Everything you need to know about the ticketing agency’s ongoing debacles.
So Ticketmaster’s back in the news. Why is the company that should be spitting out concert tickets calmly and quietly sparking so many headlines?
Where do you want to start? The lawsuits, the NFTs or the super-mad Swifties?
It’s too early to be dealing with NFTs. Let’s go for the lawsuits and the Swifties.
Good choice. So Ticketmaster, the company you give a lot of money to so you can attend shows like Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, is being sued by Taylor Swift fans who weren’t able to get their hands on tickets to the pop star’s Eras tour. According to the Los Angeles Times, 300 fans are accusing Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company, of “fraud, price-fixing, antitrust-law violations and misleading buyers”. That’s to do with the outrageous wait times, website crashes, pre-registration dramas and then the sky-high prices when tickets went on sale late last year. Millions missed out, Swift herself had to apologise (“…it really pisses me off”) and scalpers had a bonanza, re-listing tickets for a reported US$21,000.
When is this lawsuit taking place?
Right now! A hearing is underway this week in Los Angeles. Swifties travelled from all over the country and gathered outside the courthouse to protest Ticketmaster. “The system is broken, it’s not working for fans,” plaintiff Julie Barfuss told Rolling Stone magazine. “And fans are the reason for the live experience. They need to do better.”
This sounds like further proof you shouldn’t piss off Swifties.
Absolutely. Just ask Diplo.
Are other musicians mad?
Yes! Many have been speaking out about the ticketing giant. The Cure’s Robert Smith slammed Ticketmaster and said he was “sickened” about “face value” tickets to his shows being sold at extraordinary prices. Analogue evangelist Neil Young went one further, saying he was getting blamed for Ticketmaster fees and scalpers. He declared “the old days are gone … concert tours are no longer fun”. Bruce Springsteen, who was criticised for allowing Ticketmaster to sell tickets to his shows for up to $5000, has also admitted: “Ticket buying has gotten very confusing.”
How has it gotten like this?
For one, Live Nation Entertainment holds a monopoly over the industry. It purchased Ticketmaster in 2010, so now controls the tickets, many venues and the artists as well, who are locked into megatours exclusive to Live Nation. Ticketmaster sells 70% of all tickets in America. Making matters worse is Ticketmaster Resale, a venture some say allows scalping to flourish. New ticket selling initiatives haven’t helped its image. Things like “dynamic pricing”, “in-demand tickets” and a “verified fan” system seem to be getting in the way of what Ticketmaster should be doing: getting concert tickets into the hands of fans at a reasonable price.
Have these initiatives reached New Zealand?
Unfortunately, they have. Lizzo recently announced an Auckland show with exclusive offers for American Express cardholders and “in demand” tickets that cost $339.80. Pink’s Dunedin show in 2024 is offering gold and silver “hot seats”, golden circle tickets and a diamond experience, some of which cost more than $500. Tickets to pop-punk band Blink-182 range between $134.90 to $565.50. A standing ticket on the floor is $375, which is a hell of a lot more than the $50 I paid to see them perform with Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Chemical Brothers, Bassment Jaxx and Nine Inch Nails at the Big Day out in 2000.
So what’s going to happen when Taylor Swift or Beyoncé announce tours here?
Both those shows are heavily rumoured to be coming here, and the result is likely to be much the same. Get your wallets out, sign up for pre-sales, get in those queues and mash your mouse button as fast as you can. Prepare for chaos, and maybe get ready to protest.
What does Ticketmaster say about all this?
They blame the bots. “We were … hit with three times the amount of bot traffic than we had ever experienced,” Live Nation CEO Joe Berchtold has said of the Taylor Swift ticket dilemma. “While the bots failed to penetrate our systems or acquire any tickets, the attack required us to slow down and even pause our sales. This is what led to a terrible consumer experience that we deeply regret.” That’s not good enough for Senator Amy Klobuchar, who keeps a watchful eye on consumer affairs issues. “In truth, there is no other choice. It is a monopoly,” she is reported as saying. “The high fees, site disruptions and cancellations that customers experienced shows how Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company does not face any pressure to continually innovate and improve.”
Sigh. Didn’t Pearl Jam try and tackle this in the 90s?
They did. It didn’t work. Even Eddie Vedder and co use Ticketmaster these days. If major artists want to tour and perform in Live Nation venues, there’s really only one option.
OK, I’m ready al I’ll ever be: what’s happening with the NFTs?
You should probably sit down for this one. Ticketmaster is trialling a new “token-gating” pre-sale scheme with owners of artist-approved NFTs getting early access to tickets. It’s just kicked off with the metal band Avenged Sevenfold, ahead of what is reported to be a full rollout. “We have integrated Death Bats Club into Ticketmaster,” said singer Matt Sanders.
I need to own NFTs to buy concert tickets now?
Sorry, but for some acts, in some cases, it looks like if you want to get early access to tickets, yes, this could be a thing.
What else can I do to get myself away from this mess?
You can support artists who don’t rely on Ticketmaster’s monopoly. They’re probably not as big a deal as your Swifts and Beyonce’s, but they’re more in need of your support. Ticket outlets like Moshtix and Eventbrite aren’t owned by a global monopoly, and there are still plenty of independent venues around Aotearoa that host great shows all the time. You can have just as much fun in a crowd of 500 as you can in one of 40,000, promise.
The Tuning Fork, here I come!
No. Stop. Wait! That one’s owned by Live Nation.
I can’t win.
No, you really can’t.