Ticketmaster cancels next Taylor Swift concert ticket sale

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. inventory / ˈɪn vənˌtɔr i / (n.) – a supply of goods that are stored in a place and available for sale
    Example:

    The store has a large inventory of designer bags.


  2. verification / ˌvɛr ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən / (n.) – the act of proving, checking, or showing that something is true or correct
    Example:

    Before being approved for a loan, one has to go through some verification processes.


  3. record / ˈrɛk ərd / (adj.) – better or higher than ever achieved before
    Example:

    He placed first and had a record time of 9.58 seconds for the 100-meter dash.


  4. wrap up / ræp ʌp / (phrasal v.) – to finish, end, or complete something
    Example:

    We’ll wrap up this year with a party.


  5. battle it out / ˈbæt l ɪt aʊt / (idiom) – to fight or compete until winning or reaching a definite result
    Example:

    Hundreds of contestants have to battle it out until three winners are left.


Article

Read the text below.

Ticketmaster says it canceled November 18’s planned general public sale for Taylor Swift’s upcoming stadium tour because it doesn’t have enough tickets.


The decision came two days after a presale event caused the site to crash and left many fans without tickets. The ticketing company said in a statement two million tickets to The Eras tour next year were sold during presales on November 15, the most tickets ever sold on the platform in a single day.


Ticketmaster cited “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand” as a reason for calling off the sale.


Questions remain about how remaining tickets — and how many — would be sold. But Ticketmaster said about 1.5 million fans who had gone through an early verification process — called Verified Fan — were invited to purchase tickets and the remaining 2 million were placed on a waiting list.


A company representative said Ticketmaster is not involved in ticket resales for Swift’s shows.


It’s been a record year for Swift after releasing her latest album “Midnights,” which also broke a Billboard record.


The 52-date Eras Tour kicks off March 17 in Glendale, Arizona, and wraps up with five shows in Los Angeles ending Aug. 9. International dates will be announced as well. It’s Swift’s first tour since 2018.


But fans and families around the country battled it out with long queues and error messages to try to race to the checkout cart.


Ticketmaster said that the site was overwhelmed both by real people and bot attacks resulting in unprecedented traffic on their site. The statement said about 15 percent of interactions with the site had problems, including errors that caused people to lose tickets after they had waited in an online queue.


“While it’s impossible for everyone to get tickets to these shows, we know we can do more to improve the experience and that’s what we’re focused on,” the company statement said.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Do you think Ticketmaster should do something (ex. lower the price a little bit, give something extra) to make it up to the verified and waitlisted fans who were not able to get tickets? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what should Taylor Swift’s management do to satisfy the disappointed fans (ex. open more shows)? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • If you were one of the fans, would you still try to get a ticket once available despite this incident? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What factors do you consider when deciding whether to buy show tickets online or in person (ex. online = no need to wait in long lines, in person = no need to pay additional fees)? Discuss.