Waiting On Taylor Swift

Last week the Senate held hearings on ticketing. It was really about Taylor Swift, and the hard fact that demand exceeded supply for tickets to her show. No government in the world can help 15 million people fit into 2.5 million seats. But that’s not what the people want to hear. They want to know how they too can go to the show.

Clearly the ticketing systems of both Ticketmaster and SeatGeek crumbled during Swift’s ticket sale from the unrelenting demand. Ticketmaster made an error allowing six tickets to be purchased with every Verified Fan code. They expected the average purchase to be three tickets, but it turns out that was too low. Both Ticketmaster and SeatGeek were underprepared for the volume of traffic which hit their sites.

Taylor Swift has said she feels her fans were let down and went through several “bear attacks” to get tickets to her upcoming tour. So far though no one has heard a single word from Swift about what she might be able to do to help fans who did not get a ticket to her live show. She too underestimated the number of fans who want to see her live. Swift alone can fix this by adding more shows.

Silver Blaze is a famous Sherlock Homes story from 1892 about a racehorse disappearing and the trainer being murdered.

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”

Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”

Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”

Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”

Currently, Swift has 52 shows scheduled between March 17, 2023, and August 9, 2023. If she truly cared about making things right for her fans, she could add more shows to the schedule, even if it means setting a 2024 stadium schedule. She could also play indoor stadiums later this year, or tour beyond August 9th. The weather is good in the sunbelt until Thanksgiving. Maybe, Swift could defer the planned international tour while she resolves the disappointment of her U.S. fan base.

It’s very odd that someone as smart and well advised as Taylor Swift has remained detached from this problem. She knows better than to believe that 2.5 million tickets is enough to accommodate her U.S. fans. No one really knows what the true demand is until more tickets are put on sale.

Commerce is not all that complicated: add a show, if it sells out, add another. At some point you run out of buyers. That’s how you step up and take care of your fans. And there’s a side benefit. There’s still that approximately $5 million per night profit from each show.

This solution isn’t innovative. Madonna just put her 2023/2024 arena tour on sale. She already has 91 shows on sale to be performed over the six months from July 15, 2023, to January 8, 2024. Madonna is 64 years old.

Swift is only 33 years old. She has 52 shows on schedule for the five months from March 17, 2023, to August 9, 2023. I don’t perform stadium shows, but my belief is it’s approximately the same energy to play either stage. Madonna is playing nearly twice the number of shows that Swift has scheduled, and still adding more dates as shows continue to sell out.

Harry Styles has 34 dates in front of him, from next week through July 22, 2023. He just finished playing 15 shows at the Forum in Los Angeles after playing another 15 in New York. From September 4, 2021, through July 22, 2023, Styles is playing 167 arena and stadium shows. Just a week ago he added two shows in Palm Desert, CA on January 31st and February 2^nd. That’s the job.

In a world where media is omnipresent on phones and devices, demand for in person connections is higher than ever. It’s a privilege to be beloved. With that gift comes responsibility. If anyone is graced with the fortune to be popular in a career which depends upon selling tickets to come see you perform, don’t cry crocodile tears for those who couldn’t go because of overwhelming demand. Don’t blame the venues or the ticket infrastructure for failing the fans. It’s not their fault. The issue is simple: make more tickets available. Add more shows. Do it for your fans. They really don’t care about moving legislation. They want to see you.

It is stunning how fast thirty-three years old turns into fifty. When you’re much older, you recognize the power of trying to be as generous as possible. If more of your fans see you, everyone will remember when you stepped up to help get them into the show.

No one stays at the pinnacle of fame forever. Enjoy the chance, see the world, sell a lot of tickets, make new friends, and invest your money wisely. Then when you’re tired of being a traveling troubadour, think about a career in philanthropy.

Bill Gates is also famous all around the globe. He uses his time and money to make the world a better place. Maybe, once you’ve had enough of touring you could do something similar: perhaps make the world a more hospitable place and one with a better soundtrack. You already know someone who knows the ropes – Dolly Parton. She’s so effective helping others Jeff Bezos gave her a $100 million grant to get more done. Parton is 77 years old and newly retired from touring. Isn’t that a great road map?