bugs The US ticketing industry, dominated by the giant Ticketmaster, has been fueling the frustration of music lovers for years
Taylor Swift greets fans outside the premiere of ‘In Conversation with…Taylor Swift’ at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. — Brent Perniac/AdMedia/SIPA
Taylor Swift announced his return to the stage four years after his last tour and Jacob Landry was eager to obtain a precious concert place. But after being well registered and getting a presale code, he ran into to endless waiting, bugs and soaring prices.
The case of Jacob Landry is not isolated. Thousands of Internet users have shared similar experiences on social networks. Kathryn Berry told lived thirteen hours of ordeal before obtaining places with visibility. mediocre for the concert of the star scheduled for Nashville. The American ticket sales industry, dominated by by the giant Ticketmaster, has fueled the frustration of music lovers for years, especially at because of hidden fees and skyrocketing prices.
Seats between $2,000 and $9,000
Ticketing sites linked to Ticketmaster reported outages, service interruptions and other issues after massive connections from Taylor Swift fans, many of whom were ultimately unable to get tickets. tickets, even if they did receive presale codes.
Cody Rhodes, 23, told told AFP that he intended to try his luck again when the main sales open on Friday, adding that he was ready to go. pay up to 400 dollars per ticket to see his idol in concert. “It’s really a lot of money for us, but we’re big fans and have waited so long,” between 2,000 and 9,000 dollars for the type of places he covets.
“Ticketmaster is a money-hungry service that has little to no consideration for true fans. I think they’ll let the prices go their way. supply and demand as it allows them to take advantage of situations like this,” he explained.
“Drive prices up and ;stifle the competition”
In a statement released Tuesday, Ticketmaster asked; fans to wait, indicating “an all-time high demand” which amounts to several million people. The company also pushed back one of the one-day presales.
The situation has caused the reactions of several elected Americans, including Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Richard Blumenthal, who asked an immediate investigation into “the state of competition in the ticketing industry.” In 2010, Ticketmaster and entertainment giant Live Nation merged, which elected official David Cicilline called a merger. Tuesday of “monopoly out of control”.
He and other elected officials called in 2021 the United States Department of Justice to investigate “Live Nation’s efforts to drive up prices and stifle competition”.
The Boss and the Outcry
“Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation Entertainment have a monopoly on the industry that allows them to regularly abuse their power, leaving customers, performers and venues to fend for themselves. their thanks,” comments Krista Brown, analyst member of the NGO American Economic Liberties Project.
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But as fans complain about skyrocketing amounts to ; shell out – rock legend Bruce Springsteen’s concert prices, which amount to $100,000. thousands of dollars, caused an outcry at the beginning of the year – Ticketmaster rejected blame the market resale of tickets. “The Market With ticket resales reaching more than $10 billion in recent years, artists and crews have lost that revenue to resellers,” Ticketmaster, adding that event organizers were trying to “recoup this lost revenue” by “matching market prices”