A group of Taylor Swift fans are suing Ticketmaster after a chaotic, failed bid to buy tickets for the superstar’s upcoming US tour.
Ticketmaster was recently forced to cancel the main sale of tickets on its website, leaving many fans frustrated.
The lawsuit, filed by 26 Swifties across the country, alleges that the company is guilty of fraud, price fixing and antitrust violations.
Ticketmaster has not yet commented on the submission.
Sales of Swift tour tickets in November were marred by several issues, with some fans later reporting that access codes to deter bots were not working properly and that tickets were being resold online at higher prices while sales were still ongoing. The company’s website also repeatedly crashed due to extremely high demand.
According to the lawsuit filed in California, Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation imposed artificially high presale, retail and resale prices on fans. The lawsuit alleges “willful deception” that allowed third-party vendors to purchase the vast majority of tickets.
It also claims that Ticketmaster is a “monopoly interested only in taking every dollar it can from a captive public”.
In November, the company announced that 3.5 million people had pre-registered as “verified fans” in hopes of landing tickets for Swift’s 52-city “Eras Tour” next year.
Shortly thereafter, it said that a “staggering number of bot attacks” and “historically unprecedented demand” had swamped its website.
Just hours after sales began, tickets were being sold on resale sites at prices as high as $22,000 (£17,950).
Swift fans are demanding $2,500 for each alleged violation — a sum that could potentially run into millions.
“Millions of fans waited up to eight hours and were unable to purchase tickets due to insufficient ticket clearances,” the lawsuit reads. “Ticketmaster intentionally provided codes when it could not meet the requirements.”
In addition, it says artists, including Swift, “have no choice” but to work with the company “because no other venue can accommodate half as many people as the stadiums and venues that work through Ticketmaster.”
Ticketmaster has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, but previously apologized to fans for a “horrible experience” when attempting to purchase tickets. The BBC has reached out to the company for further comment.
In a November statement released after ticket sales for Swift tours were canceled, Live Nation said it “takes its responsibilities under antitrust laws seriously” and “will not engage in conduct that may warrant an antitrust litigation, let alone ordering it would require changing fundamental business practices.”
Swift said it was “excruciating” to see fans fighting to get tickets.
Add Comment