Maggie Rogers is known for her inventive pop music and distinct sound that, years ago, stopped Pharrell Williams in his tracks.
Today, she dropped her third studio album “Don’t Forget Me,” which she said is one to “belt at full volume alone in your car.” It’s classic, she claims, but with a loose, silly twist.
But when it comes to her tour — which is named after the new record — Rogers isn’t reinventing the wheel.
In fact, she’s taking it old school and opening up in-person box offices to sell tickets.
“Come buy a concert ticket like it’s 1965,” she said in a recent social media video.
Starting today, Friday, April 12, Rogers is kicking off what she calls “Box Office Week,” in which fans can visit box offices around the country to score tickets to the singer’s upcoming arena tour.
Rogers herself will also be in four cities selling tickets directly to fans — in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago.
Following ticket sales in these four cities, she will also be playing intimate shows to perform “Don’t Forget Me” live for the first time.
This isn’t the first time fans have had this kind of access to the artist.
“On the last album, I decided to go old school and sell tickets in person, in an effort to combat bots, reduce fees, and get tickets directly into your hands at the best price,” Rogers wrote in a newsletter to fans on Thursday.
“That process was so fun and so successful that I’m doing it again.”
Not only is it especially fun for fans to make a day of their concert ticket shopping — but it’s a lot less exploitative.
Fans of Rogers — many of whom fall under the same demographic as Taylor Swift fans — may recall the chaos of attempting to purchase tickets to the record-shattering “Eras Tour” in the fall of 2022.
From day-long wait times to buy tickets to sky-high “dynamic pricing,” the controversy sent Ticketmaster to an antitrust hearing in the U.S. Senate, and fans took the conglomerate to court over the messy experience.
And it’s not a one-time situation. Between scalpers and resellers, venues, promoters, and corporate ticket-selling platforms, the cost of concert tickets overall has increased by 34% since 2018, according to Apollo Academy.
A lot of that has to do with online fees accumulated by companies like Ticketmaster.
One way to combat the misery of waiting in digital queues or going into debt to see a favorite live performer? Getting people to their local venues.
Rogers is still selling tickets online, but by giving fans a chance to shop IRL, she says, “you can go to the local box office to choose your seats and buy your ticket for a special in-person price.”
Part I of her tour will kick off this spring and summer, with Part II (the leg for which she is selling tickets this week) beginning in October.
While some fans critique the approach, citing an inability to take time off from work or travel to box offices to buy tickets in-person, many acknowledge that it’s a step in the right direction in an industry that consistently takes advantage of fans’ desire to attend shows.
“Nobody is doing it like you, Maggie,” one fan commented on Instagram.
“This is amazing, and I think every artist should do it this way,” another said.
“This gives me hope for the music industry,” another supporter added on TikTok.
And another TikTok user summed it up succinctly: “Maggie Rogers the legend that u are!!!!”
See Rogers’ upcoming tour dates below:
“Don’t Forget Me” Release Shows
4/13 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
4/14 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
4/16 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
4/19 — Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
“The Don’t Forget Me Tour, Part I” Shows
5/4 — Charlotte, NC @ Lovin’ Life Music Fest
5/23 — San Diego, CA @ Gallagher Square at Petco Park
5/24 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
5/27 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
5/28 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
5/31 — Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
6/1 — The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/3 — Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
6/5 — Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
6/7 — Cincinnati, OH @ The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park
6/8 — Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Pavilion
6/9 — Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
6/11 — Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
6/14 — Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
6/16 — Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
6/19 — Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
6/20 — Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium
6/22 — Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater
“The Don’t Forget Me Tour, Part II” Arena Shows
10/9 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
10/17 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/19 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
10/22 — Toronto, ON @ Coca-Cola Coliseum
10/24 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/25 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
10/29 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
10/30 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
11/1 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
11/2 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
Header images courtesy of Maggie Rogers/Instagram