Photo Credit: Beyoncé by Raph PH / CC by 2.0
Tickets for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour are going on sale, triggering a frenzy on Ticketmaster that could be on par with that of Oasis’ reunion tour.
Beyoncé has a history of hyping her fans up to previously unheard of levels. Coming off of her Renaissance tour, fans knew they were in for a wild ride once tickets for her hotly anticipated Cowboy Carter tour finally hit the scene. And naturally, they were right.
Demand for tickets has been so overwhelming that Ticketmaster has struggled to keep up, leaving many fans frustrated with painfully long wait times and random site crashes. That said, Ticketmaster insists no crashes have occurred. “We always advise fans to make sure they use only one tab, clear their cookies, and do not use any VPN software on their device,” said a Ticketmaster spokesperson.
Site issues aside, ticketing industry experts like Get Safe Online urge fans to be wary of potential scams while securing tickets for their preferred Queen Bey appearance. “Beyoncé’s tour could result in another ‘Oasis storm’ — huge fan demand, limited tickets, a single primary seller, and a stressful buying process,” says Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online. “This makes it easier for scammers to take advantage of fans, which often drives them to [seek tickets on] social media platforms.”
“That’s why it’s so important for fans to have safe alternatives with strong consumer protections,” Neate explains. “More competition in the market gives fans greater choice in where and how they buy tickets safely. We want every fan to be aware of the risks of buying tickets on social media and to have access to multiple platforms and regulated marketplaces that protect them with a money-back guarantee.”
Ticketmaster has also warned fans of potential scams, specifically “speculative listing,” which occurs when unofficial sellers list tickets for sale before they have them in hand, either physically or virtually. Sellers hope to resell any tickets secured from general onsale or pre-sale for much more. “People claiming to sell these tickets are committing fraud and this practice is illegal in many states,” says Ticketmaster.
“To fight speculative ticketing together, we recommend you always purchase from official sources during official onsale time,” the ticketing giant continues. “If you’re buying resale tickets after the official general ticket sale period ends, only purchase from trusted resellers that only sell verified resale tickets, like Ticketmaster.”
It’s notable that Ticketmaster also engages in “speculative ticketing” practices — but as the official seller of the tickets, this mainly just drives up the prices of tickets, rather than constituting fraud; Ticketmaster isn’t looking to sell tickets it doesn’t actually have, at least not deliberately.
Tickets for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour have started to go on sale today in the UK, via the BeyHive Presale, which ends tomorrow at 11 AM local time. The US Citi Presale and US Verizon Up Presale begin tomorrow (February 12) at 12 PM local time, and ends February 13 at 11 AM local time. The Mastercard Presale (UK & France) also starts on February 12 at 12 PM local time and ends the next day at 11 AM.
Finally, the Artist Presale kicks off on February 13 until 10 PM local time, ahead of the general onsale on February 14 at 12 PM local time. All “local times” refer to the time zone of the venues in question.