As the excitement builds for Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated The Eras Tour making its way to Canada, the ticket resale market is abuzz with activity. Swift’s fans are eager to secure a chance to witness her live performance, leading some resellers to list tickets at astonishing prices.
Tickets for several dates of Swift’s six-show run in Toronto became available recently, but the resale market has seen some jaw-dropping prices, reaching nearly $20,000 for certain tickets. This surge in resale prices has raised questions about the dynamics of the secondary ticket market and its impact on fans.
Catherine Moore, a professor specializing in music technology and digital media at the University of Toronto, explained the nature of the resale market in a segment on CTV’s Your Morning. She described how resale platforms provide a space for those with tickets to sell them and for those without tickets to buy them. However, Moore pointed out that the commercial nature of these sites often results in prices that go beyond the initial face value of the tickets. The only limitation, she noted, is what people are willing to pay on the secondary market.
Resale platforms such as StubHub have tickets listed for sale within the range of $3,000 to $5,000. Moore emphasized that affordability is becoming increasingly rare in the concert and event ticket resale market. The face value of tickets often loses its significance due to the dominance of the secondary market.
One aspect that fans and consumers desire more transparency in is how the additional charges, such as surcharges, are utilized. Moore explained that these surcharges, often a percentage of the ticket price, contribute to a pool of funds that should be distributed fairly. Understanding where these extra fees go is a point of concern for many ticket buyers.
Swift’s announcement on August 3rd about her Canadian tour leg for 2024 came as a response to initial backlash from her Canadian fans when they were initially excluded from the tour dates. The scheduled performances are set to take place from November 14 to 16 and 21 to 23 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
Ticketmaster, the primary ticket vendor, has taken steps to improve the ticket-buying experience. They have spread out ticket presales for the six shows over multiple days to mitigate the online technical issues that Swift fans encountered during past shows. Buyers must register and receive a “verified fan” sale code to gain access to the virtual queue for purchasing tickets, enhancing the chances of genuine fans securing their spots at the concert.