TicketSwap’s 2018 Wrap
2018 is coming to a close and with that in mind, TicketSwap has put together a ‘Best of’s’ List for the year. Inspired by other companies like Spotify, currently running their own end of year series (Spotify Wrapped), we thought we’d join the party.
Collectively, the list includes our top sellers — the events and artists who had the most tickets swapped through our platform, as well as our own staff favourites. We hope you enjoy and if you don’t, we won’t sweat it because we aren’t taking ourselves too seriously either.
Top Swapped Festival of 2018: Mysteryland
Every summer, festival fans try their hardest to break TicketSwap and every summer we make sure our platform gets stronger and more robust to handle all the traffic. This year the festival that had us swamped for tickets and wanted listings was Mysteryland. With tens of thousands of people clamouring for a ticket, it’s hard to deny how damn popular it is. Set on the fertile land of the Floriade, just a short drive from Amsterdam lives a jigsaw of islands, primed for a party. Everything here is on a grander scale, be it the stage design, the artists chosen or the stack of co-curricular activities. How about an on-site jazz club, 24hr supermarket, paddle board swan lake or tattoo parlour?
Every year Mysteryland goes all out on bookings! In their 26 year tenure, lords such as Swedish House Mafia, Armin Van Buuren and Sven Väth have sent masses of people totally mad! If your musical palette is a bit left-of-field, there are a whopping 17 stages to pick from.
Top Swapped Act of 2018: Beyoncé & Jay-Z
It may not come as a surprise but we had to combine our Top Selling Male and Top Selling Female artist category into one because it’s a married duo! Beyonce and Jay-Z top the list as the highest number of tickets sold at TicketSwap for their On the Run II World Tour.
The OTRII ran from March to October, and the power couple really were on the run because in that short time, they managed to play 48 concerts to 2.1 million people, and they grossed nearly $254 million. OTR II was twice as big, twice as long and earned more than twice as much as OTR I, which just goes to show, when it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it. How this power couple manage to have a family is anyone’s guess?
Top Swapped DJ of 2018: Amelie Lens
The biggest DJ in the TicketSwap universe this year was Belgian, Amelie Lens. Dubbed the “Queen of Techno”, Lens’s career has exploded since she was recognised by major players in the Euro music scene in 2014. Amelie grabbed a prime position at this year’s Awakenings’ Festival, alongside her own tour and has made many techno-purists very happy with her bang-on consistent sets.
Her style has been described as ‘bass-heavy techno, blending classic acid and tribal house influences with contemporary European techno flavours’, which to us sounds like an earful, but in a really good way! Every time Amelie plays out, she’s deeply vested in her craft, something which crowds find so infectious. Keep an eye out for A.L in 2019 because she’s clearly headed for the stratosphere!
Top Swapped Rock Band of 2018: Guns N’ Roses
In a comeback tour that tried to ignite several times in the past decade, but failed, Guns N’ Roses finally took this year by storm and landed as the most bought and sold rock band on TicketSwap. The ‘Not in This Lifetime…Tour’ as a whole is one of the most monstrous band tours in history. Having launched all the way back in 2016 and only ending this month with… wait for it, 159 shows, spanning 5 continents and grossing an unimaginable $481 million. Man, I wish I could get €10 for playing one show. In an alley. For an audience of one.
Interestingly enough, it could be that the past is catching up with us because the number two and three spots for huge selling rock bands on TicketSwap were The Script and Limp Bizkit.
Top Swapped BoyBand of 2018: BTS
BTS. There. We said it. BTS is the K-Pop boyband that went gangbusters in 2018. After exploding on a global scale, as the first Korean band to crack the mainstream, they nearly broke our servers when they announced their tour to Europe, topping the wanted listings for any event in 2018 with 11,000 fans looking for a ticket. This sheer weight in numbers was the digital equivalent to thousands of young girls (and boys) screaming and trampling security guards at the live shows. BTS was the most Tweeted about subject on Twitter, so much so that Twitter couldn’t even keep count.
So there you have the hard facts, but now it’s time for some of our own favourites. We’ve chosen best Pop Album, Dance Track along with a little award ceremony of its own, we like to call the TMVA’s.
TicketSwap Pop Album of 2018: ‘Palo Santo’ — Years & Years
Our pick for best Pop Album goes to…’Palo Santo’ from Years & Years. Following the success of 2015’s Communion album, Years & Years took their sweet time writing and recording ‘Palo Santo’. If you’re not familiar with the band, they had the hit “King” that reached number 1 in ten countries worldwide. In our home country, the Netherlands, “King” was the most played song on the radio for 2015, at ten billion-gazillion times! Palo Santo takes the listener on a pretty fun journey. Y&Y is really good at mixing complex chords, pop sounds and RnB licks. Ollie Alexander’s voice has been compared to a ‘male Billie Holiday’.
Of the many reasons why we love this album so much is because it moves so well. It’s poppy, but it doesn’t sound familiar. The melodies are unique, as are the lyrics. It’s a little gay and a little mainstream at the same time, yet the music will speak to anyone who listens to it, whether you are white, black, gay, straight, Christian, Jewish, in love, or going through a heartbreak. AND the standout track that no one can deny, is a dancefloor filler by the name of “All For You”. It’s your lucky day Amsterdam locals as Years & Years will be on your doorstep soon! Grab tickets HERE:
TicketSwap Dance Track of 2018: Dj Koze — ‘Pick Up’
Now, this was always going to be a polarising topic. However, after lengthy deliberation, we can’t go past Dj Koze’s ‘Pick Up’, as our most beloved house tune of the year! Released back in April, seemingly out of the blue, the crafty German swept everyone off their feet. Leonardo da Vinci once said that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’ and Koze has certainly taken that on board. Piecing a looped beat, soaring violin and snippet of electric guitar together, the producer has struck gold! Oh and don’t forget the beautiful sampled vocals of Gladys Knight, ‘wants to be the first to say…goodbye’ — a beautiful anthem to shut your eyes, shuffle your feet and smile too. Over the summer we saw thousands of people do just this very thing. The proof is in the pudding!
The TMVA’s (TicketSwap Music Video Awards):
Best Special Effects: Ariana Grande — ‘No Tears Left To Cry’
I mean there’s got to be a pretty good reason why this clip has 665,620,426 views and counting… For us what’s so attractive about this video, is the fact that Grande and Director Dave Meyers (also responsible for Kendrick’s ‘Humble’) break boundaries in green screen and set design to bring this one together. Utilising a revolving hallway, allowing Ariana to walk on the ceiling as well as a suspended staircase to have her float in a dystopian city, this 3:58 has it all. Not only is it visually stunning, but the tune also carries great emotion, as it was the track A.G was inspired to write following the tragic bombings at her Manchester Arena show. For those who want to see how this all came together, tune in HERE.
Best Choreography: JUNGLE — ‘Heavy California’
JUNGLE are seasoned pros when it comes to music video production. Employing dance in every video they’ve released thus far, they’ve again knocked it out of the park! ‘Heavy California’ directed by Josh Lloyd-Watson and Charlie Di Placidohas features some of the cleanest and coolest choreography since MJ’s ‘Thriller’. There’s an overwhelming sense of positivity in this one, as a troupe get together to cut shapes in a Californian field. Shot in a single take, this is a spirited performance, one that we thought takes the cake for best choreography. If you’re still browsing, suss out the videos for ‘Time’, ‘Cherry’ and ‘House in LA’ as well.
Best Narrative: Tyler the Creator — ‘See You Again’ ft. Kali Uchis
Trapped at sea in a military fleet, to transforming into a rapping backyard poltergeist…these are some of the weird inner-workings of Tyler the Creator’s mind. Ever the entrepreneur and creative force, Tyler’s directed and starred in the kooky narrative for his track ‘See You Again’ feat. Kali Uchis. Dealing with themes of longing and withdrawal, Tyler takes the viewer on an entertaining journey across the seas, from stunting on the deck of an aircraft carrier to imagining his love lost in a life raft. This one got our pick simply because it’s a short storyline that you won’t forget anytime soon, and apparently 25 million fans agree with us!
Most Influential: Childish Gambino — ‘This Is America’
If we’re talking music videos, no one broke the internet better than Donald Glover and director Huro Murai with ‘This Is America’. A clip that encapsulates some of the US of A’s biggest issues, in a short space of time. Gambino executes a prisoner, sprays a gospel choir with an AK-47 and witnesses carjackings, all the while grinning and popping serious moves. It’s an amazing portrayal of how America is distracted from violence, drugs and gang war by pop culture and fake smiles. Talk about a sneaky cameo too with SZA, finding her way into proceedings. 5 out of 5 for impact!
Well thanks for hanging in with us, we hope you dug it. Hopefully, you’ve got some fresh ideas on which festivals and artists to lock in as we set ourselves for another trip around the sun. Have an outstanding holiday season and a very happy new year from all of us here at TicketSwap.
