Not long after the release of her hit album “Midnights,” Taylor Swift announced her 2023 “The Eras Tour.” “Swifties” had been waiting for this tour since the previous tour was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. High demand for concert tickets resulted in a busy selling day on Ticketmaster. Fans waited for hours to get tickets, often unsuccessfully, due to what Live Nation Entertainment CFO Richard Berchtold said was “three times the bot traffic” and “unprecedented demand for Taylor Swift tickets” that ultimately caused Ticketmaster to slow down and even pause its services. This sparked outrage among fans, who said the website failed numerous times. The situation prompted some to label Ticketmaster as a monopoly and a call for the separation of Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster.
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in January addressed concerns as to whether Ticketmaster holds monopoly power that has negatively impacted both fans and artists. The subcommittee, led by Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican Senator Mike Lee, called for the Justice Department to further investigate the matter.
Dedicated fans protested near the U.S. Capitol, leading up to the hearing. NME reported that senators made frequent references to Taylor Swift lyrics during the hearing.
“To have a strong capitalist system, you have to have competition. You can’t have too much consolidation – something that, unfortunately for this country, as an ode to Taylor Swift, I will say, we know ‘All Too Well,’” said Klobuchar.
Senator Richard Blumenthal referenced Swift’s “Anti-Hero” single when he said, “May I suggest…Ticketmaster oughta look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem. It’s me,’”
The use of the lyrics put a lighthearted perspective on the situation, earning significant publicity and attention from Swift’s fans.
During the hearing, the committee discussed the future of Ticketmaster and the importance of having multiple competing businesses as opposed to a monopoly.
The future of Ticketmaster is uncertain, and the company faced two lawsuits after what happened with Swift’s concert; however, as long as no further lawsuits are filed with future concerts, Ticketmaster sales are not likely to suffer. Otherwise,Ticketmaster is sure to face many more legal issues involving their selling process and monopoly status. As of right now, the situation surrounding Swift’s tour is considered an isolated incident, especially since other recent tours have sold without problems.
