Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2024
DOJ antitrust lawsuit
The Department of Justice and participating states alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster maintained unlawful monopoly power through conduct that restricted competition and harmed consumers.
2022
Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale failure
A combination of extraordinary demand, website failures, and limited availability during the presale generated widespread consumer criticism and renewed debate over Ticketmaster's market power.
2022
Fan sues The Forum and others over crowd-surge injuries
Lawsuit filed
A woman who attended a 2019 Harry Styles concert sued The Forum, show promoters and ticketing services, alleging she was seriously injured in a crowd surge and that the defendants failed to provide adequate security and crowd-control resources.
Source excerpt
A woman who attended a Harry Styles show at The Forum in Los Angeles in 2019 is suing the venue, claiming she was seriously injured in a crowd surge at the event.
The woman said in court documents that those named in the suit did not prepare the venue with the proper security, crowd control, seating or lighting resources to control the surge of the crowd of 17,000 fans.
The fan is suing The Forum, as well as show promoters and ticketing services, including Live Nation, Stubhub and Ticketmaster.
2020
Rage Against the Machine charity ticket prices draw criticism
Public backlash
In February 2020, Rage Against the Machine faced criticism from some fans over a charity-ticket scheme. According to reports, those fans said the tickets remained expensive and questioned whether the scheme was merely a marketing activity. The reports also stated that fans directed criticism at Ticketmaster. The coverage did not specify the ticket prices, the charity involved, or any response from the band or Ticketmaster.
Some fans criticized Rage Against the Machine’s charity-ticket scheme, saying the tickets remained expensive and questioning whether the scheme was merely a marketing activity. The article also reports that fans directed criticism at Ticketmaster.
Source excerpt
在社交媒体上，部分乐迷开始质疑乐队，而更多的则是把矛头对准了Ticketmaster。
热门地区的慈善票价格仍然在450美元以上。这样使得有乐迷认为，RATM推出慈善门票不过是披着慈善外衣的一次营销活动。
2020
Ticketmaster pays $10m criminal fine over competitor-system intrusions
Fine or penalty
Ticketmaster paid a $10m criminal fine after the US Department of Justice said the company had used passwords unlawfully retained by a former competitor employee to access the competitor's computer systems as part of a scheme to choke off its business. The company said the matter was resolved.
Company response
Personnel action — Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster terminated both Zaidi and Mead in 2017, after their conduct came to light.
Source excerpt
The DoJ said the US ticket sales and distribution company had used passwords unlawfully retained by a former employee of a competitor to access computer systems.
Ticketmaster has paid a $10m (£7.3m) criminal fine for "intrusions into a competitor's computer systems", the US Department of Justice has confirmed.
The Department of Justice on Dec. 30 announced Ticketmaster agreed to a $10 million criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to resolve charges that it repeatedly accessed the computer systems of a competitor without authorization to illegally gather business intelligence.
2018
Resale-platform enforcement allegations
Reporting and a customer class action alleged that Ticketmaster's resale systems did not adequately enforce ticket limits and could facilitate professional scalping. Ticketmaster denied allowing scalpers priority access and said it would review its policies.
2013
Rewards-program enrollment settlement
Ticketmaster agreed to provide up to $23 million in customer relief following allegations that people were enrolled in a recurring-fee rewards program without sufficient disclosure.
2009
Springsteen TicketsNow redirection controversy
Customers seeking Bruce Springsteen tickets were directed toward Ticketmaster-owned TicketsNow after primary inventory sold out, creating concerns about an affiliated resale conflict. Ticketmaster apologized and removed the link for those events.