How to never miss a tour announcement
the advice I wish I could tell myself in 2022
Have you ever been in the situation where an artist you like announces a tour, but you don’t hear about it until it's too late: by then, presale and/or general sale is over, and all that’s left is resale so expensive you could buy a round-trip flight to Australia with the price of one ticket?
Same.
Since then, I’ve learned strategies to avoid that, and that has not happened to me since. So, let me impart my concert wisdom onto you so that you don’t have to suffer through that disappointment again!
I have multiple ways that I do this, which I will outline below — take as few or as many as you like, but note that the more of them you use, the higher the likelihood that you will be informed in a timely fashion when the artists you love go on tour!
1. Follow your favourite artists on socials and get on their email newsletter
This may seem like an obvious one, but sometimes you don’t even realize that you aren’t following an artist you’d like to see live until after their tour is announced and you miss the presale (this happened to me with Noah Kahan). Definitely make sure you’re following them on Instagram, as pretty much all artists will post there to announce a show or tour.
I’m putting socials and email newsletter into one category because they are both direct from the artist; all the other options will be third-party ways to stay informed.
2. Use third-party platforms that are made for this goal, such as Seated
I found Seated because they are also used by artists for sending out presale codes. How Seated works is that you give them your email and your phone number, and then you select the artists that you would like to see live. When one of these artists announces a show in your area, you will get a notification before presale so you can be prepared to get tickets! Seated alerted me about The Lumineers and Sabrina Carpenter shows before I heard about them anywhere else, and I successfully got tickets to both since I was prepared in advance!
I wish this were sponsored, but it’s not; it’s just a great service.
Other apps or platforms that will also send you notifications about shows: Songkick, Live Nation, Bandsintown
3. Follow the live music venues in your area on social media
This is a great one because the venues will post whenever they have a new show coming up - this exposes you to more than just the artists that you would think to follow. Sometimes, an artist will catch your eye, who you think “oh, that would be a cool concert,” so I like to broaden my horizons by doing this. I also follow “livenationon” on Instagram, as Live Nation is the company behind Ticketmaster and most concert venues here in Ontario, so if there is a similar equivalent where you live, I would also suggest following that.
4. Do: Have Spotify presale emails on. Don’t: Rely on Spotify concert notifications to hear about shows.
In my experience, Spotify is incredibly delayed in sending out notifications of show announcements.
It goes something like this:
I get pinged: “X artist is coming to your city, buy tickets before they sell out!”
*one month after the presale happened*
I look down at my phone sadly.
On the other hand, if you listen to music on Spotify, where it is helpful is in sending Spotify presale codes to your email, so make sure you are signed up for those emails. I’ve received Spotify presale codes even for artists I only casually listen to, so you don’t have to worry about not receiving them for artists you like.
Things to note about this: they will only send out Spotify presale codes if there is a Spotify presale, which you can check on Ticketmaster/ticket website, and usually the code is sent right at the time of the presale, so don’t stress if you don’t get it earlier.
Bonus: I like to periodically scroll through the Ticketmaster app for concerts under your preferred genre and location. Why not?
Artist Spotlight
Let me introduce you to a fantastic up-and-coming artist!
Chloe Qisha
If you like: Dove Cameron, Addison Rae
A quickly rising Malaysian-born, UK-based pop star who is a favourite of Coldplay’s (now she is also opening for Coldplay on some of their upcoming shows!)
Chloe’s music is playful, fresh, and avant-garde
I Lied, I’m Sorry is the first song I heard from her, and I was OBSESSED. It is unique and addictive
Listen to: I Lied, I’m Sorry (my fave), 21st Century Cool Girl, Sexy Goodbye
EP to start with: Chloe Qisha
Song of the Week
This section is where I recommend a song by a big artist which I’ve been loving recently
Henry, come on by Lana Del Rey
Fave lyric: I’ll still be nice to your mom / it’s not her fault you’re leaving
If you haven’t yet listened to this newer release of Lana’s, this is your sign to listen to it. Lana’s smooth vocals sparkle alongside gorgeous strings on Henry, come on.
I consider myself a casual listener of Lana Del Rey; however, this song certainly piqued my interest in exploring more of her back catalogue.
Also, Lana Del Rey is heading on her UK and Ireland tour this month and just announced her openers, London Grammar, Banks, and Addison Rae!
P.S. I’m currently writing the June underrated new music wrap-up post, and trust me, there are some really good ones to look forward to!!!