Taylor Swift stans (aka “Swifties”) and government officials are putting Ticketmaster at risk, as they accuse the platform of failing to meet demand adequately.
It all started when Taylor announced that she will soon embark on a tour that will take attendees “on a journey through the music of [her] work.”
Swiftie Presale Madness Begins
After tickets went on sale Tuesday, chaos ensued as people scrambled to get their seats to see the “All Too Well” singer perform.
Ticketmaster eventually succumbed to the influx of Swifties, which the platform described as “already needed” in a tweet.
– Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) November 15, 2022
Understandably, Twitter was soon flooded with disgruntled Swifties pointing out how impossible it was to get Taylor Swift tickets.
Taylor Swift’s ticket ad is proof that the Hunger Games can happen in real life
— Abi (@abiwilk_) November 15, 2022
I want taylor swift to try to get tickets for her show
– brie 🌈🍇🌙✨ (@bettykissitbttr) November 15, 2022
Not now sweetie mommy is behind 2000+ people in line for Taylor Swift tickets pic.twitter.com/TY1yDm6CqG
– jordan goes on eras tour 4/14 (@kinggoodies_) November 15, 2022
Waiting in line @taylorswift13 tickets for 8 hours today. And @SeatGeek they charged me 14+ times for tickets i couldn’t buy. So now my bank accounts (which happen on multiple cards) have been frozen, I’m broke, they overcharged my accounts, and I can’t get tickets 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/OlbDiwPVr2
— Sydney Wallace (@SydneySarah1) November 16, 2022
girls don’t want boyfriends or girlfriends, they want taylor swift concert tickets
— The Eras Tour (@tswiftarastour) November 16, 2022
taylor swift concert tickets are like PS5s for women
– Ali (@aliiscrying) November 15, 2022
Tennessee Attorney General Investigates Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster Presale
With so much discussion surrounding the Ticketmaster incident, it’s no surprise that it caught the attention of some politicians.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took to Twitter on Tuesday to call out Ticketmaster for being an “autocrat” that needs to be abolished.
A daily reminder that Ticketmaster alone, combined with LiveNation should not be accepted, and should be controlled.
break it.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 15, 2022
Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and David Cicilline (DR.I.) shared similar views on the matter.
Get rid of Ticketmaster. https://t.co/oFxUrNmfSs
– Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 15, 2022
.@TicketmasterExcessive waiting times and fees are unacceptable, as seen today @taylorswift13 tickets, and it is a sign of a serious problem.
It’s no secret that Live Nation-Ticketmaster is a monopoly.
– Congressman David N. Cicilline (@RepCicilline) November 15, 2022
In fact, the Swifties focused so much on Ticketmaster that Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) got involved and announced an investigation, WSMV reports.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is involved in consumer complaints related to @Ticketmaster‘s pre-sale of @taylorswift13 concert tickets. He and his Consumer Protection team will use every tool at their disposal to ensure that no consumer protection laws are breached.
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) November 16, 2022
He reiterated his intentions at a press conference on Wednesday.
“If it is a violation of consumer protection and we can find where the problems are, we can get a court decision that makes the company successful. This ensures that the problems that happened yesterday will not happen again,” said Skrmetti. “I trust that the company is doing everything in its power to ensure that customers, from today forward, are well informed and fair.”
Ticketmaster’s answer
After being put firmly in the hot seat, Ticketmaster representatives were released in response to the controversy in a statement on Thursday and promised to do better in the future.
“We always try to organize the purchase of tickets. Especially the high demand for sales, which continue to test new limits, “said the statement. “Although it is not possible for everyone to get tickets to this show, we know that we can do more to help better and that is what we focus on.”
Greg Maffi – the CEO of Liberty Media, which is affiliated with Ticketmaster, according to CNBC – also spoke about this. Specifically, they seem to be trying to place the blame on things outside of Ticketmaster itself.
“Of course, it’s because of the great demand that Taylor Swift has. The site should be open to 1.5 million confirmed Taylor Swift Fans. We had 14 million people who hit the site – including bots, another story, which should not be there,” said Maffi.
However, for those who were unable to get their tickets on sale for The Eras Tour, there is hope, as tickets will go on sale to the general public from Friday.
What are your thoughts on the Ticketmaster situation?
