Ticker

Problem Statement 

How might we help music lovers discover concerts and remember when those concert tickets go on sale so that they have better chances of securing tickets to their favorite shows?

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Problem Background

Coronavirus ended life as we knew it, including live music entertainment. Now that restrictions have been lifted, music enthusiasts everywhere are returning to what they love: concerts. Fans are flocking to stadiums in record numbers to see their favorite artists take the stage. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert and live event promoter, reported a 20% increase in concert attendance in 2022 as compared to 2019 pre-pandemic attendance levels. 

Concerts have become so popular that securing concert tickets can be challenging. The popularity of some artists fuels increased concert ticket demand, making the purchasing act a competitive process. For example, Taylor Swift announced her highly anticipated 2023 The Eras Tour in late 2022. According to calculations by sports betting website Bookies, fans had a 2% chance or 1-in-50 shot of scoring general sale tickets at face value. If fans were lucky enough to participate in ticket presale, the odds improve to a 5% or 1-in-20 shot of securing tickets. For many fans, getting a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert was a pipe dream. But many Swifties still tried. To increase their chances of purchasing a Taylor Swift ticket, fans had to be on time for concert ticket presales and general sales. 

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Research Insights

User Pain Points

Five user interviews were conducted to ascertain the pain points of buying concert tickets. Through this research, two main issues that arose: remembering when to buy concert tickets and discovering concerts. 

1. Remembering when to buy concert tickets 

• To ensure they don’t miss out on tickets, most participants used reminders, alarms, or calendars to remember when to sign up for ticket presales or when the general sale begins. 
• Without using some form of memory aid, participants acknowledged that they would likely have forgotten when their desired concert tickets would be released. 

2. Discovering concerts

• Some participants forget to buy concert tickets for smaller artists because they miss the tour announcements. All participants cited social media as their primary source for new concert discovery. With all of the content flooding user’s feeds, they may forget that their favorite artist is coming to town. 

Supporting Data

• 80% of the participants said that they view concert ticket releases as an event, and that they need to be online at the exact time of the release to get the best seats for a concert.
• 60% of participants forget to buy concert tickets for smaller artists because they miss the tour announcements.
•  While conducting our user research, the users interviewed described the competitive process of trying to purchase concert tickets as a “war” or “battle.” 

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Landing on the Solution  

The goal of Ticker is to help music enthusiasts know when concerts of interest are occurring, reminding them of the date and time that those concert tickets will be released. This product will also alert users if the desired concert date has a presale option and the duration of the presale period. Since fans need to sign up for a presale code days before the presale occurs to be eligible to participate, they need to be aware of the registration deadline.