Concerts are supposed to be fun. Unfortunately, the typical excitement and anticipation of attending a show or sporting event has been overshadowed by panic and stress. Nearly 50% of concertgoers recently admitted they’ve considered taking a second job just to afford tickets.
In addition to shelling out a small fortune for concert tickets, fans now have to worry if their tickets will vanish into thin air, thanks to one company’s epic data breach earlier this year. With the data from about 560 million people up for grabs, your ticket might just be the hottest item on a hacker’s wish list.
Why is this all happening? The ticketing industry’s self-made monopolist, Ticketmaster, changed the game, and it’s time we as fans do something about it.
The merger of Ticketmaster with its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, back in 2010 has brought turmoil and frustration for artists, concert venues, and consumers alike. But while many affected by Ticketmaster’s monopoly in the live event and ticket ecosystem have spoken out, not much has happened.
Thankfully, the lawsuit from the Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of more than 40 state and district attorneys general compiles over a decade’s worth of evidence that true competition in live events and the ticketing industry is absent — leading to increased costs and fewer event opportunities for fans.
Ticketmaster’s latest blunder with Oasis’ highly anticipated 2025 comeback tour underscores the company’s ongoing failure to put fans first. At the outset, overwhelming traffic caused Ticketmaster’s system to crash, leaving thousands of U.K. fans stuck in queues without ever getting a chance to purchase tickets, while others paid considerably more than they anticipated.
Sound familiar, Swifties?
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