Ariel Mahler was one of the lucky Swifties.
She scored a block of six tickets for the upcoming Taylor Swift Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium when they went on sale in the fall. Total price for the six: $1,519.
That’s $253 each for seats in section 233, with a straight-ahead view of the stage. And that price included the service fees, which can sometimes be as much as 27% of the ticket price, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report.
To score the same deal this week on Stub Hub, Mahler would have to pay $2,000 each for tickets in the same section — or $12,000 total. Yet, given the insatiable thirst the American public seems to have for Swift at the moment, there are certainly people willing to shell out that much to see the pop star during her six-show run in Los Angeles, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 3, to Aug. 9.
Rightfully, Mahler, a recent graduate of American Film Institute’s director’s program, said she feels good about the price she paid.
But, she said, she absolutely will not resell her tickets for the Aug. 8 show despite pressure from friends who are attending with her.
“There is no way I’m doing that,” Mahler said via phone on Friday, July 28. If the friends want to do so, she won’t stop them.
But that’s unlikely.
That’s because the Taylor Swift ticket phenomenon is unlike anything the live concert business has seen, according to Jed Weitzman, head of music at Logitix. Weitzman works with artists and venues to maximize ticket sales for live events.
Swifties tend to hold on to their tickets — as they see the shows as not “just” concerts.
“It’s a cultural thing,” Weitzman said of the special situation that is a Taylor Swift tour. And Weitzman would know. He’s been in the entertainment business for more than 30 years.
“When a show gets closer to being played off,” Weitzman said, “usually prices go down.”
The reason prices are so high, Weitzman said, is because Swift fans don’t want to sell their tickets. That means there’s less inventory on the market. Plus, he said, shows in major cities, such as Los Angeles and New York, command a higher price anyway.
The only single tickets below $1,000 currently available on the secondary market, as of Friday, were for seats in the upper tier of the stadium — with a view of the back of the stage setup.
And despite the controversy created in November when Ticketmaster had to shut down sales because of unprecedented demand and the flak they took about only letting “verified fans” purchase tickets, the plan did exactly what it was intended to do, Weitzman said.
Not everyone who wanted tickets got them, Weitzman acknowledged, but compared to other shows of a similar size, there were far fewer tickets available for resale on secondary markets such as StubHub and SeatGeek.
“The truth is that tickets got into the hands of fans,” Weitzman said. “Whether people want to realize it or not, fans actually got their tickets.”
The incredible demand for tickets, though, has caused another problem: scammers.
Ticket scams, of course, are not an isolated issue. The Better Business Bureau, for example, received 16,884 total complaints regarding ticket sales — including for concerts and sporting events — from January 2022 to this past February.
The boom in such scams, combined with the high demand for Swift tickets, prompted state Attorney General Rob Bonta to issue a warning to consumers on Thursday, July 27.
“Too often, bad actors take advantage of highly sought-after concert tickets and strip fans of their hard-earned money,” Bonta said in a statement. “Whether you attend a Taylor Swift concert or another event, avoid enduring a cruel summer by following the tips we provide.”
Those tips include researching vendors, knowing the return policy, protecting personal information and using only secured payment methods, among other advice.
But fans with legitimate, albeit expensive, tickets seem to be making the most of the pricey situation.
Hollywood resident Reagan Baylee purchased floor seats for the Aug. 7 concert. She gladly paid $2,100 for two tickets, she said, because it’s not just about one night. It’s about the lead up to the event.
Baylee, a marketing agency owner and content creator, has been posting about what she’s wearing to the concert since January, she said. She’s also been making friendship bracelets to trade.
Following the pandemic, Baylee said, “we’ve been craving a sense of community.”
On social media, Swifties are gearing up, trading ideas about the best bracelet beads to use and gluing rhinestones onto outfits, she said.
“That’s why I’m personally able to justify the high price,” Baylee said. “It’s just become so fun.”
Sure, she said, prices are crazy expensive. But, Baylee added, it feels as if people are really coming together — those from ages 6 to 60.
“The ticket prices are outrageous,” Baylee said, “but the experience is priceless.”
Indeed, Mahler and her group of friends are planning to make a night of it. Each plans to dress like a different era from Swift’s music, she said.
Mahler has been a Swiftie since 2014. For many of her generation, Swift’s lyrics help articulate both heartbreak and healing. She’s been a deep, deep fan because the pop icon helps her sort out her feelings, she said.
The aspiring film director respects Swift as not only a musician, but also as “a prolific writer.”
That’s where the tattoos come in.
Mahler has a goal to get 10 Swift quote tattoos on her right arm — one lyric from each of Swift’s albums. So far, she has four.
Around a scene of a yellow-brick road, she wears this quote from the 2008 “Fearless” hit “You Belong with Me:”
“What you’re looking for has been here the whole time.”
It’s not about tickets. For Swifties, it’s spiritual.
Source: Orange County Register
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