Stray Kids’ “MANIAC” Tour Sells Out, But STAYs Claim Barely Any Fans Got Tickets

They’re blaming Ticketmaster and resellers.

Tickets for Stray Kids‘ second world tour dropped Friday, and fans quickly tried to snag tickets before they sold out. Organizers of the event even added new dates due to popular demand. But, not all fans are happy.

Stray Kids | @Stray_Kids/Twitter

US based fans were excited when Stray Kids announced the North American stops for their world tour, Stray Kids 2nd World Tour ‘MANIAC’. They were anticipating the sale for the original dates on April 22.

| @Stray_Kids/Twitter

The shows quickly sold out, and due to the demand, organizers released additional dates for Newark and Los Angeles which will be on sale April 25, 3 PM local time.

| @Stray_Kids/Twitter

But, fans are saying the initial ticket sales weren’t fair.

Everybody who has used Ticketmaster to purchase tickets is probably familiar with the dreaded queue. This system is Ticketmaster’s way of beating bots.

| Ticketmaster

The idea is that the system acts as a virtual line. A purchaser will join the waiting room ten minutes before the sale and then gets placed in the queue randomly, in order for every fan to get a fair chance at tickets.

However, Ticketmaster states that the queue is not a guarantee.

| Ticketmaster

Just like before, tickets are always based on availability, demand, and are not guaranteed.

Along with the ticketing system, which was confusing for some, fans were already anxious about ticket prices. Live Nation only announced them the day before the sale. Though, many fans were happy about the seemingly reasonable price range: $49.50 to $179.50 USD.

| @LiveNationKpop/Twitter

Along with the prices, Live Nation announced the VIP Package, and while they didn’t announce the prices until the time of the sale, most fans were pleased with what the price ended up being: $320 USD. This package included a PL 1 seat, access to soundcheck, and more.

| @LiveNationKpop/Twitter

When tickets finally did go on sale though, fans noticed that they sold out very quickly. Some never even had a chance to make it through the queue.

However, those that did have the opportunity to try to purchase tickets, noticed that not all of the tickets were listed at the previously stated prices.

Instead, they were listed under Ticketmaster’s Official Platinum label. These “premium tickets” are said to give fans fair access “to some of the best seats in the house.”

| Ticketmaster

Official Platinum Seats are premium tickets to concerts and other events made available by artists and Event Organizers through Ticketmaster. They give fans fair and safe access to some of the best seats in the house.

| Ticketmaster

Though they’re meant to give fans fair access, some fans claim selling these tickets is unfair.

Other fans were confused when they spotted these ticket prices and assumed they were being resold, however this was not the case. Instead, Ticketmaster utilizes “market-based pricing” for popular events. They are not resale tickets.

| Ticketmaster

No. Official Platinum Seats were not purchased initially and then posted for resale; they are being sold for the first time through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster’s Official Platinum seat program enables market-based pricing (adjusting according to supply and demand) for live event tickets, similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold. The goal is to give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the best tickets, while enabling artists and other people involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to the true market value.

Some fans have a problem with the language used to describe these seats. Ticketmaster says that these tickets are a chance to give “the most passionate fans” a chance at the best tickets, but with such an outrageous price mark-up, fans are wondering why passion has to be linked to the amount of money one has to spend on tickets.

However the issue with fans getting tickets to the tour doesn’t end with Ticketmaster. Just hours after the initial sale, resale tickets became available.

Tickets available for Oakland | Ticketmaster

The blue dots are what’s left of Ticketmaster’s Official Platinum seats, but the pink dots are all tickets that are being resold. Some venues have more of these tickets than others.

Tickets available for Newark | Ticketmaster

These are also being sold at highly marked-up prices.

Even the originally lowest priced tickets ($49.50 USD) are being sold for around $400 USD in some venues.

Lowest priced seats in Fort Worth | Ticketmaster

And highest reseller prices, for the best tickets, are in the $2000 USD range and above. These tickets were originally $179.50 or $320 USD for VIP.

Best seats in Seattle | Ticketmaster

Upset fans are wondering if a pre-sale code could have prevented this.

The majority of the tickets being resold, it seems, are from people that only bought the tickets with the purpose to resell and make a profit.

What’s more unfair are the VIP benefits that might be lost. Usually the original purchaser needs to be present with a valid ID to claim these benefits.

According to Ticketmaster Fan Support, anyone buying these tickets would need the purchaser’s order number, the last 4 digits of the purchasing card, and a copy of their photo ID to receive benefits. Soundcheck could potentially have less people than intended, which would be unfortunate.

Many fans are urging fellow STAYs to reconsider before purchasing high priced tickets from resellers.

Instead they have a few strategies in mind. Since Official Platinum pricing is dynamic, the prices should eventually lower.

The same goes for reseller tickets. Theoretically, if no one buys the high priced tickets, resellers will be forced to lower the price.

Additionally, some desperate STAYs are urging fans to contact JYP Entertainment and Republic Records to try to resolve the issue.

Some fans are claiming that Stray Kids will be performing to empty rows unless something is done.

Though it’s unclear the best route to take, hopefully this issue will be resolved and deserving fans will be able to see Stray Kids perform. Both STAYs and Stray Kids deserve it.

Source: Ticketmaster

Stray Kids