What is an artist pre-sale and how does it work?
With demand for tickets skyrocketing more and more each time an artist announces a new tour, there's never been a more pressing time for you to figure out how to get your hands on pre-sale tickets.
While some artists have introduced registration systems to help manage demand for their tickets, even these systems still have pre-sales.
Pre-sales are in place to help those in the know to have the opportunity to get tickets before they're released to the general public. There are plenty of different types of pre-sales, from venue pre-sales to O2 Priority pre-sale to ticketing provider pre-sales, like Ticketmaster pre-sale and Live Nation pre-sale.
One of the most commonly seen pre-sales is the artist pre-sale, designed specifically for fans of an artist to have a better chance of seeing them live on stage.
But what exactly is an artist pre-sale? Who is eligible for the tickets? And how does it all work?
Luckily, we're here to answer all these questions. Get ready to put your new knowledge into practice as soon as your favourite artist announces a new tour!
Here's our top tips on how to get Harry Styles tickets.
Jump to:
- What is an artist pre-sale?
- How does an artist pre-sale work on Ticketmaster?
- How to get artist pre-sale tickets
An artist pre-sale occurs when a particular artist releases tickets to their concert to their biggest fans before releasing general sale tickets.
Usually, fans will get access to these special pre-sales by being a member of an artist's mailing list or fan club.
Before releasing their tickets, an artist's team may arrange with ticketing platforms to get tickets directly to fan club members or those who signed up in advance.
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How does an artist pre-sale work on Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster is the most popular ticketing provider out there and usually offers plenty of different pre-sales. But how does artist pre-sale work on the platform?
Firstly, you'll need to sign up to an artist's fan club or mailing list. Do be aware that this can sometimes incur a cost.
You'll then receive a pre-sale code either via text message or email that you can use to purchase tickets during the artist pre-sale period.
We're here to show you how to get remaining tickets for the best concerts in 2026, as well as the best West End shows.
How to get artist pre-sale tickets
Fans eligible for artist pre-sale tickets will receive information ahead of time about how they can access them.
Usually, fans will be provided with a unique code that they can input on the website to unlock tickets; however, if there are alternative measures in place, fans will be notified ahead of time.
For more tips on how you can get your hands on concert tickets, here's how to beat the Ticketmaster queue and how to get cheap concert tickets.
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