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Presale vs general sale: how many seats each one releases

The general sale usually adds a small share of the seats: across 100 events, it put a median 5% of the seats on the map on sale for the first time, and the rest went on sale in presales, went on sale later or never went on sale.

What a presale is

A presale is a sale window that opens before the general sale, for a smaller group: fan club members, people who signed up with the artist, holders of a credit card, or the venue's mailing list. Each one needs a code or an account that qualifies.

How many seats each one released

At 3 of the 100 events here, the general sale added no new seats at all. Every seat on sale that day had gone on sale in an earlier window. The biggest presale window released 21,627 seats for Harry Styles at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The biggest general sale was Metallica at Alamodome, with 8,825 seats.

What the split means

For a tour in demand, presales carry most of the first release, so the general sale opens with fewer seats. Shows with room to spare, and many sports games, release more at the general sale. The presale study has the split for every event.

Events to look at