Move over avocado toast, Taylor Swift is in the house.
As Swift’s legion of fans arm themselves to buy some long-awaited tickets to the singer-songwriter’s five Australian shows, many have their laptops and wallets at the ready.
But some wallets are heavier than others, and with tickets varying from $79.90 all the way through to $1249.90 plus fees, it leaves bare the question – what, exactly, does paying almost $1300 for a single ticket actually get you and is it worth it?
9Honey Celebrity spoke with some fans who have each purchased one of the two pricey VIP packages that were offered in today’s pre-sale, a deal exclusively available to American Express cardholders two days before Frontier Touring members could purchase tickets, and four days before they go on sale to the general public.
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Despite being promised an “unforgettable A Reserve floor ticket” and “exclusive VIP merchandise”, said fans didn’t seem too pleased with the price of the package – but, to them, the value was incalculable.
If fans are just after a seat in the Frontier Touring members pre-sale on June 28 or general public sale on June 30, A Reserve tickets are listed at $379.90, with ticket prices dropping down to $79.90 for G Reserve.
But for those who have access to an American Express card and have the cash to splash, in between website crashes today, they could buy either an ‘It’s Been A Long Time Coming Package’ for $1249.90 plus fees, or a ‘Karma Is My Boyfriend Package’ for $899.90 plus fees.
This means, between an A Reserve seat and the highest VIP package, there’s an $870 difference. And for punters hoping for a $79.90 G Reserve bargain, that’s a difference of $1170. What then, exactly, could that $870 to $1170 difference possibly get you?
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Abigail* told 9Honey Celebrity, saying she didn’t even look at what the over $1249.90 charge on her American Express card would get her beyond the ticket itself.
We did, however, look at the ‘It’s Been A Long Time Coming Package’ listing on Ticketek, and what it tangibly gets punters is an A Reserve ticket with floor seating and access to “exclusive” merchandise, meaning fans are paying $870 more for four special prints, a The Eras Tour VIP Tote Bag, a collectible pin, sticker and postcard set, a souvenir concert ticket and a “special VIP tour laminate and matching lanyard”.
Not even Abigail thought the exclusive merchandise was worth the $870 difference – so why did she buy it?
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“I couldn’t take the chance that I wouldn’t get the ticket. I was happy to pay whatever it took to be able to see her. It wasn’t about getting any extras or even a good seat. I just wanted a guaranteed seat,” she said.
“I didn’t want to have to compete with more than a million others on Wednesday or potentially even more than that on Friday,” she explained, referencing the one million Frontier Touring members that have secured pre-sale codes (not tickets) ahead of that June 28 pre-sale, and the general public that will be vying for the leftovers on June 30.
She ended up spending more than $2700 on two tickets for herself and her mother. It came out of her housing deposit fund, and when she told her mother she was successful in her quest, they both cried.
“I know I’m privileged to be able to not only have an Amex card but also be willing to drop thousands on this, but for me, Taylor Swift is all business. It’s not personal.”
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Despite VIP packages especially equalling weeks’ worth of groceries for some families, since the pricing and sale structure was announced last week, for some fans, there hasn’t been any doubt they’ll open their purse – or a new American Express credit card.
“People underestimate just how far her fans are willing to go to see her live,” Abigail continued. “Just look at all the re-recorded albums they’re buying when they can literally stream them almost for free on Spotify.”
She added: “There’s a reason her fanbase cops flack for being elitist and exclusive, and you only have to follow the money to see why.”
“I know I’m privileged to be able to not only have an Amex card but also be willing to drop thousands on this when others don’t have that option, but for me, Taylor Swift is all business. It’s not personal.”
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Writing for The Conversation, author and researcher Georgia Carroll last week set out to answer the question as to why Swift fans are repeatedly willing to fork out so much money for the star.
“While being a fan is an increasingly expensive experience, there seems to be a particular connection between Taylor’s fandom and the expectation of consumption,” Carroll wrote.
Carroll claimed that Swift shares a “particularly intense connection” with her fans as a result of events such as pre-album release sessions – often held in her own home for a select few, whom she seems to know intimate details about – post-show meet-and-greets, and even sending them personalised packages via snail mail.
But the catch is that overwhelmingly, those who qualify for those privileges are fans who quite literally pay to do so.
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And not only do they repeatedly purchase albums, merchandise and concert tickets, but they also share the receipts proving their love on social media (and make sure to tag her official accounts plus Taylor Nation), thus, according to Carroll, encouraging the cycle to continue when they’re seen as being rewarded.
Proving their dedication, however, isn’t the only factor playing on fans’ minds when opting to purchase a VIP package.
Some Aussie fans were found in a panic this morning as the American Express Australia website crashed 30 minutes before their exclusive The Eras Tour pre-sale was set to begin due to the sheer volume of demand.
“I wasn’t planning on buying VIP tickets because I honestly don’t think a few cheap prints and a tote bag are worth an extra $500 on top of a regular ticket price,” Betty*, a Swift fan who bought two ‘Karma Is My Boyfriend’ VIP packages for $899.90 this morning as a birthday gift for her sister, told 9Honey Celebrity.
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“But after seeing the Amex site crash well before the pre-sale even started, I changed my mind,” she continued.
Although the American Express Australia website crashed intermittently throughout the day, it is currently back up at the time of publishing. However, Ticketek’s website, which is where fans actually purchase the tickets after being admitted through an America Express Australia portal, remained active all throughout the exclusive pre-sale.
Betty’s tickets include all the same things as the $1249.90 package – including an advertised “phenomenal” A Reserve floor ticket – but her seats are further from the stage than Abigail’s seats.
“I know it’s a hell of a lot of money, but the experience of getting to take her to see our favourite artist is priceless to me and I just didn’t want to risk missing out,” she said.
The American Express Australia pre-sale, which started at 10am this morning for Sydney shows and 2pm this afternoon for Melbourne shows, and is set to go for 48 hours or until tickets are sold out, is only open to those who have an Amex card and are willing to pay for one of the two VIP packages.
More than one million Frontier Touring members, meanwhile, will have access to that pre-sale on Wednesday, with more tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday.
It’s estimated that across the five Australia shows, there’s a rough ticket capacity of 450,000.
Betty continued: “We saw how insane it was for fans to try to get tickets in the US and with only five shows for all of Australia and New Zealand, I genuinely think it’s going to be a bloodbath on Wednesday and Friday this week and I just couldn’t risk it.”
* Names have been changed for privacy reasons.
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