In an effort to prevent a repeat of last year’s Taylor Swift disaster, Ticketmaster is selling tickets for Beyonce’s Reniassance World Tour in a different way. And the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is keeping a close eye on the company. Also, the BEYHive has flooded an Etsy seller for the sought-after disco-ball cowboy hat Bey wore in her tour announcement photo. Get the latest inside…
As soon as Beyoncé announced her highly-anticipated Renaissance Tour, fans were eager to secure their tickets. However, concerns arose over the ticket sales process, with many worried that Ticketmaster would cause complications and make it difficult for fans to get their hands on the coveted concert tickets. Much like how the company botched Taylor Swift’s tour last year.
Ticketmaster came under fire last November when frustrated Taylor Swift fans (known as Swifites) were unable to purchase tickets. Fans blasted the company for its fees and sales procedures, which have irritated entertainers and fans for decades.
The day after Beyoncé announced her “Renaissance” world tour, the Senate Judiciary Committee, which had just finished questioning Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, issued a direct warning.
We’re watching, @Ticketmaster. https://t.co/LuWjoXrWX4
— Senate Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryDems) February 2, 2023
“We’re watching,” the committee’s account tweeted at Ticketmaster in response to an article about Bey’s announcement. Ha!
A number of “Swifties” have sued Ticketmaster, alleging, among other things, antitrust violations. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing last month to look into a “lack of competition” in the ticketing industry as a result of these worries.
Ticketmaster is changing the way fans get tickets for the Renaissance Tour.
Instead of releasing tickets for all the dates at once, Ticketmaster is spreading out sales for Beyoncé’s tour. After the company claimed it was overrun by fans and bot attacks during a presale event for Swift tickets in November, the website crashed, leaving many people standing in lines for hours only to lose tickets.
Ticketmaster is using the Verified Fan Program “to ensure more tickets get in the hands of concertgoers” instead of brokers, who are looking to resell the tickets at astronomical prices. Since the company anticipates high demand, access codes will be distributed to Verified Fans via a lottery-style system. Others will be put on a waiting list for the chance to purchase tickets. More details about the process HERE.
We’ll see if it works.
In other Beyoncé news…
| The Etsy designer behind Beyoncé’s fabulous disco cowboy hat, Abby Misbin, in the RENAISSANCE TOUR promo saw a 6,000% increase in orders for the same hat!
“She usually gets about 5-6 orders per week, but in just one day she got 60 orders!!! The BeyHive wants what it wants.” pic.twitter.com/CmvKWcQT6s
— Beyoncé Press. | Fan Account (@beyoncepress) February 3, 2023
A woman on Etsy created Beyoncé’s “disco ball cowboy hat” which she wore in the photo for the announcement of her Renaissance World Tour. Abby Misbin, a designer, reportedly had to extend her processing time due to a flood of orders from BEYHive members.
Beyoncé’s stylist reportedly messaged Abby on her Trending by Abby Etsy page in June to ask about ordering a hat for the pop star.
According to Abby, the stylist (B. Åkerlund) needed the hat finished in five days. Abby got to work encasing a cowboy hat in 10,000–15,000 mirrored tiles. She ended up charging Beyoncé $215 for the hat.
“I’m so happy so many of you want a hat and am making them as fast as I can!,” Abby wrote on Instagram. “I’ll be updating my Etsy inventory sometime in the next few days, (favorite the listing to get notified!) as well as changing the production time (2-3 months) to keep up with demand! Each hat takes a long time to perfect and I’d never want to compromise the quality! All customers deserve Beyoncè quality!”
TMZ reported the designer closed her Etsy shop, but she mentioned in her Instagram comments that she just extended processing times.
As fans flocked to the tour poster and scrambled to sign up for ticket sales following the announcement, one of Abby’s friends agreed to assist her in obtaining credit for her work. The friend began leaving comments on Beyoncé’s fan pages, telling people it was Abby who made the hat and linking to her Etsy page.
In exchange, the friend received a free disco hat and cash.
With Bey’s world tour coming this Summer, Abby will likely be making disco ball hats for a while.
Congrats.
In case you missed, check out the full list of Renaissance World Tour dates and how to cop tickets HERE.
Photo: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File
