Hayley Williams has partnered with Openstage for a verified presale to stop scalpers and bots from inflating ticket prices.
Hayley Williams is taking direct aim at ticket scalpers ahead of her newly announced solo tour, launching a presale plan designed to keep tickets in the hands of actual fans (and at the original price).
The Paramore vocalist and solo artist announced that she’s teaming up with Openstage to host a verified fan presale for her upcoming North American and European run, The Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party Tour, which kicks off in late March.
Fans will be required to verify both their email and phone number to receive a unique access code, adding an extra layer of protection against bots and resellers.
“You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to buy tickets to see the show, but unfortunately, it’s a broken and convoluted system,” Williams said in a statement on Instagram. “My team and I are doing everything we can, and I am hopeful that the processes we’ve put into place will get as many tickets into the hands of my fans (at face value) as possible.”
Even with these safeguards, Hayley Williams acknowledged that some tickets might still be resold. “I want to get tickets into the hands of my fans, at a price that is as reasonable as I could get it,” she said. “I’ve had countless conversations with my team, and they’ve spent countless hours trying to find the best solution for fans to be able to buy tickets. It’s been tough (to say the least), and unfortunately, there’s just no way to guarantee that zero tickets get scalped. But we’re doing our best.”
Fans unable to secure presale tickets will still have limited chances later, with a face-value ticket exchange available for those who can no longer attend. This resale restriction prevents tickets from being sold above their original cost and disables ticket transfers in certain states, minimising the likelihood of inflated listings on secondary markets like StubHub and SeatGeek. It’s worth noting that the NYC and Chicago shows won’t have this cap due to state laws, nor will Amsterdam.
Hayley Williams said she knows the approach “won’t be perfect,” but hopes it will make a difference. “I can’t wait to be back on the road and see all of your faces,” she wrote. “We’ll dance, scream, and cry together. Love you all. Take care of yourselves.”
The tour follows the release of her newest solo album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, and marks her first major solo outing since Paramore’s 2023 world tour.
You can read Hayley Williams’ full statement below:
“It feels like the right time to let you all know…I’m going on tour. And I want to get tickets into the hands of my fans, at a price that is as reasonable as I could get it.
I’ve had countless conversations with my team, and they’ve spent countless hours trying to find the best solution for fans to be able to buy tickets.It’s been tough (to say the least), and unfortunately, there’s just no way to guarantee that zero tickets get scalped. But we’re doing our best.
In short, I’m trying out a platform called Openstage to host a verified presale registration. Openstage’s fan validation system helps verify human fans and reduce bots and scalpers, giving my fans a better chance to access tickets.
All registrants will be required to verify both their email address and phone number as a preventative measure against bots and scalpers. Only those registered and verified for the presale will receive a unique code to purchase tickets during the presale period.
It’s important to note that receiving a code does not guarantee you will be able to buy tickets – they will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
There is also no guarantee that tickets will be available outside of this presale, so registering is your best and potentially only chance at getting tickets.
To further combat scalping and overpriced resale tickets, we’ve made sure that face value ticket exchanges are available, and have disabled ticket transfers for all shows (except for NYC and Chicago where state laws prohibit us from doing so, and Amsterdam). This gives everyone the best chance to purchase tickets at face value.
I know this won’t be perfect. You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to buy tickets to see the show, but unfortunately, it’s a broken and convoluted system. My team and I are doing everything we can, and I am hopeful that the processes we’ve put into place will get as many tickets into the hands of my fans (at face value) as possible.
I can’t wait to be back on the road and see all of your faces. We’ll dance, scream, and cry together.
Love you all. Take care of yourselves.
xx HW”
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