Dog wrote: Wed 12 Nov 2025, 7:30 pm
This is standard practice. It’s the law. You can’t offer a ticket presale offer for book buying customers without offering a no purchase necessary offer. If you have a problem, it’s with the law, not Pet Shop Boys.
I understand you. I appreciate that. I suppose what I'm trying to say is there was no need/point of stating anything about "priority access" if purchasing the book, when "no purchase necessary" was always going to be an option.. Unless I'm missing something completely. The book could just be on offer on the site as normal with a separate announcement about applying for "priority access". In essence, there's no "advantage" to purchasing the book, but the announcement didn't give that impression. Well, to me, anyway..
I guess the way to think about it is, the “no purchase necessary” option wouldn’t exist without the book offer. But with the book offer, it has to exist. It’s not the main event, it’s a legal byproduct. So it doesn’t get the same attention. The whole thing is of course, when all is said and done, a marketing exercise.
So what's the deal with the "Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive exclusive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April.".
What will be "exclusive" about the priority access you get when pre-ordering via the store?
y3potential wrote:
I understand you. I appreciate that. I suppose what I'm trying to say is there was no need/point of stating anything about "priority access" if purchasing the book, when "no purchase necessary" was always going to be an option.. Unless I'm missing something completely. The book could just be on offer on the site as normal with a separate announcement about applying for "priority access". In essence, there's no "advantage" to purchasing the book, but the announcement didn't give that impression. Well, to me, anyway..
I guess the way to think about it is, the “no purchase necessary” option wouldn’t exist without the book offer. But with the book offer, it has to exist. It’s not the main event, it’s a legal byproduct. So it doesn’t get the same attention. The whole thing is of course, when all is said and done, a marketing exercise.
So what's the deal with the "Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive exclusive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April.".
What will be "exclusive" about the priority access you get when pre-ordering via the store?
You put it better than I did. The way the announcement was worded gave the impression there was an advantage to purchasing the book with regards to "priority ticket access" when in reality there was absolutely nothing of the sort. Hence why I believe it was very misleading. Not blaming Neil and Chris, but it just leaves a bad taste..
There is beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty.
y3potential wrote:
I understand you. I appreciate that. I suppose what I'm trying to say is there was no need/point of stating anything about "priority access" if purchasing the book, when "no purchase necessary" was always going to be an option.. Unless I'm missing something completely. The book could just be on offer on the site as normal with a separate announcement about applying for "priority access". In essence, there's no "advantage" to purchasing the book, but the announcement didn't give that impression. Well, to me, anyway..
I guess the way to think about it is, the “no purchase necessary” option wouldn’t exist without the book offer. But with the book offer, it has to exist. It’s not the main event, it’s a legal byproduct. So it doesn’t get the same attention. The whole thing is of course, when all is said and done, a marketing exercise.
So what's the deal with the "Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive exclusive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April.".
What will be "exclusive" about the priority access you get when pre-ordering via the store?
Do you think the text should have read:
"Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April. Please note that the ticket access offer is also available to people that do not buy the book." ?
They are trying to do a few things here:
1. Sell books
2. Create a buzz about their concerts
3. Stay within the law
4. Try and give fans more chance of getting tickets, even if point 3 dilutes this somewhat
Dog wrote: Wed 12 Nov 2025, 8:03 pm
I guess the way to think about it is, the “no purchase necessary” option wouldn’t exist without the book offer. But with the book offer, it has to exist. It’s not the main event, it’s a legal byproduct. So it doesn’t get the same attention. The whole thing is of course, when all is said and done, a marketing exercise.
So what's the deal with the "Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive exclusive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April.".
What will be "exclusive" about the priority access you get when pre-ordering via the store?
Do you think the text should have read:
"Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April. Please note that the ticket access offer is also available to people that do not buy the book." ?
They are trying to do a few things here:
1. Sell books
2. Create a buzz about their concerts
3. Stay within the law
4. Try and give fans more chance of getting tickets, even if point 3 dilutes this somewhat
Yes something like that would have made things clearer. I think there's been a bit of a balls up, not only with that text, but with the entire book announcement judging by some members disappointment/heads falling off.
Dog wrote: Wed 12 Nov 2025, 8:03 pm
I guess the way to think about it is, the “no purchase necessary” option wouldn’t exist without the book offer. But with the book offer, it has to exist. It’s not the main event, it’s a legal byproduct. So it doesn’t get the same attention. The whole thing is of course, when all is said and done, a marketing exercise.
So what's the deal with the "Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive exclusive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April.".
What will be "exclusive" about the priority access you get when pre-ordering via the store?
Do you think the text should have read:
"Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April. Please note that the ticket access offer is also available to people that do not buy the book." ?
Well, in a word. Yes. Had they clearly stated something along the lines of:
"Please note that the ticket access offer is also available to people that do not buy the book."
Then I believe people wouldn't have felt misled. As I said previously, most fans would have purchased the book anyway, regardless of the false seduction of the "priority access".. Anyway, it's done and nothing will change.
There is beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty.
raggatwin wrote: Wed 12 Nov 2025, 1:26 pm
did anyone buy the book and not get the priority sale acknowledgement? I've emailed Warners as that is what happpened to me...
Yes. What’s the outcome? Will we get an email with the pre-sale link soon / on the Tuesday 18th?
Nothing yet. I clicked on no purchase necessary....then got an email...it seems I didn't need to buy the book at all
Hello my name is Neil Tennant and I'm Chris Lowe and we're of the Pet Shop Boys.
The timings of the ticket releases (pre-sale and normal) are stacked against people who work. I'm teaching 10-5 on the 19th. Am I supposed to say to the students, "oh sorry I have to slip away now so as I can enter an online torture chamber". It's alright for the likes of David Walliams & co who don't have to jump over a thousand hoops to find they're still ticket-less.
y3potential wrote: Wed 12 Nov 2025, 9:16 pm
Then I believe people wouldn't have felt misled. As I said previously, most fans would have purchased the book anyway, regardless of the false seduction of the "priority access".. Anyway, it's done and nothing will change.
Hi everyone! I live in Brasil. I don't understand everything in English. More than that, I don't understand things as fast as most of the Europe-based fans. It was still morning here when I read about the new book in this thread. By then, I hadn't received any email from the Boys mailing list.
I agree with the fellow fans who stated they would have bought the book anyway... Maybe I would try to buy the limited edition too, had it not been sold out a whole hour before I acknowledged everything...
I mean: the petheads who were waiting for more info about Obscure are mainly the same petheads who could have enjoyed the news of the book without the stress caused by this FOMO urge... I reckon everyone in this forum are delighted about these announcements!
Gnomic wrote: Thu 13 Nov 2025, 12:07 am
The timings of the ticket releases (pre-sale and normal) are stacked against people who work. I'm teaching 10-5 on the 19th. Am I supposed to say to the students, "oh sorry I have to slip away now so as I can enter an online torture chamber". It's alright for the likes of David Walliams & co who don't have to jump over a thousand hoops to find they're still ticket-less.
The timing of the limited editions of Hymn and Volume were stacked against people on the other side of the world. All tucked up in bed at 5am when those unexpectedly dropped.
At least I have a fighting chance for Obscure tickets now I know I have to drag my ass out of bed before 5am next week.
Can anyone confirm they got a presale email as a result of buying the book, as opposed to just doing the "no purchase necessary"?
In my 6:30am morning frenzy I ended up doing both but only received one email, so have no idea if it was as a result of my book pre-order or just signing up.
Dog wrote: Wed 12 Nov 2025, 8:03 pm
I guess the way to think about it is, the “no purchase necessary” option wouldn’t exist without the book offer. But with the book offer, it has to exist. It’s not the main event, it’s a legal byproduct. So it doesn’t get the same attention. The whole thing is of course, when all is said and done, a marketing exercise.
So what's the deal with the "Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive exclusive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April.".
What will be "exclusive" about the priority access you get when pre-ordering via the store?
Do you think the text should have read:
"Fans who pre-order Volume via the official Pet Shop Boys store will also receive priority ticket access to the recently announced Obscure Pet Shop Boys concerts at London's Electric Ballroom in April. Please note that the ticket access offer is also available to people that do not buy the book." ?
They are trying to do a few things here:
1. Sell books
2. Create a buzz about their concerts
3. Stay within the law
4. Try and give fans more chance of getting tickets, even if point 3 dilutes this somewhat
All they needed to do was keep the text exactly the same apart from dropping the word “exclusive”. I appreciate that they’re in the business of trying to sell books and concert tickets.
I had the limited edition book in my basket but on completing check out an error message came up. Tbh I’m not upset just disappointed with the whole experience as others have said. I’m now at the stage where I’m still and will be forever, totally into the music, but going to stop being sucked into the merchandising hype. It’s too stressful trying to obtain, let alone then seeing items for sale at extortionate prices almost immediately afterwards.
Gabby wrote: Thu 13 Nov 2025, 4:53 am
Can anyone confirm they got a presale email as a result of buying the book, as opposed to just doing the "no purchase necessary"?
In my 6:30am morning frenzy I ended up doing both but only received one email, so have no idea if it was as a result of my book pre-order or just signing up.
Gabby,
I received an e-mail direct from 'Volume' because I purchased the limited book from them, that provided a link to register for the presale tickets.
I then also clicked on the 'no purchase required' link and going though either way brought you to same page to register, and then received a separate e-mail from 'pet shop boys @ parlophone' confirming the priority ticket access.
