Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and its Ticket Shenanigans

After mishandling sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, Ticketmaster is currently being investigated by the government. According to Vulture, fans were in virtual lines that contained thousands of people on November 15 (when the presale began). Some people were lucky enough to get a Verified Fan presale code to buy tickets, which were marked up by a significant amount. However, Ticketmaster crashed, delaying the presale. Then, the general sale, which was supposed to occur on November 18, was canceled. Taylor Swift expressed her agitation and disappointment on her Instagram Story, but Ticketmaster told her that it could deal with the issue. This has led politicians and state legislators to take it upon themselves to look into Ticketmaster. 

On November 22, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, the chairwomen of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, and Utah Republican Mike Lee, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, declared that they will be holding a hearing on the lack of competition for ticket sales. According to Vulture, Klobuchar said in a statement, “The high fees, site disruptions, and cancellations that customers experienced show how Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company does not face any pressure to continually innovate and improve.” She then explained that this investigation went underway because the lack of competition and the surplus of success will most likely convince Ticketmaster to not fix their system. Klobuchar stated, “That’s why we will hold a hearing on how consolidation in the live-entertainment and ticketing industry harms customers and artists alike. When there is no competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences.” The date of the hearing and the names of the witnesses have not been revealed yet. 

Ticketmaster blamed the presale issues on the “historically unprecedented demand” for tickets, but thanked fans for their patience. A page titled “The Taylor Swift On Sale Explained” allegedly answers any inquiries about Ticketmaster and outlines the presale process for the tickets, but mostly focuses on Swift’s fame. Ticketmaster told Vulture, “The biggest venues and artists turn to us because we have the leading ticketing technology in the world — that doesn’t mean it’s perfect, and clearly for Taylor’s on sale it wasn’t.” Ticketmaster also explained that the general sale was canceled because of the high demand of tickets and the insufficient amount of leftover tickets. Ticketmaster acknowledged that it needed some changes and stated, “While it’s impossible for everyone to get tickets to these shows, we know we can do more to improve the experience and that’s what we’re focused on.” If you are someone who likes to go to concerts, then this is good news for you! Keep your eyes peeled for Ticketmaster’s website changes next time you buy tickets!