and at decent prices. She was also eventually able to see Taylor Swift in concert despite her initial struggles, even if it meant flying out to California to do so.
Resale tickets are also a viable option if one misses out on presale seats. Scalpers can be another issue, but there are still face-value or reasonably-priced tickets out there. “I think resale is a lot easier. That’s how I got my Lumineers tickets, and on sale is just so stressful and just so pricey,” said Arthur.
There is light at the end of the tunnel for ticket buying, despite how extremely frustrating the system often is. For Olivia Rodrigo’s upcoming “GUTS” tour, tickets won’t be available until 72 hours before the concert to prevent overpriced resale tickets. Noah Kahan issued a similar policy for his “We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour,” allowing ticket holders to sell tickets exclusively for face value. The efforts certainly won’t solve all the issues fans have with Ticketmaster and other sites, but they are a step in the right direction and a sign of hope for future ticket buyers.
