During the week of October 23, 2006, many of the young people listening to KROQ in Los Angeles hoped to get tickets to the concert by My Chemical Romance at the House of Blues in Hollywood. KROQ was one of a number of radio stations that regularly sponsored ticket presales. As a sponsor of such presales, KROQ would often give away some of the concert tickets before they were released to the general public.
How could a listener get one of those concert tickets? Many times for radio contests, the DJ would invite people to call in to the station. He would promise a ticket to a certain caller, giving that caller a number. Let’s say that that number was 20. Then the station would start to number the calls to the station, and the 20th caller would get the free concert tickets.
Other ticket presales take place online, and they typically begin a few days before the tickets go on sale to the general public. The online tickets are provided to those with a password. The password holder types the password into the designated space and submits it to the web site office. That office then sends the password holder the concert tickets.
So how does anybody get hold of one of those passwords? Sometimes the performing group will distribute the password to selected individuals, such as fan club members. Sometimes the group’s promoter will arrange for distribution of the password. Additionally, many individuals who have access to the presale password will sell it online. Ebay has many listings of auctions for presale concert ticket passwords. Also, there are websites, such as Presale Password and Presale Now that exclusively handle the selling of presale concert passwords.
An important thing to keep in mind is that someone who has been given a password may or may not have a better chance of getting good seats at the designated concert. The seats sold through a presale do not feature the same availability as the seats that are put on sale to the general public. The exclusivity of the password is insurance that fewer people will compete for the seats offered through the presale. By the same token, Internet presales usually have a limited number of seats.
The easiest way to access early tickets is to join the fan club for your favorite band. This can be especially useful if the band that you are eager to see has a history of selling out quickly. Fans of the Rolling Stones can purchase a fan club membership and are guaranteed early access to their concert tickets. Another option is to put your name on the mailing list of a local venue where band concerts often take place. The House of Blues often sends out Internet mailings that offer presale ticket codes or discount ticket prices.
Additionally, your favorite radio station could have a Listeners Club. If so, it one could no doubt become a member by submitting a request on the station’s website. That would be another way to get a password, a password that could serve as a key to the possession of concert tickets offered through a presale.
These are several options that a fan can utilize to ensure that they are able to see their favorite performer in concert. Although, the seats may not be the best, you will still have the benefit of holding tickets before the rest of the general public.
