Role Model (real name Tucker Pillsbury), who’s set to make pre-sale tickets available via Spotify Reserved. Photo Credit: Chloe Chippendale
Spotify is kicking off its “Reserved” pre-sale program with Role Model’s upcoming tour – though fans will also have the chance to grab early passes via Mastercard, American Airlines, and the artist’s own website.
Live Nation shed light on the 35-date concert series – and its multifaceted ticket-availability schedule – today. As many know, late May saw Spotify make its long-rumored pre-sale entry official with Reserved, billed as a means of affording diehard supporters first dibs on their favorite acts’ tickets.
In theory, the program makes sense given the well-documented shenanigans of bot-powered scalpers. But in practice, the inaugural Reserved offering is a good reminder of the pre-sale landscape’s stiff competition.
To be sure, Role Model’s aforementioned Mastercard and American Airlines pre-sales are both expected to begin at 10 AM local time on Tuesday, June 23rd.
After that, certain Premium subscribers will receive a Reserved notification via email and in-app at noon local time that same day. Then a June 24th artist pre-sale and additional pre-sales yet will commence ahead of the June 26th general on-sale.
In short, fans won’t lack early access options, and Spotify will technically be third out of the gate. Of course, we’ll know more about Reserved’s rollout – how many tickets will release, who will receive access, and what price points are we talking about? – next week.
But at present, pre-sale positioning behind Mastercard and American Airlines aside, Reserved appears to have an inherent advantage.
As acknowledged by Spotify, demand will often outstrip supply – a reality that won’t sit well with subscribers who miss out on early access.
Despite this inevitable disappointment, not receiving a pre-sale offer is presumably preferable to obtaining a pre-sale code, attempting to use it, and then winding up empty-handed after failing to check out. One needn’t look far on social media to find many such complaints pertaining to Olivia Rodrigo’s latest tour pre-sale, for instance.
Furthermore, Spotify’s capping Reserved tickets at two per eligible subscriber – compared to a four-ticket limit for different pre-sales – will presumably help the program achieve the desired result. And longer term, assuming things go off mostly without a hitch, it doesn’t seem inconceivable that Reserved could compel superfans to prioritize using Spotify.
In the bigger picture, what does the growing pre-sale focus mean for the general on-sale? Time will tell, though Role Model’s North American tour leg won’t begin until September 9th, with additional stateside dates scheduled into October before a European leg’s anticipated start next February.