Truth about Taylor Swift tickets: Ticketek confirms there is actually no ‘queue’, defends system as ‘fair’

Fans anxiously trying to score tickets to Taylor Swift’s Australian tour thought they were in a queue. The truth is a touch more complicated.

Ticketek insiders have blown the lid off the chaos that erupted over the Taylor Swift pre-sale event for her Eras Tour, revealing there’s actually no queue and the selection of fans to purchase tickets is totally random to ensure the process is “fair”.

As millions of frustrated Australian fans waited for hours to access the pre-sale on Wednesday, they were repeatedly urged to not refresh their browser to effectively hold their place in the queue.

But Ticketek has revealed that’s not how its system actually works.

News.com.au has confirmed that anyone in the ticket lounge at the same time has the same chance of being selected to purchase tickets.

“Everyone in the Ticketek lounge has an equal opportunity to get into the site regardless of when they have arrived,’’ a spokesman said.

In other words, it doesn’t matter if you arrived at 9.30am or 12pm. If you’re still in “the queue” at 12.30pm, you have an equal chance of being randomly selected to purchase a ticket.

And if you waited for one hour, got in and grabbed A Reserve tickets, and someone else waited for seven hours and didn’t get any?

Well, as Taylor Swift observes in The Story Of Us: “They’re the lucky ones.”

A stressful day for Taylor Swift fans. Picture: Nicholas Eagar/NCA NewsWire

Hundreds of thousands of Australians were trying to get tickets to Taylor Swift’s tour. Picture: Getty Images

It helps explain the mystery of why some fans were able to buy tickets twice while thousands waited for hours and never saw the ticket map.

It also means people who got up at 4am or kept their browser open overnight were wasting their time. Even Ticketek’s official advice was to log on 15 minutes before the pre-sale started at 10am in Sydney and 2pm in Melbourne.

Swift’s tour smashed Ticketek records, with fans sweating it out as they desperately awaited to score tickets. The ticketing giant also had to repel half a billion bots.

The record-breaking demand for tickets saw four million people across Australia trying to buy them – a stunning figure that’s close to 20 per cent of the entire population.

That helps to explain why thousands of people missed out, but as it turns out, there’s more to the story.

While some fans online were claiming that they were seeing glitches, Ticketek insists the site and app were running smoothly throughout the day.

The pre-sale tickets for Sydney were officially sold out at 2pm on Wednesday, around four hours after they went on sale.

The tickets for Melbourne were sold out at 4pm, just two hours after Melbourne sales opened.

More tickets will become available in Friday’s sale to the general public.

“There is no doubt that there are going to be many disappointed fans given the demand for tickets. We are encouraging all fans to follow our helpful tips to ensure their best chance at securing tickets, and to not purchase tickets through unauthorised resellers,’’ a spokesman said.

Taylor Swift performing in Glendale, Arizona. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

There were a few costume changes. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

After fans complained about long wait times during the AMEX pre-sale on Monday, Ticketek released a range of handy tips to grab tickets, including creating a Ticketek account in advance, having pre-sale codes ready, not closing or refreshing their browser while waiting and keeping an eye on the on-site check out timer.

“Queuing is a necessary part of the purchasing process. A way of ensuring fair access to tickets for all fans,’’ a spokesman said.

“Fans must remember to not leave the Lounge page or refresh their browser.

“The page will refresh itself frequently to let more fans through to purchase. Once fans are in the Lounge, they should sit tight and wait to be let through to the event page. And then once they’re through they need to remember to keep an eye on the timer and complete their purchase within the time frame.”

But were you really queuing at all? Or where you just in a randomised pen with millions of desperate Swifties, and it was a total lottery?

Sounds like it could be more of the latter, a fact that won’t stop millions who missed out from doing it all again on Friday.

A Ticketek spokesman confirmed that “seats in all sections are still available for all shows”.

TICKETEK TIPS

These simple steps will ensure you’re prepared when tickets go on sale:

• Double check your Ticketek account and payment details are up to date. Have your login details handy as you’ll need them to complete your purchase;

• If buying for a group, plan your purchase by agreeing on the performance date, ticket price category and any packages you want to purchase.

You can try again on Friday. Picture: Scott Legato/Getty Images

When tickets go on sale, the tips below will give you the best chance of getting through to purchase your tickets:

• Visit Ticketek at least 15 minutes prior to tickets going on sale. Follow the designated link for your desired city to be taken to the Ticketek Lounge;

• Please don’t leave the Lounge page or refresh your browser. The page will refresh itself frequently to let more fans through to purchase;

• Once you’re in the Lounge, sit tight and wait to be let through to the event page;

• Once you’re through, keep an eye on the timer and complete your purchase within the time frame.