It is hard to overstate the success Ohio-bred rock duo Twenty One Pilots have achieved over the last few years. From humble beginnings are alternative favorites, the pairing of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have become internationally-acclaimed musicians whose audience is always ready to support whatever the group chooses to release.
If you somehow made it to this point in your life without hearing the music of Twenty One Pilots, which is hard to believe given the immense success of their single “Heathens,” allow us to give you a quick introduction:
Recently, Twenty One Pilots decided to say thanks to longtime supporters by announcing a string of intimate performances in the hometown venues they played back when the band was just starting out. The three shows, dubbed ‘Tour de Columbus,’ finds the band playing venues with capacities as low as 300 people, which is a stark change from their recent stadium tour.
Twenty One Pilots understand that demand will be high for these performances. With ticket scalpers working harder than ever to beat fans to access for the best shows, the band has partnered with Ticketmaster for a new program designed to ensure only true supporters are granted access to their gigs. Here’s how it works:
If you don’t have time for the video above, here’s a quick breakdown:
Fans hoping to gain access to tickets must first register an account with Ticketmaster, as well as a more specific ‘verified fan’ account for those who support Twenty One Pilots. Here’s what Ticketmaster has to say about the ‘verified fan’ program:
We’re committed to getting more tickets into the hands of fans. Through partnerships between artists and Ticketmaster, we’re here to help ensure that real fans get to see the artists they love – and that scalpers and bots are kept away – giving you priority access to great tickets.
This registration does not guarantee tickets. Instead it places fans wishing to attend the show in a lottery for the opportunity to buy tickets to the group’s Tour de Columbus shows. The selected winners will receive a text message with an access code that allows them to buy a limited quantity of tickets to the performance(s). Once purchased, the selected fans will also have to present proper identification at the venue the night of the show in order to gain access to the concert.
The real question here, is whether or not fans will be comfortable giving Ticketmaster a bit more personal information in order to ensure they have more access to tickets. If so, and this program catches on, we could be looking at the beginning of the end for mass ticket scalping.
For more details on Twenty One Pilots’ upcoming shows, as well as access to their ‘verified fan’ registry, click here.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Managing Editor for Substream Magazine and the host of our Inside Music podcast. For more info on James and his latest projects, follow him on Twitter.
