Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour cemented its legacy as one of the most celebrated tours in music history. As fans know all too well, it was almost impossible to buy tickets directly from Ticketmaster due to demand and site glitches. Tickets were resold for thousands of dollars above face value, and many were targeted by cybercriminals hoping to take advantage of the situation.[1] The tour exposed flaws in online ticketing systems and raised serious cybersecurity concerns, from scalper bots to seller scams and breaches.
Ticketmaster Says Don’t Blame Me
By the time presale came around, only a select number of fans were chosen as “Verified Fans” for city-specific sales. The tour sold out entirely during the presale, prompting Ticketmaster to cancel all general sales - an unprecedented move that sparked fan outrage and calls for regulation. Taylor Swift herself expressed her frustration with the situation.[2]
During a U.S. congressional testimony, Ticketmaster admitted that despite anti-bot measures, sophisticated bots were able to bypass restrictions and buy up the supply. They reported three times the amount of bot traffic they had ever seen, with bots trying to purchase tickets and hack into their servers for access codes.[3]