Entertainment
State Lawyers Examining Ticketmaster for Breaches of Antitrust Laws
An inquiry has been initiated due to the recent Taylor Swift ticket sales dispute.
During the launch of Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras tour ticket sales last week, the response from fans was extremely overwhelming. However, many concert attendees encountered issues on the Ticketmaster website, with orders being canceled or invalidated without explanation due to technical glitches and crashes. After several days of chaos, Ticketmaster abruptly announced the suspension of ticket sales for the tour, citing inability to cope with the high demand.
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This incident has raised concerns about potential abuse of power and violations of antitrust laws by the company, leveraging its dominant position in ticket sales to manipulate the market. Several state Attorneys General have announced the commencement of investigations, urging those affected to provide testimonies and reports.
“Issues, issues, issues,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro posted on Twitter last week. “Encountering problems with Ticketmaster? Residents of Pennsylvania facing difficulties should lodge complaints with my office.”
“There are currently no accusations of wrongdoing, but as the attorney general, it’s my responsibility to ensure that the consumer protection and antitrust laws in Tennessee are upheld,” stated Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in an interview with the Associated Press.
UPDATE: The Justice Department is probing Ticketmaster for exploiting its monopolistic dominance in the live music sector, according to The New York Times.
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) November 18, 2022
In a statement to the Tennessee Star, Skrmetti explained that the investigation is in its preliminary stages and it may take a considerable amount of time before any concrete findings emerge. “They will begin by conducting basic investigative work, gathering documents, delving into what transpired, and scrutinizing the representations that were made,” Skrmetti explained. “We will assess the concert ticket market to determine if there are any potential antitrust concerns…It’s a lengthy process. This could take a significant amount of time.”
