Get All Access for $5/mo

'Historically Unprecedented Demand': Taylor Swift Fans Caused Ticketmaster's Site To Crash Over 5000 Times Millions storm the site for pre-sale tickets to "The Eras Tour." Some fans are locked out for hours.

By Jonathan Small

Taylor Swift may sing "I'm the problem, it's me," but her rabid fans have a real problem with Ticketmaster.

Pre-sales for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" went on sale this morning in select cities, causing the Ticketmaster's website to crash over 5000 times before 2 pm, according to Downdetector.com.

Ticketmaster initially denied it had any trouble with its site, telling CNN, "the site is not down" and "people are actively purchasing tickets."

But later in the afternoon, the ticket-selling giant admitted to being overwhelmed by the Taylor Swift ticket tsunami. In a statement on Twitter, Ticketmaster said that "there has been historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up to buy tickets for TaylorSwiftTix presale."

Ticketmaster asked ticket buyers, many trapped in hours-long queues, to "please hang tight," causing some bad blood with the fans.

Even politicians piled on.

In an apparent dig at Ticketmaster, White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain boasted that even the government's loan forgiveness site was superior.

Ticketmaster makes changes

By late afternoon, Ticketmaster responded to the onslaught, moving its West Coast sales in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Santa Clara, and Seattle, originally scheduled for 10 am PT, to 3 pm PT.

It also moved the Capital One presale from Tuesday to Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 2 pm local time.

The U.S. portion of "The Eras Tour" begins March 18 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and wraps August 5 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Founder, Strike Fire Productions

Jonathan Small is a bestselling author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

Melinda French Gates Announces Open Call for $250 Million Fund. Here's Who Can Apply.

The fund is part of French Gates's $1 billion philanthropic plan.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business Plans

How to Master Your Strategic Planning As You Prepare Your Business for 2025

Here's how to best think about strategic planning, communication rhythms and maintaining alignment for consistent growth as you plan for next year.

Business News

Daniel Lubetzky Took Kind Snacks From Idea to $5 Billion. Here's His Best Advice For Anyone Who Wants to Start a Business.

In an interview with Entrepreneur, Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky tells aspiring business owners not to follow someone else's path to success — even his.

Business News

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon Isn't Worried About AI Taking Over Jobs — Here's Why

Dimon said AI was part of the next wave of tech innovation.

Business News

Has the Secret Identity of the Inventor of Bitcoin Been Revealed? A New Documentary Suggests It's Solved.

A new HBO documentary stirs controversy in its quest to expose Bitcoin's inventor.