Original article published on The Verge (02/07/18) by Kaitlin Tiffany
Ticketmaster's Verified Fan program is heavily criticized as confusing by fans, who are required to register with their email address well ahead of a presale and wait to be offered a code they can use to get into the sale during an exclusive window. The platform's underlying engine offers codes only to people on the list who appear likely to use and not resell a ticket, but receiving a code does not guarantee a ticket. Ticketmaster's David Marcus says the fan verification and code provision process remains the same, but artists can add an engagement layer on top of that, which "takes the undifferentiated pool and makes a queue." One example of Verified Fan's effectiveness was Taylor Swift's decision to "boost" registrants to the front of the ticket presale line for her "Reputation" tour by getting them to buy her album multiple times, or procure merchandise, engage with sponsors on social media, or watch her videos. Ticketmaster says about 95 percent of tickets bought through Verified Fan are not resold, while noting neither it nor Live Nation has any control over the price point for tickets. However, one Taylor Swift fan says she noticed some fans using the presale as a scalping opportunity, in which they purchased four tickets when they only needed two, then sold the extras at a high markup to pay off their own admission. Some critics also argue Verified Fan's branding tactics were taken from fan club ticketing operations that Ticketmaster competed against.
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