Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, are facing two dozen lawsuits for canceling pre-trip sales and general public ticket sales. Periods By Taylor Swift, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Other complaints related to these cases criticize the company’s dominant position in relation to monopoly.
The suit contends that Ticketmaster opened pre-sales to “certified” fans knowing that the number of seats would not meet demand. Access codes were reportedly sent to 1.4 million fans who could purchase up to six tickets.
“Ticketmaster intentionally issued codes without fulfilling the request,” the suit asserts, and 14 million additional users gained access to the presale, which was exclusive to Nov. 15 and 16. As a result, the public sale scheduled to be held on the 18th was cancelled.
The suit adds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s dominant position in the market compels artists to do business with them. It’s “dynamic pricing,” a system for managing supply and demand that drives up ticket prices.
Affected fans also argue that Ticketmaster allowed tickets to be resold during the pre-sale (at two to three times the original price), which may indicate negotiations with Taylor Swift’s representatives.
The Taylor Swift ticket sales fiasco prompted US Senate hearings to examine the issue of Ticketmaster’s monopoly in the primary and secondary (resale) ticket sales markets. No date has been announced yet.
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