Ticketmaster, the largest ticket sales and distribution company in the United States, recently faced widespread criticism and calls for investigation after a number of high-profile tour announcements led to website crashes, long queues, and rapidly sold-out shows. This left many fans unable to purchase tickets to highly anticipated concerts and events. The technical difficulties and lack of available tickets led to frustration and allegations that Ticketmaster maintains an unfair monopoly in the ticketing industry. But what really happened behind the scenes? Was Ticketmaster itself the victim of an attack? Or were the issues caused by flaws in their own systems? This article will explore the timeline of events, the key players involved, and what it might mean for the future of Ticketmaster and event ticketing overall.
The Taylor Swift Fiasco
In November 2022, Ticketmaster’s site infamously crashed during presales for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras tour. After waiting in long virtual queues, many fans were ultimately unable to get tickets due to website glitches and lack of inventory. This led to public outrage from Swift’s fanbase and calls for an investigation into Ticketmaster’s business practices. While Ticketmaster cited “historically unprecedented demand” and “millions” of bot attacks as the cause, many were skeptical of these claims. The debacle also drew the ire of politicians, including Amy Klobuchar who wrote an open letter to Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation Entertainment expressing concerns about their dominance in live events.
Bruce Springsteen and Other Tour Announcements
In the ensuing months, Ticketmaster continued to face backlash as more major tour announcements led to similar issues with presales. In July 2023, Ticketmaster’s site crashed yet again during presales for Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 tour. Other major acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink-182, and Morgan Wallen also announced tours with Ticketmaster presales, leading to more complaints of technical issues and lack of inventory. Calls for investigations into Ticketmaster reached a fever pitch, with many politicians and consumer rights groups alleging they were running an illegal monopoly.
Behind the Scenes: What Really Happened?
While Ticketmaster publicly blamed the issues on bots and unprecedented demand, others offered alternative theories. Were rival companies deliberately trying to sabotage Ticketmaster by launching denial-of-service attacks? Or were the problems caused by genuine flaws in Ticketmaster’s systems and business practices?
Theory 1: Bot Attacks
Ticketmaster consistently defended itself by claiming the issues were caused by “bot attacks” from high-tech scalpers trying to buy up tickets. They presented data claiming billions of bot attempts across all the affected presales. However, many experts were skeptical about blaming bots alone. They argued that modern ticketing systems should be resilient enough to handle large bot attacks, and that millions of real fans were clearly interested in these shows based on demand. While bots were likely a contributing factor, they could not fully explain the epic failures.
Theory 2: System Capacity Issues
Other analysts pointed to weaknesses in Ticketmaster’s technical infrastructure as the real culprit. Presales for massive global stars like Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen were bound to generate huge interest, yet Ticketmaster’s systems seemingly could not handle the predictable load. Their servers and queues were overwhelmed by organic traffic, leading to crashes and customers losing out on tickets. Critics argued that Ticketmaster failed to sufficiently plan for demand surges and upgrade their systems accordingly.
Theory 3: Deliberate Attacks
Perhaps the most intriguing theory is that Ticketmaster was the victim of deliberate denial-of-service attacks from rivals. Several companies have attempted to compete with Ticketmaster in recent years for exclusive ticketing deals with major venues and artists. Competitors like AEG Presents (through AXS Ticketing) and SeatGeek have managed to grab some market share. There is motivation for sabotage. By engineering an outage during high-profile presales, rivals could sow public distrust in Ticketmaster and poach future business. Some cybersecurity experts even claimed to have evidence of DDoS attacks targeting Ticketmaster’s infrastructure. However, no smoking gun has emerged publicly implicating another company.
The Aftermath: Investigations and Competition
The widespread backlash against Ticketmaster ultimately triggered real consequences. Politicians called for antitrust investigations by the Department of Justice into Live Nation’s dominance of the ticketing and live events industry. Several states also launched their own probes into Ticketmaster’s practices. Outraged artists like Bruce Springsteen spoke out demanding fair treatment of fans. Rival AEG Presents saw an opportunity, announcing incentives for artists who chose them for tours instead of Ticketmaster. Going forward, Ticketmaster will likely face heightened scrutiny of its technology, pricing, and industry power. The debacles also demonstrated that competitors are poised to swoop in if they continue to struggle with basic ticket sales.
Department of Justice Investigation
In November 2022, the DOJ opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company. They are examining whether Live Nation has abused its power in the industry after merging with Ticketmaster in 2010. Specific areas of focus likely include:
– Exclusive ticketing deals with major venues locking out competitors
– Bundling ticketing with promotions and artist services
– Onerous fees and lack of transparency for consumers
– Poor handling of major presales and bot attacks
If violations are found, the DOJ has power to impose restrictions, fines, or possibly mandate breaking up the company. The investigation is ongoing as of late 2023 with no definite outcome yet.
State Investigations
Several state governments also initiated their own probes of Ticketmaster in 2023. New York, Tennessee, Nevada and other states began examining Ticketmaster’s business practices and their impact on local consumers. These states can also impose fines or restrictions on operations within their borders. For example, New York attempted to crack down on hidden fees and mandate more transparency. The multi-pronged investigations significantly increase scrutiny on Ticketmaster.
Competitors Push Back
Smelling blood in the water, Ticketmaster competitors amped up efforts to grab market share. AEG Presents, which operates ticketing through AXS, began offering lower fees and other perks for acts that choose them over Ticketmaster. SeatGeek also touted its fair pricing and technical prowess as an alternative. Smaller companies may also benefit. Bands and venues now seem more willing to take chances partnering with other ticketing services. Despite their dominance, the missteps exposed Ticketmaster as vulnerable to losing business. Their competitors appear primed to press the advantage.
Conclusion
The botched presales and technical meltdowns suffered by Ticketmaster represented a key turning point for the industry giant. While they deflected blame onto bots, rivals, and unprecedented demand, deeper issues in their operations were exposed. This opened the door for greater competition, government antitrust action, and demands for reform. Ticketmaster will likely need to make fundamental improvements to retain their dominant position as the world’s premier ticketing platform. Otherwise, a successor may soon emerge to knock them off their lofty perch. But the kernel of their defense, that outside sabotage also played a role, can’t be fully discounted either. All signs point to a fierce battle ahead as Ticketmaster seeks to maintain their empire, rivals try to grab a piece of it, artists fight for fan fairness, and regulators aim to increase competition. The live events ticketing landscape is primed for disruption.
Key Event | Date | Significance |
---|---|---|
Taylor Swift Eras presale meltdown | Nov 15, 2022 | Massive glitches and lack of inventory during Swift presale led to public outrage and calls for Ticketmaster investigation |
DOJ opens antitrust investigation | Nov 18, 2022 | Federal investigation into Live Nation/Ticketmaster’s industry power launched in wake of Swift debacle |
Bruce Springsteen 2023 Tour presale problems | July 20, 2023 | Another wave of website crashes and long queues during Springsteen presale renewed criticism |
New York State probe | October 2023 | New York opened investigation into hidden fees, transparency issues |
AEG incentives for non-Ticketmaster tours | October 2023 | Key rival AEG offered incentives for tours using their platform instead of Ticketmaster |