This week has already seen massive fan outrage from another Verified Fan sale, as Adele’s Las Vegas dates went live on Wednesday (after technical delays from the date of its initial sale of Tuesday), but massive pricing surge tactics caused some fans to walk away, even if they had waited in line for a coveted chance to purchase tickets to the limited run.
Olivia Rodrigo Fans Outrage Against Ticketmaster Verified Fan
Without a doubt, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour will feature full houses. And the artist and her team undoubtedly made a lot of money from the dynamic price increases. However, a significant portion of the developing artist’s fan base felt the sting on Friday and may think twice about purchasing tickets the next time they become available.
What Is Ticket Master Verified Fan?
Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan tool is becoming increasingly popular. The Live Nation Entertainment-owned ticketing company portrays the registration system as the best way to ensure that tickets are delivered to “real fans,” but it has a long history of enraged actual fans in its wake, while tickets continue to appear on legal resale marketplaces.
In practice, the system is really intended to gauge demand in order for pricing surge systems to be properly deployed when fans believe they will lose out.
Issue With Verified Fan System
In some cases, demand isn’t made up (Adele’s tickets are already fetching a fortune on secondary websites), but that isn’t always the case – consider the infamous Taylor Swift Reputation Tour, which saw thousands of tickets sold at steep discounts or even given away to keep the singer from performing in front of half-empty buildings on some stops – all after her biggest fans paid top dollar because they were misled about the actual number of tickets available.
It’s becoming clear that Verified Fan is nothing more than a tool for instilling “fear of missing out” by implying massive demand. During the initial rush, prices can be dynamically pushed to the stratosphere.
Why Are Rodrigo’s Fans Dismayed?
Olivia announced on social media earlier this week (Dec 6) that she would be going on tour from April to July 2022. As of now, the pop star has announced tour dates in the United States and Europe, with Gracie Abrams, Holly Humberstone, and Baby Queen all joining her. Fans were disappointed, however, to learn that the venues are amphitheaters rather than arenas.
Ugh I’m sorry. Ticketmaster is truly the worst. Their systems are garbage and are making it impossible to actually get tickets anymore.
— Amy Z. (@AZiemak) December 10, 2021
At one point, over 40,000 Olivia Rodrigo fans were waiting in line for a facility with a capacity of 3,500.
Wtf I’ve never seen this type of price surge until Harry styles and now Olivia I’m disgusted
— Avery Portillo (Taylor’s Version) (@averyportillo) December 10, 2021
Most amphitheaters have a maximum capacity of 5,000 people, whereas arenas can frequently hold up to 20,000 people. Given Olivia’s popularity, people anticipated that these venue sizes would make obtaining tickets to see her live performance very difficult, and their fears have been confirmed as the tickets have already sold out.
