Ticketmaster servers crashed after 3.5 billion hits for Taylor Swift tickets.
The Ticketmaster meltdown during the Taylor Swift “Eras Tour” presale wasn’t just bad luck – it was a harsh lesson in failing to modernize old, creaky tech. Here’s how companies can avoid their own “Swiftie” crisis:
🕵️♀️ Map the Mess:
Figure out every old, slow part of your tech system (databases, payment, login, etc.).
Estimate how much effort it’ll take to fix each one.
Example: Ticketmaster realizing their login system from 2005 couldn’t handle millions of fans at once.
💰 Show Me the Money (Value):
Attach a real dollar value or business impact to fixing each broken part.
Prioritize fixes that bring the biggest return (more sales, happier customers).
Example: A new, robust queuing system prevents crashes, meaning millions more tickets sold and no angry headlines.
🤝 Get Everyone on Board:
Bring in all the key players: tech, marketing, sales, execs.
Agree on the upgrade plan together, balancing tech effort with business needs.
Example: All Ticketmaster teams agreeing that scalable infrastructure was vital for brand reputation, not just a “dev thing.”
📊 Know Your Starting Point:
Measure how well your current system performs before you change anything (e.g., users per minute, transaction speed, error rates).
These are your “before” pictures to compare against.
Example: Ticketmaster would know their system’s max capacity for simultaneous users on a typical day vs. the anticipated Swiftie surge.
🐢 Iterate Safely (No Big Bangs!):
Dedicated Focus: Have at least one person always working on the upgrade.
Test, Test, Test: Like a concert rehearsal, stress test new systems before launch. 🧪
Build in Parallel: Don’t destroy the old system while building the new one. Run both side-by-side.
Backward Compatible: New parts must work with old parts.
Phased Rollout: Start small—send only a tiny bit of traffic to the new system at first. 🚦
Monitor Constantly: Watch your performance metrics like a hawk, comparing new vs. old. 📈
Easy Rollback: Always have an “undo” button to switch back to the old system if things go south. ↩️
Scale Slowly: Gradually increase traffic only after proving stability. Don’t go from 10% to 100% instantly!
Example: Ticketmaster wishing they had tested their new queue system with a smaller artist first, gradually increasing load instead of going straight to Taylor Swift.
🚨 Remember: A system working fine with a few users can totally crumble with a million. Gradual, monitored changes are key to avoiding your own “Eras Tour” tech disaster.
If you are interested in discussing hiring a fractional CTO, please book a meeting with me: https://calendly.com/eladdive