What happened with Taylor Swift and Ticketmaster? Taylor Swift's US tour faced a major setback last year due to a cyberattack on concert booking website Ticketmaster. The attack resulted in website outages and a botching of ticket sales for the "Bad Blood" singer's "Eras" tour, leaving thousands of fans empty-handed.
The incident has led to fan outrage, accusations of anti-competitive practices, and calls for curbs on Ticketmaster's dominance, or even for the company to be broken up.
#1. Taylor Swift Ticketmaster Issue
Source: Yahoo
According to Joe Berchtold, the president of parent company Live Nation, the website was hit with three times the amount of bot
traffic than they had ever experienced. Despite the bots failing to penetrate their systems or acquire any tickets, the attack required the company to slow down and even pause their sales. Berchtold apologized to Taylor Swift and her fans, admitting that there are several things they could have done better. He also testified that an "ever-escalating arms race" has sprung up between ticketing companies and "industrial scalpers, using bots and cyberattacks" to illegally obtain tickets for resale.
#2. Monopoly Allegations
Source: CNN
Critics have long accused
Ticketmaster of being a monopoly, and the incident with Taylor Swift's tour has brought these allegations back to the forefront. Witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Committee included musician Clyde Lawrence, whose band "Lawrence" included the line "Live Nation is a monopoly" in its 2021 song "False Alarms." Lawrence argued that Live Nation's triple role owning the venue, financing the show, and selling the tickets for gigs gave it outsized power when negotiating with artists. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal also accused the company of being the "800-pound gorilla" and blamed them for their shortcomings.
However, Live Nation denies monopoly allegations and said in a November statement that it "does not engage in behaviors that could justify antitrust litigation, let alone orders that would require it to alter fundamental business practices." Government estimates put Ticketmaster's market share as high as 80 percent, although the company claims the p is closer to 60 percent.
#3. Fans Speak Out
Source: Uproxx
Taylor Swift was not present at the hearing, but a handful of her fans gathered in front of the building to denounce the platform's actions. Jennifer Kinder, an attorney from Dallas who represents Swift fans, said that Ticketmaster is "controlling the industry in a way that makes it completely unfair to consumers." Fans are hoping that this hearing will lead to changes in Ticketmaster's practices.
In conclusion, the incident with Taylor Swift's tour has brought to light issues of both cyberattacks and monopoly allegations surrounding Ticketmaster. The company has accepted responsibility for the cyberattack and apologized to the singer and her fans, but still faces accusations of anti-competitive practices and calls for changes to their dominance in the industry. Fans are hoping that this hearing will lead to positive changes for consumers and the music industry.
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