Prince fans criticise Ticketek for system glitches

THE much-anticipated Prince concerts at the Sydney Opera House have sold out, leaving fans disappointed as they struggled to log on to buy them.

(FILES) This file photo taken on June 30, 2011 US singer and musician Prince performing on stage at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. Prince, who scrapped a hotly anticipated "Piano and Microphone" tour of Europe, has rescheduled his shows -- for Australia and New Zealand. The pop star, known for his love of surprises, posted a flier Thursday on Twitter that read simply: "Piano and a Microphone - Prince - Australia and New Zealand - February 2016." Prince had earlier announced a tour in November and December of Europe that would have been the first in the 57-year-old pop legend's career in which he solely sings and plays piano. / AFP / BERTRAND GUAY

TICKETS for Prince’s upcoming concerts at the Sydney Opera House sold out in under ten minutes.

Ticketek Australia’s managing director Cameron Hoy said they were allocated under 1500 tickets to sell for the opera house performances, which then sold out in under ten minutes.

Disgruntled fans took to social media to slam Ticketek for a “system glitch” that they claimed prevented them from buying tickets to Prince’s upcoming Piano & Microphone Tour, but Mr Hoy said there was no problem with the Ticketek website.

The Ticketek system can handle over 15,000 transactions at a time.

“The website was absolutely working — there were no glitches,” Mr Hoy said.

“We understand the fans are disappointed, we understand that frustration — it was a simple case of less tickets than demand.”

Tickets were also available for the tour from the Ticketmaster.com.au website, which appeared to have crashed.

Prince is set to perform four shows in both Sydney and Melbourne, with songs from his 39-album catalogue. Each concert will have a unique, exclusive setlist. They will also feature cover songs of artists like Joni Mitchell and Ray Charles, as well as songs Prince has written for other artists.

Prince fans have struggled to get tickets to his upcoming Australian tour. Picture: AP/Chris O’Meara.

Vicky Hayes posted to the Ticketek Australia Facebook page that she had waited in a queue for over an hour with system glitches stopping her from buying any tickets.

“Would just like to say I’m very disappointed, I was in the queue from 11.30 to get prince tickets. Got a spot at 11.58 am and dead on 12pm I got kicked off,” Hayes wrote in her comment.

Prince fans and Ticketek users have been greeted by this page, with some saying they lost their places. Picture: Ticketek

“How is this possible?? It then took another 40 minutes to get another spot and by that time I couldn’t get tickets, I think you need to sort out the glitches in your system.”

Another poster Josie Nakhoul said she was disappointed by Ticketek’s system.

“I was signed in & ready to go by the time the clock struck 12pm... & NO tickets available ... Are you kidding?!”

The criticism has been even more ferocious on Twitter, with users slamming the ticket agency.

@Ticketek_AU couldn't even get on the site to buy tickets to Prince, as usual! 😭

— Keone Henderson (@keonie) February 9, 2016

This is what waiting for #Prince tickets for 30 mins looks like with @Ticketmaster_AU. Care to explain? pic.twitter.com/lIapz0C6Ch

— Brinny (@ynnirb) February 9, 2016

MELT DOWN FOR PRINCE TICKETS! @artscentremelb

— Rosie Rockets (@RosieRockets80) February 9, 2016

Prince. The concert ticket sale that stops the nation. And the website.#Prince #pianoandamicrophonetour2016

— Cate (@CateP36) February 9, 2016

Being queued online completly sux @Ticketek_AU -No info about where In the line we r for #prince tix. Camping out for tix more fun than this

— sky dweller (@samayaaskill) February 9, 2016

Prince has used strict guidelines for his ticket sales to avoid ticket scalping. These include a ticket limit per customer, and the ticket will be handed out at the event.

Originally published as Prince fans criticise Ticketek for system glitches