How The Taylor Swift Debacle Fueled The Ticketmaster Monopoly Debate

Taylor Swift is not the first artist to be at the center of controversy over Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s domination of the live entertainment industry. In November when presale tickets for the pop star’s Eras Tour were plagued by disruptions and slow queues, chaos erupted and the general public sale was canceled. But Live Nation Entertainment, the consolidation of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, has been under fierce scrutiny for years and a similar uproar occurred surrounding the sale of Bruce Springsteen tickets just months prior. On Jan. 24, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing that explored whether Live Nation Entertainment is hurting consumers by stifling competition. In 2019, the Department of Justice alleged Live Nation Entertainment violated its consent decree, the condition of the two companies’ merger, and the concert giant settled with the government. A monopoly is not illegal in the United States. But abuse of that power can be. Here’s a close look at why Live Nation and Ticketmaster are facing renewed antitrust scrutiny.
Chapters:
1:56 - Controversies
4:34 - Market domination
7:32 - Monopoly
11:00 - Ticket prices
14:11 - What lies ahead
Produced by: Emily Lorsch
Edited by: Dain Evans
Senior Managing Producer: Tala Hadavi
Graphics by: Alex Wood
Additional Footage: Vagabonding Media, Getty Images, Live Nation Entertainment
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How The Taylor Swift Debacle Fueled The Ticketmaster Monopoly Debate

[@cyrilgarcia2485]

I guess we just need a ton of people crying on TikTok about how expensive our healthcare system and how the pharmaceutical industry is literally killing people for congress to act.

[@artchick07]

I think they needed to see faces. See people being upset. It's harder to ignore the money they aren't getting in taxes.

[@montiro8999]

@@artchick07 dude they don't care about people. Only about money

[@thunderb00m]

Nah, ticket master is a lvl 1 crook . Healthcare industry is lvl 100 boss

[@containedhurricane]

It would be better if they cry about the housing prices, immigration and firearm regulations as well

[@axlrad307]

The government doesn’t care about anyone but to keep making their pockets bigger . We as the people of the commonwealth of the US. Need to stop paying taxes that pay the salaries of these politicians to act .

[@cern1999sb]

Having visited the US, one of the things that was most surprising and frustrating was advertised prices in almost everything ended up not being the price you paid. Wherever I've visited in Europe, if a business displays a price they have to sell their item or service at that price. Any additional fees must have already been factored into the price

[@DonJulio4649]

welcome to america. Our taxes work exactly the same way.

[@ianism3]

yeah, it's the same in Canada. stores here are allowed to just display the price of the individual items before tax. it's not like that in most other places. you get used to it, but it's less than ideal

[@wichorast]

Most Americans pay using debit card,so it’s even easier for the companies to “scam” the public since most don’t even know how much money they have/own

[@shacau1739]

Maybe someone should start a ticket selling company and break up the monopoly. The government can’t do that.

[@Locutus]

I went to the official travel website for Las Vegas to book a holiday. It said the price *included* all government taxes, and fees. However, when you went to the checkout, it added other fees... So, *all* taxes and fees, *doesn't* include all taxes and fees? I just went to a different website, that actually included all the fees, and it was cheaper.

[@MrRapmaster19]

It's actually funny how, of all the many issues facing our country, breaking up Ticketmaster and Live Nation is the only one that actually has true bipartisan support.

[@ramoraid]

Of course since it affected all the politician's grandchildren.

[@josephkim52]

the power of taylor swift needs to be studied. the music industry.

[@axlrad307]

Taylor swift for president 2024

[@artisfire]

Music is the universal language.

[@Azarath_Metrion_Zinthos]

Taylor Swift indirectly brought both Republicans and Democrats together is a cultural reset itself 😂

[@envisionelectronics]

I’ve missed out on dozens of concerts because I will NOT pay those stupid fees on top of ridiculous ticket prices. I put my saved money into a great home sound system. I consider it a win.

[@jsgonzalez1822]

👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@hermosaflor10]

Amen 😂😂😂 period save ur money

[@Niranjan_Mavath]

You made the smart decision.

[@jamesnunez3821]

Love that energy you want to see a concert well that's what KZbin is for right hahah

[@Neilukuk]

Does ticketmaster charge high fees on all tickets?

[@OWEN-CASH]

The fact that a band at the height of their success (Pearl Jam) could not work around Ticketmaster, proves that Ticketmaster is effectively a monopoly. And this was before Ticketmaster merged with Livenation.

[@railroad5024]

Yes, exactly!!! That merger should have never been allowed to happen.

[@sirgeoh]

I used to work in the ticketing industry for one of TM competitors. If fans actually knew what happens in the live events industry, they would not go anymore. It is so sickening what is actually happening. Basically, it is 100% pay to play and companies are bullied to take the money and shut up. Also the fees are total BS. Just know that when you buy a ticket, at least 40% of the price goes to TM or other companies associated with them. They are basically stealing.

[@hannahneirman]

Cannot stand the deception of the listed prices. The second time I saw Hamilton live I looked for whatever was cheapest - $69. Ended up paying $100 with all the fees. And the first time I saw it live I paid $200 for a better seat. And yet I kinda hate that I just don’t care about whatever it is I have to pay because I just want to go. And now that I’ve written all this out I want to see Hamilton again lolz anyway Ticketmaster you’re gross. I’m glad their messed up business model is being exposed

[@fark69]

What people really really need to know is that Ticketmaster does this so Swift and other artists can get maximum profit out of their appearances. If Swift played more shows at the same venue, ticket prices would go down, but she obviously wants to work less and make more like every person does, and yet she could take a reputational hit if her concerts were seen as extremely expensive (esp. because she has politics that don't align with that). So she does a tour, Ticketmaster gouges everyone, and every one leaves hating Ticketmaster and not the singer

[@NazriB]

Lies again? SIS TIC

[@michaelwang6125]

it would be good for fans to list out the average ticket price (by seat price, total cost) Then do a breakdown on how much each artist actually gets paid VS TM who can basically do a faction of the work and get pay X times more than the artist's total earning*. *amount earned from CD/physical product sales is not counted.

[@fark69]

@@michaelwang6125 Ticketmaster does not earn more from concerts than any singer. Period

[@thegodblogger3812]

I worked for Ticketmaster back in the early 1990s. It was a total fiasco then. The fees were ridiculous but TM had a captive market. In the 30 years since, nothing has changed. It seems like competitors would have come along with a better package. I guess TM just knew how to do it best.

[@jefferrrson1x]

They do know how to do it best, and honestly, nobody was big enough to challenge it. It takes a lot of people to make change and this happens ALL the time many times throughout 30 years. Now that we have Bad Bunny, BTS, and of course Taylor Swift who to me are one of the biggest ever acts right now, this has now got the momentum and attention that it deserves. I hope they come to a solution for not only the artists and TM/LN, but more importantly the fans that make the wheel turn. This must be addressed. And I’m here to watch it go down ..

[@thegodblogger3812]

@@jefferrrson1x Call me a cynic but I'm guessing not much will change for 93% of the musical acts. Somebody like Taylor Swift or Beyonce may have the clout to work out individually beneficial deals for their concerts and promotions, but most artists and acts will do business as usual.

[@jefferrrson1x]

@@thegodblogger3812 No, I agree with you. I don't think the system will change legal wise, and also how TM operates. Bc the fact is, there isn't no present solution to ticket buying OTHER THAN physically going to the box office and lining up.

[@fark69]

@@jefferrrson1x Swift is not going to do anything to Ticketmaster, she won't be willing to take a pay cut on her concerts or to play more concerts to bring prices down. Pearl Jam fought Ticketmaster back in the day and it didn't work out.

[@evilbred974]

Ticketmaster is just the worst. If there ever was a opportunity for an anti-trust breakup, this is it. Break up Live Nation and allow actual competition to flourish.

[@matthylkema2717]

Competition for ticket resale? I thought scalping was illegal.... tickets should be sold by the venue directly with no middle man

[@leinonibishop9480]

Pearl Jam’s fight with Ticketmaster was part of an anti trust investigation in the 90’s as well and that investigation ended rather abruptly with the government siding with Ticketmaster. I’m sure it had nothing to do with one member of the investigating committee becoming a very highly paid executive at Ticketmaster…. PJ lost a lot of money on their tours in those years trying to fight Ticketmaster and keep their ticket prices affordable.

[@annitaeleanor]

"$35 is an average ticket price" I LAUGHED SO HARD

[@flyer3455]

I paid that much for two tickets to a matinee at the movie theater

[@ianism3]

yeah, it's probably not actually that far off. the vast majority of concerts are small with ticket prices between $15-25. but in the news you just hear about the tiny number of artists who can fill stadiums and each ticket costs like $200. but it's not reality for most artists or concertgoers.

[@annitaeleanor]

@@ianism3 Probably bc I attend mainly rock & kpop concerts for rather big name artists (at least for their respective scene) & I live here in NYC, but most of my concert tickets are $45 minimum averaging $65 for mid sized venues. You're right tho that in the 2nd hand market it is possible to get $20~$35 tickets last minute before the show, although they may be crappy seats.

[@markswan2582]

If you include grade school and community orchestra’s in the artist population, you could maybe get to an average ticket price of $35. For known, name artists, no way.

[@minhthuvu611]

It's too cheap for a super stadium show

[@NotSteve88]

My friends and I bought tickets to a concert at the local state fairgrounds. The price per ticket was unknown until the purchase was completed, which came out to $75 per ticket when the total was divided 5 ways. The actual paper tickets were then mailed to me, with $25 printed right on front. Which means we paid triple the face value after “convenience fees” and other fees were applied, even though this was the only way to purchase them. When I called customer service to complain, they told me they could only refund the face value and that it would take 2 weeks.

[@TonyJames.]

Rats

[@dextermoore278]

That's just so disgusting, and Ticketmaster is run by a bunch of greedy, crooks. They love ripping off the Fans of all these Bands and Singers. Things need to change.

[@tapasihalder9092]

Who the fcuk buy tickets without seeing price upfront.!

[@NotSteve88]

@@tapasihalder9092 It said the prices were different depending on where you sat, and that the only available seats were either way up front, or way in the back. The ones up front showed a range, between $45-55 per ticket. When you clicked on the seats you wanted to reserve, you were redirected to the 3rd party seller and given a disclaimer that the “actual” price may vary from what it listed, and that your final price after taxes & fees will be shown at checkout. I was buying 5 tickets, so I had to just pay the total and my friends sent me the money on Venmo. Usually you get an electronic ticket after that, with a QR code that you can transfer to your apple wallet, but I got an envelope in the mail instead. 5 paper tickets, $25 right on the ticket. No refunds.

[@NiceTriGuy]

There was no mention of Ticketmaster platforms basically legalizing ticket scalping on the secondary market. It is crazy how much more than face value you have to pay for sporting events etc. And Ticketmaster has managed to obliterate resellers. I used to buy off kijiji but someone decided that should be illegal now those tickets are on TM for even higher prices and extra fees…… WTF? They were worried about fraud in the secondary market so now Ticketmaster does it openly on their website and it’s legal?

[@HoneyButterBiscuits]

Great point! Wish it was talked about more. When Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation they cut into the reseller market under the guise they wanted to "protect fans" from scalpers. Now, they are the scalpers! The queuing system and strategically-timed website crashes create enough of a buyer frenzy for Ticketmaster to resale tickets for THOUSANDS of dollars. It seems like they are stealing from the artists, the venues, and the fans while making double the profit on initial & re-sold tickets.

[@railroad5024]

Exactly, it's wild to me they get away with this when the evidence they even encourage scalping behind closed doors is not hard to find. They should be slapped with stupid high fines, but likely they'll get away with it because $$$$.

[@paleokitten]

I'm sure that they own the bots

[@radicalrick9587]

*Ticketmaster & Live Nation: We did an internal investigation and found that we've done nothing wrong.*

[@jasonquigley2633]

I think musicians should form a kind of union to push back against the power of ticketmaster. Especially if they can get the biggest artists to join up (the Taylor swifts of the world) they can force ticketmaster to accept more musician friendly terms. It would not be without precedence, just look at the screen actors guild.

[@fark69]

Swift will not take money off the table or perform more concerts to bring ticket prices down. Guaranteed

[@leinonibishop9480]

Pearl Jam tried this in the 90’s (they were one of the biggest selling rock bands on the planet at the time) but no other bands were willing to give up their tour dates with Ticketmaster venues to help fight. PJ tried to keep fighting alone but it didn’t go anywhere.

[@jasonquigley2633]

@@leinonibishop9480 Sad, but perhaps the worse things get the easier it will be to persuade other musicians to take action. Also, if anything the music industry is more centred around a small number of artists and record companies. I'd say less than 100 artists are over half the revenue. They alone could swing things, and they're wealthy enough to withstand financial pressure.

[@solracer66]

I think it's quite possible that Taylor Swift may have more power over Ticketmaster than the Federal Government. She did force TM to have a "second chance" ticket sale for verified fans who has been offered a pre-sale chance but failed because of glitches/competition to purchase tickets the first time around. I was one of those that got locked out the first time but I did manage to purchase a single ticket (I figured my odds were higher that way) in the second-chance sale which instead of being first-come first-serve was handled more like a lottery (or at least TM said so, who knows what went on behind the scenes). I think Ms Swift should band together with other major concert artists and a different ticketing company or perhaps start one of their own in a similar way to how Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and DW Griffith created United Artists. TM is nothing without these major artists so I think only they can have a serious effect on them.

[@minhthuvu611]

She's even not a billionaire. What is in your mind? Just bc she is biggest artist doesn't mean she can do anything to against capitalism who control the economy

[@solracer66]

@@minhthuvu611 She has a net worth of $450 million so she is well on her way. After the Eras tour is over I'm betting that will easily be over half a billion and probably more than that. How much would it cost to launch a competitor to Ticketmaster? I'm sure that she has the money, wherewithal and intelligence to pull that off if she decided she wanted to do that. Or she could partner with an existing competitor and pull other big acts over to them. Certainly any of this would be more than our ineffectual Congress can accomplish given it took them a week just to elect a Speaker, lol.

[@LDM805]

@@solracer66 God love your naivete and enthusiasm.

[@soulfireonfire6423]

@@minhthuvu611 She got Apple to pay Artist for certain steaming they weren’t getting paid for. She told them either Artist start getting paid or I am pulling ALL MY MUSIC.. They did it!!!

[@minhthuvu611]

@@soulfireonfire6423 they did after 3-4 years she talked to them and the amount of money they pay to artists is very small compare to the money they earn. You can search how spotify pay to artists

[@Mxy-ff4zk]

What a brave thing to do as a small band to speak out

[@anisanurraudah8383]

Seeing how powerful of an artist Taylor Swift really is, can she included "universal health care system" lyrics on her next album please? That woman is BIGGER than music now.

[@PhilMoskowitz]

"Give me free stuff!"

[@realworldissues]

@@PhilMoskowitz how is healthcare free stuff, are you telling me you'd watch another human die because they don't have money for life saving surgery. Aaron do you understand you are only 2 nights from being bankrupted by our healthcare yes you. The ambulance alone is 5-10k. Don't even get me started on cost of the bed a night.

[@realworldissues]

@@PhilMoskowitz Things that are guaranteed in life is death, taxes and sickness and people like you need a taste to find out why this is important thing.

[@nunurbiznis4749]

@@realworldissues comments like these are from people who hop online to cause fights because they have no lives. It’s not even worth using sense with him.

[@realworldissues]

@@nunurbiznis4749 good point

[@Yo_Bentley]

I’ve been screaming this since 2018. Ticketmaster/Livenation is a scam. They buy up all the tickets & resale them to us. I would only buy a ticket now if the artist sales their own tickets like LANEONE or festival tickets. I would buy Lawrence own self Tickets every time.

[@earlgray7003]

They don't "buy up all the tickets", and they are not scalpers. They are essentially resellers. What you're leaving out is that on average most events don't sell out, some do. What do you think happens when this resellers buy seats that don't sell"?

[@alohabobbylaguna1702]

this could work when only when you do not have any real overhead for a smaller production i saw Foghat at Chads bar in Big bear Calif

[@blaquiere141]

The sad thing is that over the last decade, Live Nation (LYV) didn't have one single year with positive net income. How can an extreme monopoly be unprofitable ? It's hard to fail that big !

[@eschaton2834]

Because it's a manipulation to avoid taxes and dividends.

[@andrewweaver2517]

They make all their money on secondary markets.

[@phoenix5054]

At this point, I expect to see accusations of "money laundering" from financially illiterate people.

[@eschaton2834]

@@phoenix5054 we'll say whatever we want stfu. Lol

[@pmb6667]

'Creative Accounting'.

[@jaylencalinaw1080]

Swifties' collective frustration and outcry are valid and justified because they're not getting just one course meal from Taylor; this time, she will be serving several entrees composed of 3 or more genres spanning multiple albums that date back from her country beginnings. Meaning to say, fans who were not able to enjoy her previous tours will now have the chance to experience them FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. On Eras Tour, people will literally see Taylor perform live in years, hear the songs they've come to love and relate to growing up, and witness her musical evolution.

[@jackdonovan554]

There's too many people out there who have no idea what a monopoly is, or how it works. They have no idea how it affects their ability to afford things. Maybe they'll start waking- up.

[@MIKELIN8]

They're robbing artists with the nebulous fees, they're robbing fans with their nebulous fees. Why should the promoter be allowed to be the only one in entertainment to be profitable?

[@neepagummapu]

its interesting that when, we, bts army said this same thing years ago (some time in 2018-2019) no one batted an eyelid but now when it happened to taylor, you all ended up taking action. shows how much america decided to fight against monopoly after it happened to one of their own. doesnt matter if foreign artists go through all that, right?

[@Nighthawk-8050]

Both live nation and ticket master needs to be broken up but unfortunately that's not gonna happen

[@muthergoose4084]

back in my day, we had to line up at the box office to get tickets. then they got hi tech and handed out random numbers which was the order in which you could line up to get tickets. the struggle was real.

[@rinapop2681]

I've literally only ever been to a concert twice in my life because the cost of any ticket to a concert is so prohibitively expensive that it would send me into debt. It shouldn't be like this

[@lubintasevski5985]

Giving Ticketmaster that "Creed" option was simply allowing Ticketmaster to self police with no oversight. It's the same with other industries, like healthcare and pharmaceutical. Laws do not protect people like they should, they protect businesses.

[@movieedits1017]

I want YG and hybe to launch a ticket distribution survice together. BTS and blackpink tickets gets sold over 10 times the value.

[@hannahneirman]

I get the nosebleed seats every time I go see Gaga, the kind of seats where you can basically touch the ceiling at United Center and need binoculars. I’m such a sucker to just want to be at the concert. Let’s bring some reformation and not stop until we can see Gaga or Taylor or Beyoncé without getting screwed especially these ticker sellers dumb fees!!! And the nerve of asking if I want ticket insurance!!!!

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

How much is ticket insurance?

[@John-rw9bv]

@@thedevilsadvocate5210 "More than you can afford pal - Ferrari"

[@leinonibishop9480]

The resale market is just as big of a problem. A vast majority of the tickets are immediately bought up by bots so they can be flipped and resold for 10 times the price. I managed to get Pearl Jam tickets last fall and the tickets went on sale at $100-200 bucks for the pit. 3 minutes later they were completely sold out. Somehow I managed to get $100 tickets in those first couple minutes (which is still pretty expensive) but I checked back a couple hours later and they had tons of seats available again at $350-2000 for the pit. The mark up continued to get higher and higher as the concert date got closer. And somebody bought those tickets at that crazy price too, because the stadium was packed at the concert.

[@HoneyButterBiscuits]

Makes it worse is that Ticketmaster profits off of the initial sale and the re-sale. So it's not in their best interest to cap prices anywhere.

[@leinonibishop9480]

@@HoneyButterBiscuits yep and the artist only gets a cut of the original sale.

[@miamiboarder]

Whenever I decide to see a concert and I see it is sponsored by LiveNation, I simply don't attend. Their service fees are abusive.

[@DukeICT]

Agreed they are a monopoly. We didn’t go to a concert. We went to a local semi pro hockey game and paid $43 in fees on our 3 tickets. The tickets were $30 a piece. Total rip off

[@elizabethguzman7638]

In México when bad bunny had a concert in México city, thousands of people were left out, because the over sale tickets, and sold the same tickets twice. Can you imagine how mad people were??

[@Uplift2023]

They are crooks. All the BS, "We take these matters seriously...we have a responsibility to do better...we made a mistake" rhetoric is a cop out because they knew exactly what they were doing.

[@rogerricalde2567]

It looks like I'm NEVER going to any more concerts ever again and I'm not the one who is going through this . Enough is ENOUGH

[@matrixist]

I got fed up 30 years ago, lol. How TM can still exist is criminal.

[@shannonschaerer1010]

I've HAD to pay for concerts FROM Ticket Master that we're already being sold by other people who paid less for them. I've never fully understood that. Thank You for THIS!! I understand a LOT more now! Absolutely Ridiculous!! Obvious Corruption - but in more messed up ways than I had known B4 watching this. Good Video!!

[@BOMBON187]

Expensive healthcare, expensive college tuition, expensive food, expensive housing, etc.... CONgress: Oh no some people couldn't go see Taylor Swift, time to take action.

[@svenhodaka9145]

I don’t even try to buy tickets anymore. Total ridiculous prices and it spoils the fun of going. Dynamic pricing = gouging.

[@Wayne_Nero]

Great insight into this Ticket Master issue. I hate the idea of an artist getting ripped off. If a Madonna ticket sells for $600 then Madonna should be getting $500 of it, Not $6!

[@ContrabandBaloney]

Please show me where a concert ticket is $35 on Ticketmaster.

[@crm1225]

The alternative is having over a dozen apps on your phone to hold tickets, which people also wouldn't like. I have 8 ticketing apps on my phone, which I use almost as frequently as Ticketmaster, and they all have similar fees. People will pay more for convenience

[@alanbarber4543]

Screw apps, you used to go get in lines at ticket counters to go buy physical concert tickets for the shows you want to see. I have a shoebox full of paper tickets i can hold and reminisce about. It's way better.

[@GrandMichigan]

@@alanbarber4543 Not everyone has the time or physical ability to wait hours in line in different weather conditions for tickets. Most venues also lack the ability to service that much demand. Online is better and more efficient for the vast majority of people.

[@johnsamoilis6379]

@@GrandMichigan The only way to solve this issue is Weighted Lotteries with automatic purchases based on the credit card info provided.

[@ktktktktktktkt]

11:03 "You can't have a dinner for [$35]." Is he completely out of touch with the average person? Has he deluded himself so much that he thinks his average meal cost is the average cost of the average American? You can have 3 low cost dinners for that price and have a bit of money left over. If you cook it yourself or even depending on how much you eat, you can get considerably more out of $35.

[@sarge-T.O.]

Sitting at your computer does not count as "waiting in line for concert tickets." The lady with the Springsteen joke killed me.

[@annitaeleanor]

Imagine being told you were gonna be payed $42 but getting only $6 😱

[@hakasonma8588]

That’s alright I ain’t seen her go out to feed the poor or dress orphan children, she won’t die $6 @ a million count rate Now if it was your local workers getting stiffed like that, I would expect some form of riot but in 2023 we only seem to protest manufactured crisis oh well, or am I supposed to care because it’s some female being underpaid but no one else would lose sleep on this if it’s male artists losing they money? I mean ironically we only hear one artist name as if no other artist ever had the same issues or still do 😂

[@bsboneless1]

Imagine being told you were going to see a great concert and then finding out its taylor swift 🤮

[@Tiggaknock]

I’ll be damned if I cry because I couldn’t pay $1k for a front row seat to see a person sing songs I already know the words to. First world problems.

[@michaelmannucci8585]

And when they don't get what they want, they want the state to use the law to take away people's freedom. You know, cuz "screw the rich" or something.

[@hermosaflor10]

😂😂😂😂

[@vimax3858]

1k isn't front row more like 5k

[@Tiggaknock]

@@vimax3858 even more dumb. $5k was more than my first car when I was in high school.

[@vimax3858]

@@Tiggaknock things change unfortunately its not like I support the idiocracy but that is the world right now

[@makatron]

With current tech, bands should develop their own ticket sales platform and bypass them all together. But for big artist is going to be even harder since they need those massive arenas.

[@ammaopoku5397]

In the UK we have what is called a competition commission to minimise the impact of organisations such as Ticketmaster monopolising an area of business e.g ticketing

[@gi4dtv230]

The justice department needs to file an anti trust lawsuit against live Nation and break them up.

[@tiagoquental1029]

Do people remember the 90`s with Pearl Jam cutting relations with Ticketmaster and getting burned?

[@leinonibishop9480]

I’m sure it this will be sold to the public as something Taylor Swift discovered and came up with because stunning and brave.

[@Houman7]

It’s sad and embarrassing to see people crying because of whatever singer or event yet at the same time no one gives a damn about homeless, firearms, healthcare or even housing. No wonder why this country is falling at the speed of light!

[@iamjohnporter67]

This is a more of a big deal than Inflation, homelessness, and of course broken healthcare. This is our country people.

[@mcoletta6736]

It'll never change without a proper audit, or at least the threat of it, of the DoD/Pentagon.

[@leinonibishop9480]

It’s not more important than those issues but it is a symptom of the same corruption

[@vernonscloset]

I just feel bad for these smaller artists that end up suffering. Crazy.

[@FinancialShinanigan]

Crying over tickets but not over lying politicians, sounds about right

[@StephieBshort]

The last 4 concerts I considered going to I couldn’t find a ticket less than $150 before fees. Madonna and Shania Twain were charging around $400. It’s so expensive

[@madisonruthie]

This was how I felt with StrayKids a year ago! The website crashed one year ago when I want in line to purchase the tickets, luckily the artist offered another concert date but this was the first time getting fishy with ticket master. This was months prior to the Taylor Swift and I purposely didn't even attempt Taylor Swift because I was so traumatized from the experience from straykids in spring 2022. I remember that the ticket price was $150 for nose bleeds then someone bought out all the tickets and resell was over $1000 seconds later of the start of the sale! It ruined concerts for me forever!

[@itsking2u]

Every industry should have at least 3 big companies and then 6 smaller companies under them.

[@gkitty2827]

How would you implement that idea within our economy?

[@carloconopio6513]

It can but there is no want to invest in that field . There are so many billionaires even elon musk can create his on ticket master.

[@TheVisualante11]

Live Nation owns not only large venues they own small venues. Its simple live nation needs to sell all venues. All venues large and small can simply sell their own tickets. No reason for venues to use anyone else's ticket programs. There is no Need for Ticket-Tron-Ticket Master.

[@dialmstyle]

I’ve noticed Ticketmaster collects fees once when the ticket is sold, and then again when it’s resold through Ticketmaster. That is shady. I would rather not go.

[@timoooo7320]

This is one thing republicans and democrats should unite against. It's not just that they have monopoly over the market, but they have terrible practices such as the ridiculous fees, and allowing and even encouraging ticket resellers (scalpers) to buy tickets in bulk and resell it elsewhere for many times the original price, while at the same time not allowing regular fans to sell their own ticket on their platform. They're really screwing the fans, the venues, and the artists!

[@MrRapmaster19]

The crazy thing is they are. In spite of all the division, the attacks against Ticketmaster are coming from both sides. First congressional hearing saw Democrats and Republicans both attack them for being an unregulated monopoly hurting consumers. Kinda refreshing to see.

[@johnsamoilis6379]

Are their fees really rediculous. They manage tens of millions of customer accounts. They have an app they have to manage. They have created technology which have pretty much eliminated fake tickets as the tickets are now on your phones ticketmaster app and the barcode either rotates or you put the ticket in your apple/google wallet and they use NFC technology to scan the ticket off the wallet. It costs a lot of money to run that infastructure plus they need to make some sort of profit.

[@MrRapmaster19]

@@johnsamoilis6379 The issue is less so the fees at face value, and more that literally nobody can compete with them since LiveNation (their parent company) owns a lot of the major venues around the country. Having fees is understandable, the issue is nobody is allowed to compete in that regard, so Ticketmaster can set whatever fees they want and nobody can compete on price, which is awful for consumers. Ticketmaster should've never been allowed to merge with LiveNation in the first place.

[@codacreator6162]

I saw Ozzy in 1980 for $10.50. Last arena show I went to, Bon Jovi, cost me $250 to breathe Everest air. Ticketmaster and Live Nation have pushed me out of the live music market. Ditto sports. It’s f*cked up. Stuff we could afford to do in the 80s, we can no longer afford. And that’s not a problem with me, it’s a problem with the system and the BS argument that the market is inherently fair.

[@arsx4948]

Ticketmaster has been a problem for a long time now. Nothing has been done to resolve this.

[@Michaeloh43]

When I was a young man in the eighties concerts were 10$ and we were flabergasted when they jumped to 12.50 a ticket. I believe that would have been about two hrs or wages. Now a ticket is like 200$ which equals over 10 hrs of wages. I cant beliieve ppeople pay this! I have not seen a live concert in like 20 yrs because I am not a rich man. Concerts are only for the rich now. Sad world of corporate greed we live in beings pinched by every greedy corporation. Sad. glad I never brought babies into this horrible greedy world.

[@MrNavidad]

AEG isn't any better as far fees go, I backed out of going to shows over their pricing too. And here in Vegas it's basically just those 2 companies that do the ticketing for the major concerts.

[@thedude7319]

sometimes having two options is better than a monopoly for those in power, so they know not to interfere with each other

[@darlinnikki9514]

Top artists need to pool their money together and purchase their own venues. United Artists was a movie company started by actors.

[@spoileralert3754]

The band is hired based on their own set fee (or quote) by the promoter. The promoter can charge whatever they want when selling tickets. The promoters go thru Ticketmaster to sell the tickets and get as much as they can. If bands were to promote their own shows, they'd have to put alot of money up front in booking the arenas. Right now they just show up where they're hired. There's the rub. ☮️

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

worth pointing out that 99% of professional bands dont play arenas

[@leinonibishop9480]

Most of the venues have exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster so even if the artist wanted to promote and book their own shows and sell their own tickets they wouldn’t be able to.

[@Trtevoorryu]

This is more important than the economy and affordable housing apparently

[@senselessDesires666]

💯💯💯💯💯😂🎯🤔🤔🤔🤔🐭🦐

[@jorgeramos9950]

Very well explained and broken down. Thank you for your hard work.

[@_A4A]

As of Friday, February 3rd, 2023 this video has had over 322K views but only 779 comments about a very serious issue, unfair, unlawful and corrupted corporation "Ticketmaster" mistreating not only the Artist & Bands we love to see and listen to, but taking full advantage of and ripping off all the fans worldwide that support the Artist & Bands!... How has nothing been done about this and why hasn't it garnered a hell of a lot more attention - just INSANE!.... 🤯

[@JoeKnowsWorst]

I find it interesting that no one ever acknowledges the fact that most people, even without any glitches on Ticketmaster’s part, would not be able to get tickets at a normal price for Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, two of the most popular musicians of all time, anyway.. It would be like saying Ticketmaster and their issues was the only reason you couldn’t get a ticket to the Super Bowl or the World Cup 😑

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

This. Even if there were more companies, not everyone who wants to see those artists live will be able to see them.

[@JoeKnowsWorst]

@@kiroolioneaver8532 yea, and while Live Nation has issues, people can’t sit here and think that everyone who wanted to see Taylor Swift would’ve been able to, it’s not like this is only a recent thing in our history where it’s hard to get a ticket (at a normal price) for an artist that popular…

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

@@JoeKnowsWorst And it works the other way as well which no one ever talks about. I've seen tickets for concerts go down (sometimes get cancelled) because supply outstrips demand or if a sports team is doing unwell the ticket prices also go down.

[@craigcavaliere6744]

The problem with the Springsteen tickets is the lack of multiple shows in his biggest markets, with the exception of NY/NJ. He's also not playing California apparently because he may be playing Desert Trip. So that meant the tickets would be harder to get. Plus, they went on sale in waves, with the first three shows being in Tampa, Atlanta, and Orlando. Easy for people to fly in for the show. Plus the Miami show is in a smaller venue. All of this drove up demand which gets thrown on top of whatever shenanigans are going on.

[@johnsamoilis6379]

World Cup tickets are not has hard to come by as you may think. Not only that they are fairly distributed and sold using a Weighted Lottery System. Ticketmaster has experience selling tickets this way on behalf of the Mens US national soccer team for its high demand world qualifiers. Since ticket master has a ton of data on its customers and Taylor Swift fans, they could have conducted a weighted lottery with many data points. Positive data points would be (previous purchase of Taylor Swift Tickets and not transferring the tickets to another account and using the tickets, the distance to the venue, users can add in a login for taylor swifts fan club which can be verified, a PSL or season ticket holder in question to the venue can also be added by using a login which can be verified, previous purchase and use of Taylor Swift tickets on the TM provided resale market would be a positive data point as well, the price point and sections in which a person wants to buy a ticket would also be entered before going into the weighted lottery, the more sections and price points a fan selects for potential tickets the greater chance they will win the lottery). Negative data points would be (if an account was used to buy tickets and resell them or transfer them to another account, if the distance to the venue was hundreds/thousands of miles away or outside the nation of the venue) All those data points can be confirmed at put into a lottery with a score assigned to each potential buyer. The higher the score the better the chance of landing face value tickets which would be automatically purchased after the lottery takes place. Also if one buys tickets on TM secondary resale market their score would increase going forward. Those who sell tickets or transfers tickets on that marketplace would receive a lower score as they are more likely to be scalpers. This ensures fans have a fair way of getting tickets. The "Best" fans would have the best chance of getting face value Taylor Swift Tickets. Which for this current tour started a little over 100 plus fees.

[@IReapZz95]

I remember when this hit the news. I hope they get sued to oblivion

[@JC71]

The first few second of this video will show you how soft and weak minded this generation really is.😂

[@yomnaislam948]

Lets just remember that Taylor's team knew this was going to be a hit, they asked Ticketmaster if they could handle that kind of demand, they assured them that they could

[@arun279]

Why Live Nation And Ticketmaster Dominate The Live Entertainment Industry? Because it's an unregulated monopoly.

[@Crakmonkey691]

People vote with their wallets all the time everything that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are doing is because people are voting with their wallets to do it. If people banded together and stop buying tickets from Live Nation completely they would change their prices they would change their practices. It doesn't matter what people say what matters is how they vote with their money.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

true but not everyone wants to form a union or gang every time they wanna buy a ticket though. for ticket master this is their life's work but for everyone else going to a concert is a once a month thing at most. it's not the same

[@boong0006]

It will never happen!

[@cybersteady]

Difference between google and ticketmaster is that google provides a actual good service and as a result earned its market share while ticketmaster provides one of the worst services ever and cornered the market to price gouge. Ticketmaster is a price gouging machine. This is the problem.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

and anyone can set up a search engine tomorrow and be off and running. google dont exclusively own the info on google. in fact, the opposite. was super weird they actually tried to compare it to google

[@bobbg9041]

If I were the artist I'd sue Ticket Masters for 80% of all junk fees collected. That cash should go to the performers not a ticket company.

[@maurreese]

It is a monopoly clear and simple and needs to be broken up! Thousands of dollars for a ticket is insane.

[@thegreenraiden]

The answer is clearly we the people. Government intervention is a lengthy process that doesn't guarantee change. The quickest way to change is to have the people stop pirchasing tickets all together until they change. We literally have the power to change this, yet we dont. That says a lot about us as consumers.

[@gritsngranola]

So glad I went to concerts in the 70's! I remember in 1974 Day On The Green seeing Gary Wright, Fleetwood Mac (pre Stevie Nicks & Lindsay Buckingham), Dave Mason, Peter Frampton & Robin Trower for $8!!! I do believe it was a Bill Graham Presents. Those WERE the daZe LOL LOL LOL LOL

[@LetArtsLive]

This is one of the biggest pet peeves I have in life I f****** hate this s***

[@Lybrel]

GO TAYTAY. TicketBastard changed my friend and I's first baseball experience ($300) from great seats to behind a concrete pillar for no reason. You go TayTay and end the TicketBastard monopoly

[@tira2145]

Why is this any of the government's business? This is a private matter between adults and businesses. Nobody needs to go to a event or concert. Millions of Americans are living in poverty and can't afford to eat. When will they have hearings on that?

[@Lybrel]

@@tira2145 "can't afford to eat" 😂 $271 person is $9 a day. What are you buying, crab legs for breakfast? Stop lying. Nobody is starving in America with $9 a day. Source: volunteer at a food bank. Also mysteriously obese starving people.

[@Steven-xf8mz]

If only tickets are sold with name and dob attached such that they can't be resold by another entity other than authorized sellers.

[@Iconoclasher]

You have 2 million fans vying for 50k seats. The result is either high prices or unavailability. That's high school economics.

[@duane_313]

Have they tried doing more shows? An afternoon and evening performance on each date just like musical theater

[@Iconoclasher]

@@duane_313 Another option would be for Taylor to get a 2 year gig at a Las Vegas venue (like Celine at Ceasars Palace) At 5 shows a week she could clear some of the backlog, give her fans what they want and still make a ton of money. 🤑

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

yeh i mean is taylor swift 2 million times better than a local artist. in some ways the three major labels act not dissimilarly to LN/TM

[@Rredrrray69Nichols]

Go Lawrence! Music & musicians with heart and soul.. They just became a favorite flave. Power & Love to them!

[@L83467]

who the hell was that guy that said that average ticket prices are fine because you cant even go out to dinner with 35 bucks, yes, you can!

[@txmade4371]

No you can’t.

[@yungkneez]

4:24 - "...Live Nation takes its responsibilities under the antitrust laws seriously and does not engage in behaviors that could justify antitrust litigation". Ah okay so as long as something can't be used directly against them in litigation, it's fair game then? Time to break them up.

[@handlealreadytaken]

This is such a life and death thing that I'm glad congress is on it.

[@thepearlswirl]

😂

[@montiro8999]

Do you really think they care ?

[@crystalwynn3910]

How can scalping sites post tickets for sale at $6,000 for a floor seat 2 weeks BEFORE they even go on presale sale? That should not be legal.

[@drizzify7850]

I can't imagine crying because I was unable to get tickets to a concert or any other event for that matter. I'd be upset but crying into a camera and posting it just seems like something someone would do for some attention. I can't help but see a scene in my head of them instantly stop crying when the camera stops and gets straight to work to edit the clip.

[@Slightly_Obsessive]

Seriously. I’m a Swiftie and yeah I was a little irritated and upset when I couldn’t get tickets (I mean come on it’s the Eras Tour) but these people are clearly unhealthily obsessed with a literal human being lol. They’re out here crying like their grandma just died or something because they couldn’t get tickets💀

[@tomevers6670]

You’re not a loser, they are

[@MegaMango00]

one girl had spit coming out of her mouth why post that lol

[@allsensesfiring]

I used to work at a ticket printing company back in 1981-1984. It's not that hard selling /printing tickets. We were a pretty small outfit in Kansas City. These bands could hire 4-6 people in their local community to do this for them with laptops and ticket printers.

[@merrilynnmitten3911]

Bands just need to start renting fields from farmers find a local promo co. Pay them a fee and say goodbye ticketmaster so the bands can at least make a living and people get to see the band at a reasonable price

[@alooga555]

People call Ticketmaster as Ticketb*stard for a reason.

[@DSheartlady]

this is unbelievable there was a time when a concert ticket was 12.00 yesTWELVE DOLLARS! as a fan of NEIL DIAMOND i followed him all the way from 1976 till the last concert in 2018 the expense is staggering it was much easier when i went to the venue and bought the ticket i was happy camping out and proudly receiving the treasured ticket now its a dog eat dog a jungle of trying to get tickets it was at one time in the beginning first come first serve now its scalpers who receive the tickets first even though there is a limit that didnt help no true fan likes this my sympathies go out to the taylor swift fans it isnt fair but you still have to put up with these people who do this big scam ticketmaster should be ashamed but they arenot i wish it would go back to the beginning buy the ticket at the venue 🙂

[@siamimam2109]

Now I understand why artists sell merch after the concert 😢

[@BRO-HI808]

Yes, but sadly, TM/LN takes a cut of that too. The band Lawrence mentioned they take 20% of their merch sales. I've also hear other artist say the same thing in other vids, although the % taken varied. Unless you're one of the top tier acts, it's tough to be a musician.

[@Cier433]

When a monopoly is formed, the only way to combat it is to regulate it to allow competition, which in this case should prohibit Live Nation and Ticketmaster from making exclusivity contracts and splitting up the company.

[@Bob_Mugisha]

Best channel on KZbin

[@adampatterson]

Interesting how Live Nation settles with the Government but that doesn't do anything at all for the people affected...

[@ronjeremy9648]

I stopped going to events because of the high made up fees

[@railroad5024]

I get that LN/TM are disgusting greedy bullies but here's where I'm a little confused: Why can't the artists& venues cut out abusive event promoters like LN/TM and make contracts directly between each other to sell tickets for concerts? It's not like Beyonce, Gaga, Swift etc and the venues don't have lawyers to help them workout contract terms. These days, all artists have to do is share the tour dates on their social media, radio stations, official artist websites etc to advertise their concerts and people will be jumping to purchase tickets. Then the venues can set up their own ticket purchasing platform with software, have the artist share the link to that or also sell from their box offices at the venue. Boom, the need for the greedy middleman erased. Would even give the opportunity for other businesses to arise if the venue doesn't want to handle other logistical stuff in-house like production materials (stages, props, sound systems, people to setup and take down all this stuff before/after events, etc) Instead it seems like LV/TM have gotten away with operating mafia style giving venues and artists an offer they can't refuse bc it's sell tickets thru them or don't put on a show. Ridiculous that merger was allowed to happen in the first place. I remember when $200 would buy you a seat in one of those swanky box suites, now $200 barely buys you a nosebleed seat.