Ticketmaster and Live Nation, You Need to Calm Down
By Sabrina Jacobs
The presale for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour kicked off on November 15, breaking sales records and, to the frustration of many fans, Ticketmaster’s website. Over 2 million tickets were sold for the tour, the most tickets ever sold for an artist in a single day.
Many fans trying to buy tickets experienced delays, endured site crashes, and were stuck waiting in a queue for hours. To make matters worse, once the presale was over, tickets had sold out and the unlucky fans who didn’t receive a Verified Fan presale code weren’t given a chance to purchase tickets.
Ticketmaster claimed that their Verified Fan presale would provide a smooth experience that prevented bots from buying tickets for resale. Instead, fans were left in the lurch and resellers who were able to break through have listed tickets for thousands of dollars.
In a recent poll, Data for Progress finds 40 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of Ticketmaster, including 45 percent of Democrats, 43 percent of Independents, and 35 percent of Republicans. Only 32 percent of voters have a favorable view.
Concertgoers know to anticipate resellers and long lines when it comes to popular artists, whether they’re waiting outside a record store in the days before the internet or anxiously staring at their computer screen. However, Ticketmaster’s merger with Live Nation has made matters worse. The merger, which was approved by the Department of Justice in 2010, created a monopoly that controls the distribution of tickets and promotion for concerts and events. Since the merger, Ticketmaster prices have skyrocketed and competition has dwindled.
The expensive cost of tickets has made concerts a luxury that prevents people from seeing their favorite artists live. Seventy-one percent of voters say they are concerned about the total cost of tickets, including 75 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of Independents, and 69 percent of Republicans.
Service fees for ticket sellers, like Ticketmaster, have made the prices for already expensive tickets even higher. Service fees vary based on the event; however, some can be as high as 37 percent of the ticket’s face value. Voters are clearly frustrated with service fees, with 77 percent saying they are concerned about the price of such fees. This includes 80 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Independents, and 77 percent of Republicans.
While Ticketmaster and Live Nation promised their merger would lead to increased competition and consumer benefits, this has not been the case. In fact, they control 70 percent of the ticketing and live event venues market. Due to this market dominance, the Justice Department recently opened an antitrust investigation into whether Live Nation and Ticketmaster have abused their power over the live music industry. Seventy-nine percent of voters support this investigation, including 87 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of Independents, and 72 percent of Republicans.
Senators like Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal don’t believe that an investigation goes far enough and have urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to consider breaking up the company in order to protect artists, consumers, and venue operators. Data for Progress finds voters agree, with 68 percent of voters in favor of breaking up Ticketmaster and Live Nation. This includes Democrats by a +67-point margin, Independents by a +49-point margin, and Republicans by a +43-point margin.
While the botched ticket sale for Swift’s Eras Tour has drawn attention to Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s control of the live entertainment industry, they have been preventing competition and gouging prices since their merger in 2010. Data for Progress clearly finds voters are in favor of breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster and hope they never, ever, ever get back together. Like, ever.
Sabrina Jacobs (@bri_jacobs) is a digital fellow at Data for Progress.