Live Nation president, Joe Berchtold testified saying bots and automated ticket scalping programs were responsible for Ticketmaster’s glitch during Taylor Swift’s ticket sales|TY|CC BY 2.0
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets sale debacle was just the tip of the iceberg at Ticketmaster’s Congress hearing Tuesday. Lawmakers grilled the ticketing giant’s parent Live Nation over antitrust allegations.
The debacle
Ticketmaster was sued in December for making fans wait hours online and canceling ticket sales to a Taylor Swift concert. Meanwhile, the tickets were up on resale sites for triple the rate.
Politicians also voiced their concerns over the company’s monopolization of concert ticket sales.
Who said what
The hearing saw many live event executives affected by Ticketmaster, including its competitor SeatGeek, antitrust scholars and a singer-songwriter.
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Live Nation president, Joe Berchtold, testified saying bots and automated ticket scalping programs were responsible for Ticketmaster’s glitch during Taylor Swift’s ticket sales.
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Restricting the transfer of tickets was suggested as a solution by the lawmakers.
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But many senators like Democrat Amy Klobuchar disagreed and questioned Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s monopolization of concert ticket sales.
Ticketmaster has been under antitrust scrutiny since it merged with Live Nation in 2010. In 2022 alone, 65% of US ticket sales were handled by the company.