In recent years, Ticketmaster, a global ticketing agency that collaborates with artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, and Morgan Wallen, has faced controversy due to the high demand for tickets to popular concerts. These Ticketmaster “battles” have arisen from the competitive process of purchasing tickets to popular shows.
The most recent incident occurred on Dec. 12 when fans tried to purchase tickets for Gracie Abrams’s shows. During the presale, many fans who accessed the site found resale tickets priced at hundreds of dollars, well above the $50 face value.
Many fans argue that Ticketmaster’s ticketing methods fail to meet demand. Instead of collaborating with artists and other ticketing platforms to provide equal access, Ticketmaster is often accused of withholding tickets from the general public.
In addition, the U.S. government investigated Ticketmaster after its 2010 merger with Live Nation, an entertainment company. This merger created a media monopoly controlling much of the ticketing and entertainment flow in the country.
The investigation did not yield any definitive results. However, fans worldwide continue to struggle with a lack of affordable tickets.
Bella Johnson, a senior at Plant High School, was one of many who lost the Ticketmaster “battle” while attempting to obtain tickets for the Sabrina Carpenter concert in Tampa, Fla.
“My experience with the Ticketmaster battle was horrible,” Johnson said. “I spent 30,000 minutes listening to Sabrina Carpenter this past year, so I got two presale codes, but my Spotify app and the website wouldn’t work because the site crashed.”
Johnson continued, “Then my sister tried to log in, and her Spotify crashed too. I ended up getting another code from Sabrina’s fan club, but Ticketmaster wouldn’t accept it because too many people had used the code. So, I didn’t get presale tickets; resale was about $1,000 per ticket.”
Johnson is just one of millions affected by Ticketmaster’s methods, hoping that the Ticketmaster “battle” will soon end.