Kimberlee Kruesi, The Associated Press
NASHVILLE — Ticketmaster’s cancellation of Taylor Swift’s tour ticket sales is a difficult situation that some U.S. prosecutors won’t let go.
As the singer’s fans share their outrage and grief over the fruitless hours they spent trying to secure seats on Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert tour, top legal officials from Nevada, Tennessee and of Pennsylvania have launched investigations into the fiasco.
“Trouble, trouble, trouble,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wrote on Twitter in reference to Swift’s 2012 hit song “I Knew You Were Trouble” as he urged the public to file complaints regarding the use of Ticketmaster.
Mr. Shapiro, a Democrat who recently won Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, has since thanked people for their “quick response” while noting that his office had received “many complaints” to investigate.
In Tennessee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he wanted to make sure consumers have a chance to buy tickets.
“There are no allegations of misconduct at this time, but as Attorney General, it is my job to ensure that Tennessee’s consumer protection laws and antitrust laws are followed,” Mr. Skrmetti told reporters.
In 2008, Tennessee enacted a so-called “anti-bot” law that prohibits the use of certain computer programs to purchase large amounts of tickets to concerts and sporting events. However, like most states that have enacted similar bans, the law has rarely been enforced.
Meanwhile, in Nevada, the attorney general’s office announced it was investigating Ticketmaster for “alleged deceptive or unfair business practices.”
The trouble started when registrants who received codes for a presale on Tuesday attempted to secure tickets for Taylor Swift’s 52-date ‘Eras’ (‘eras’) tour next year. They soon faced long delays and error messages that Ticketmaster blamed on bots and historically unprecedented demand. The company then canceled Friday sales to the general public.
Ms Swift expressed her anger and frustration in a lengthy statement, saying Ticketmaster assured her it might handle the request.
“It’s really hard for me to have to rely on an outside entity, and it’s excruciating for me to see mistakes happen without being able to do anything regarding it,” she said.
Ticketmaster said more than two million tickets had been sold despite the issues, setting a new single-day record for performers on the platform, and only 15% of potential buyers had trouble with the process.
“We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans, especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets,” the company said.
Several lawmakers have accused Ticketmaster of abusing its power as a market-dominating ticket seller.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, wrote an open letter to Ticketmaster President and CEO Michael Rapino saying that She had been skeptical of her business since their merger with LiveNation in 2011. Her letter included several questions regarding Ticketmaster’s business practices which she asked Mr. Rapino to answer by next week.
Asked regarding reports that the Justice Department is investigating Live Nation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on specifics, but said President Joe Biden had worked to increase competition and limit the power of big business, believing that a “lack of competition leads to higher prices and poorer service.”
– With information from Aamer Madhani of The Associated Press
