- Spotify launches new system that gives an artist’s biggest fans the first chance to get concert tickets more easily
- If you’re an eligible fan, Spotify will reserve two tickets for you.
- The platform wants to ensure that fans get tickets first than resellers and scammers.
It’s getting harder and harder to get tickets to live music, but Spotify is doing something about it and the platform is about to launch its own ticket priority system for top fans.
During its Investor Day 2026 briefing, Spotify introduced Reserved, a new system that will give top fans first priority to purchase tickets to their favorite artists without additional fees. It will launch in the US to eligible Spotify Premium subscribers 18+ in the US starting in the coming months, with other countries to follow.
For starters, newly announced tours for select artists will have the opportunity to reserve tickets for fans. Spotify plans to expand this to tours of any size in the future.
In a world where ticket resellers abound and Ticketmaster sales increasingly resemble battlefields, Spotify’s Reserved experience aims to make the ticket-buying experience more seamless, ensuring that longtime fans who donate to their favorite artists have a fair chance to see them in person. Basically, Spotify wants to reward your fandom.
Spotify will determine if you’re a big fan by looking at your overall Spotify activity, which includes your streams and shares, as well as monitoring the activity of Premium users. This will help Spotify determine if you are a “real human fan” and not a robot.
If Spotify decides that you’ve streamed an artist enough to be a big fan and they’re playing a show in your area, the platform will reserve two tickets for you that you’ll then have the opportunity to purchase within a dedicated window (Spotify says this will be about a day). That being said, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Jump to the front of the line
When Spotify declares that you are a dedicated fan, you will receive an email and an in-app notification informing you of your eligibility to purchase tickets. Spotify recommends turning on live event notifications, enabling location settings, and making sure your app is updated if you don’t want to miss out.
After receiving your notification, you will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets in the specified time period before sales open to the general public. While this amount doesn’t cover large groups who want to attend a concert together, if your friends are also big streamers of the same artists, there’s a chance they’ll also be eligible fans with reserved access, meaning no one in your group will have to miss out.
If you decide to proceed with your purchase, you’ll be directed to a ticketing partner’s website to complete the sale, but then there’s the matter of availability.
Spotify says that not all fans are guaranteed a ticket offer, as the number of fans seeking tickets exceeds the venues’ total capacity. Additionally, Spotify says that Reserved ticket deals will be based on tour location, meaning if a tour doesn’t come to your area, there’s a chance you won’t receive priority access.
However, if you receive an offer despite this, you will be able to purchase a ticket to any show on the tour where you can select the date, location and seat selection when checking out. Spotify also adds that ticket type availability will vary by show.
Fan engagement matters
As a serial concert-goer, I’ve noticed firsthand the shift in ticket purchasing in recent years, and while the pandemic contributed to the growing demand for live music tours, scalpers and Ticketmaster’s controversial dynamic pricing method have also made ticket purchasing an anxiety-ridden process.
Although Spotify has its bad days, it is the first company among the top music streaming services to start taking a stance against scalpers who resell tickets at ridiculous prices to spite genuine fans.
Recently, Ticketmaster came under fire when its president claimed that queue positions are not random, leaving fans wondering the real reason behind these locations.
“We’re building this to give back to the fans who support the artists the most, and because when fans and artists win, Spotify wins too,” the streamer shared in his announcement.
But for the platform, it’s all about engagement: “When the listeners who show up for an artist on Spotify are the ones who access their shows, fans stay, artists grow, and live music gets stronger. This is part of a broader investment Spotify is making in live music for artists at every stage of their careers,” the company concluded.
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