Sabrina Carpenter Offers Innovative Solution to Problematic Ticketing Industry
Sabrina Carpenter, the rising pop star behind hits like "Espresso" and "Vicious", has announced a pioneering approach to ticketing, aiming to combat bots and unfair pricing in the industry. Just ahead of her Short n’ Sweet Tour, Carpenter has partnered with Spotify and AEG to create a Spotify Top Listener Pit at concert venues across North America.
Exclusive Presale Code for Top Listeners
The initiative awards top listeners of Carpenter’s music on Spotify with an exclusive presale code through the newly launched Fans First Front Row. This exclusive code offers early access to a broader group of top listeners, bypassing the traditional chaotic ticketing process.
A New Era in Ticketing
Carpenter’s solution follows a tumultuous period in ticketing, marked by criticisms of unfair practices. Notably, Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, faced a Senate hearing and subsequent antitrust violations resulting in the U.S. Justice Department ordering the company to break up from its parent company.
Fan’s Plea Goes Viral
Fans’ frustrations with the outdated system were highlighted by a popular meme shared on Twitter, showcasing a utopian vision where tickets were distributed based on Spotify followers rather than influencers. The post accumulated 11,000 likes, demonstrating fans’ growing desire for a change in the ticketing industry.
Spotify Takes a Leap into Ticketing
This experiment is not the first time Spotify has rewarded top listeners. Last summer, the music streaming giant partnered with The 1975 to offer tickets to the band’s top North American listeners. While this approach raises questions about whether Spotify is moving towards a monopoly in the ticketing space, the results of Carpenter’s experiment are eagerly awaited to gauge its potential effectiveness.
The Road to a New Ticketing Landscape
Will Carpenter’s innovative approach create a ripple effect, inspiring other artists to adopt similar measures? As fans eagerly await the results of this initiative, one thing is certain – change is on the horizon in the ticketing industry.