NewsAugust 15, 2023

'Policies Must Change': Toronto Taylor Swift Fans Launch Petition Against Ticketmaster

Canadian Swifties are lashing-out at Ticketmaster after the Toronto presale ticket-drop left thousands of fans empty-handed. In an effort to…

Canadian Swifties are lashing-out at Ticketmaster after the Toronto presale ticket-drop left thousands of fans empty-handed.

In an effort to make the buying process a little easier, presale tickets to Taylor Swift’s six-date Eras tour in Toronto were released over the course of several days via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program.

Only those who received a special access code through the Verified Fan process were eligible for the presale. Those lucky enough to move forward with the code, however, were met with dynamic pricing on Ticketmaster and marked-up prices on resale sites.

Fans took to Change.org to launch a petition against the ticketing giant, noting that the “policies must change.”

“Fans currently don’t stand a chance at seeing their favourite artist, Taylor Swift, perform for a once in a lifetime show,” the petition, created by an “anonymous Swiftie,” reads. “Fans are tired, hurt, frustrated and disappointed. We want to be able to support Taylor but feel like we have had our voices and opportunities taken away from us. She has taught us to be brave and stand up for ourselves, so now we are.”

The petition also called for fans to take action by contacting Consumer Protection Ontario for the Toronto shows and demand a change to Ticketmaster’s resale policies, calling for laws to implemented to cap resale prices at 50% above the original face value.

Currently, the petition has nearly 3,000 signatures out of its 5,000 goal.

Toronto’s ticket fiasco is just another sour ending for fans trying to see Swift on the Eras tour.

In the UK, fans were furious when Ticketmaster allegedly issued a no-transfer policy shift after the presale, leaving fans unable to send their purchased tickets to family or friends. In France, the chaos continued when Ticketmaster was forced to halt ticket sales amid problems with the ticketing site’s onsale queue.

Ticket problems are even making waves for Swifties in Brazil; the high-demand prompted a newly-proposed “Taylor Swift Law,” which aims to criminalize ticket scalping with fees up to 100 times the original ticket price.

Swift’s massive, ongoing tour runs through November and picks-up in Feb. 2024.