The Trouble With Ticketmaster

Today’s mainstream concerts cost an arm and a leg. 

And while concerts have always been pricey, today’s tickets are out of control.

With all the big tours that have occurred recently, such as Taylor Swift’s Eras and Beyonce’s Renaissance, as well as upcoming ones like Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted and Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, it’s time to talk about the big elephant in the room—Ticketmaster.

The ticket sales giant has always been praised for its convenience. It allows concert-goers to find nearly every music event online and purchase tickets through an app or website. 

However, due to its recent issues, fans and artists are fed up with the company. 

Ticket scalpers, a term used to describe individuals that buy large amounts of tickets with the intention of reselling for a higher price, have been the main nuisance on the application. This puts fans at a major disadvantage.

During the Eras tour, scalpers and resale robots bought tickets during the pre-sale period and resold them at prices that reached $22,000. 

This led to a congressional hearing over hidden fees, scalpers and sale cancellations during the summer. 

Congress even proposed a bill titled the Boss and Swift Act (named after Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift), that requires transparency with base prices, added fees, the distribution of tickets and refund policies. 

In terms of business ethics, Ticketmaster has faced antitrust concerns, especially after their merger with Live Nation Entertainment in 2010. 

Since Live Nation is a major event promoter, critics say it gives them an unfair advantage, creating a monopolistic atmosphere. 

From personal experience with the Guts tour, I can attest to the complaints fans have launched. My friends and I dubbed it the “ticket Hunger Games” from how stressful the purchasing experience was. 

I glitched out of the online waiting room twice and lost my place in line each time. When I added to my ticket cart—before I could finish typing my payment information—I got a cancellation alert stating that someone had already purchased them. 

When I finally managed to get the tickets, I was charged $29.35 extra for obscure “Ticketmaster Fees.”

While it’s impossible to ask Ticketmaster to get rid of ticket scalpers, the app can take more preventative measures, such as installing better anti-bot technology to prevent malicious bots from purchasing tickets.

Improvements can also be made for high-demand events, because ticket sales for popular artists frequently experience random cancellations and glitches. 

In addition, the company should be more transparent about its added fees and give valid reasoning as to why they are imposed. 

Ticketmaster might be making promises but it’s time they took accountability and started taking action. 

Listening to user complaints is great, but actually solving the issues behind said complaints is better.