Sydney, 2022-11-19 17:10:00. Breakdown of Taylor Swift tickets has been investigated by prosecutors
Nashville, Tenn –
The collapse in Ticketmaster’s ticket sales for Taylor Swift is a mess some prosecutors aren’t getting rid of.
With fans sharing their anger and anguish over the fruitless hours they spent trying to get seats on Swift’s upcoming concert tour, top legal officials in Nevada, Tennessee and Pennsylvania have launched investigations into the fiasco.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro tweeted “Trouble, Problem, Problem” in reference to Swift’s 2012 hit “I Knew You Were Trouble” as he asked the public to file complaints about Ticketmaster’s use with his office.
Shapiro, a Democrat who recently won the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, thanked the people for their “quick response” while noting that his office had “a lot of complaints” to look into.
In Tennessee, Attorney General Jonathan Scrimetti said he wants to ensure consumers have a fair chance at purchasing tickets.
“There are no allegations of any misconduct at this time, but as the Attorney General it is my job to ensure that Tennessee’s consumer protection and antitrust laws are respected,” Skrimetti told reporters.
In 2008, the state of Tennessee enacted a so-called “anti-bot” law that prohibits the use of certain computer programs to purchase large quantities of tickets to concerts and sporting events. However, like most states that have passed similar bans, the law is rarely enforced.
Meanwhile, the Nevada Attorney General’s office said it was investigating Ticketmaster for “deceptive or unfair business practices”.
The trouble began when registered fans who were given codes for a pre-sale on Tuesday tried to secure tickets for Swift’s 52-date The Eras tour next year. They were soon met with long delays and error messages that Ticketmaster blamed on bots and historically unprecedented demand. The company then canceled Friday sales for the general public.
Swift vented her anger and frustration in a lengthy statement, saying she was reassured by Ticketmaster that she could handle the request.
“It’s really hard for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and allegiances, and it’s painful for me to watch mistakes happen without recourse,” Swift said.
Ticketmaster said more than two million tickets were sold despite the problems, setting a new single-day record for artists on the platform, and that only 15 percent of potential buyers had problems in the process.
“We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans – especially those who had a terrible experience trying to buy tickets,” the company said.
Many lawmakers have accused Ticketmaster of abusing its power as the dominant ticket seller to consumers.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, wrote an open letter to Michael Rapinoe, Chairman and CEO of Ticketmaster, saying she had been skeptical of his company since its merger with LiveNation in 2011. Her letter included several questions. About Ticketmaster’s business practices I asked Rapino to answer by next week.
Asked about reports that the Justice Department would investigate Live Nation, White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre declined to comment on specific details, but said President Joe Biden has worked to increase competition and limit the power of big corporations, believing that “a lack of Competition leads to higher prices and worse service.”
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Associated Press writer Aamir Madani contributed to this report from Washington, DC
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