Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
With the final batch of tickets about to go on sale, Taylor Swift fans will be perfecting their strategies on how to guarantee success. Given the many theories on how to make the most of Ticketek’s online system, we spoke to experts and the company itself to get to the bottom of it.
Does jumping on early work?
As for jumping on early in an effort to get in front of the hordes, the official line is there is no advantage to doing so, as "the randomisation starts once the on-sale commences."
Taylor Swift performing as part of the Eras tour.Credit: Getty
Ticketek recommends fans log on 15 minutes before the sale is due to begin.
What is the lounge? And what does getting through to it mean?
A spokesperson for Ticketek said only genuine fans are allowed into the “lounge”, which is the first step in the process, basically a waiting room that means you’re through the first security screening process. They wouldn’t elaborate on how that is assessed, only saying “the security and the protections that we have in place will not let bots into the lounge”. Mysterious!
Once you are in the lounge and the on-sale has started, the system continuously checks whether there is an available spot for fans to be let in to purchase tickets to the event.
Does refreshing my browser help?
Even though anecdotal reports suggest otherwise, Ticketek says refreshing your browser does not increase your chances of getting tickets.
Can I game the system?
Lisa Given, professor of information sciences at RMIT, says the system Ticketek uses is similar to that used around the world and there is no way to game it.
Rumours have swirled this week about things that can make a difference to your chances, including that using mobiles phones and therefore 5G technology gives you better odds and even that it’s better to use data than wi-fi. Neither is true.
As for reports the system is outdated and needs attention, a Ticketek spokesperson refuted that, saying the company’s technology is cloud-based and built on Amazon Web Services.
Does my IP address make a difference?
According to Given, in attempting to repel computer bots from scraping up all the tickets, the ticketing system looks at the buyer’s IP address.
"The strategies the system uses can impact the average everyday family trying to buy four tickets from their home. People will often use separate devices but if they are not from separate IP addresses, it sort of defeats the purpose," she says.
Are my workmates hindering my chances of getting through?
According to Given, the IP address gets hooked into the server your wi-fi sits on. If you’re in a large organisation, there may be a number of IP addresses attached to the server, but in your home, if everyone is on the same wi-fi, the system will think it’s the same. “Even within a large workplace there will be a set of IP addresses,” Given says. “You might have 20 or 100. That’s why some people may get through, and other people are refreshing and not.”
What does queuing mean when it comes to tickets?
Given says while we imagine that if we get into the waiting room – or, on the phone and put on hold – it’s the same as if you join an old-school real life queue and it’s snaking around the corner. That’s not the case: the system simply puts you in a waiting room.
”It’s like when you go to an international airport. You go into a waiting room… you are not really in a queue in order of when you arrived. If they open the door, everybody who is there is going to that next space, and then it’s going to assign potentially a random number,” she says. “So getting into the waiting room is one step in the process, but it’s not in order of priority and doesn’t mean that you are going to make it through.“
Will I get another chance to buy tickets?
For anyone who misses out, Ticketek will operate an official resale platform from September 4.
The last event with such a high level of demand was Ed Sheeran’s recent Australian tour, which saw him break his own record, singing in front of the biggest crowd – 110,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground – of his career.
What’s the alternative?
It’s a long way from pre-digital era when people camped out for tickets for big concerts and sporting events when they went on sale. Pre-internet, it was common for fans to set up – complete with sleeping bags and pillows – with queues snaking around outside ticket offices. Imagine the parties Swifties would stage. Professor Given says that even in this high-tech age, that would indeed be the fairest system possible.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
Most Viewed in Culture
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
