Buying concert tickets online is becoming a highly frustrating experience for music fans. Notably, the streaming giant launched Reserved by Spotify to address this distribution issue. This new program will reserve two tickets for eligible superfans before general sales go live. Consequently, the company aims to reward active listener engagement and bypass secondary ticket scalpers.
Premium subscribers over the age of 18 in the United States qualify for this feature. Specifically, Spotify will choose eligible fans based on their streaming history and song sharing habits. However, the service maintains a secret algorithm to prevent users from gaming the qualification system. Therefore, listeners must engage naturally with their favorite artists to secure pre-sale access.
How the Reserved by Spotify system operates
Selected superfans will receive direct in-app notifications when ticket offers become available for upcoming tours. Additionally, these ticket offers will appear on the search tab and artist profile pages. Fans can easily select their preferred tour date and location. Once the exclusive purchase window opens, users have approximately 24 hours to buy their tickets.
The initial rollout features indie-pop artist Role Model, whose fall tour tickets go on sale June 23. First, Spotify will deliver the custom invitations to qualified users. Second, the transactions will process through Ticketmaster and focus on Live Nation venues. Notably, the streaming service plans to expand this program to more global markets in the future.
Partnering with Live Nation raises questions
This partnership with Live Nation raises significant irony among concertgoers. Indeed, many critics blame Live Nation for creating the current high-price ticketing crisis. The Department of Justice recently sued the company for anti-competitive behaviors and monopolistic contracts. Ultimately, federal regulators may force the entertainment conglomerate to sell off Ticketmaster to restore market competition.
Meanwhile, music services are experimenting with new methods to enhance app engagement. For example, Spotify recently launched new video integrations on playlists to connect artists with listeners. Similarly, media platforms like Peacock deploy vertical video feeds to retain active mobile subscribers. Ultimately, this new ticketing tool could prove whether streaming platforms can successfully fix the broken live music industry.
