Ticketmaster has apologised to Taylor Swift and her fans during a US senate hearing regarding the sale for her upcoming tour, The Era’s Tour.
During the tours on sale at the end of 2022, thousands of fans were unable to buy tickets due to overwhelming demand and Ticketmaster’s poor judgement.
Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation have stated that bots were responsible for ‘terrible customer service,’ despite the on sale being restricted to fans with exclusive codes. The company stated that the bots attacked their systems, which caused the site to slow down and crash.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have repeatedly faced criticism from fans, politicians and artists who say they have too much control over the cost of tickets, fees and service charges. The company sell 70% of tickets in the US, giving them the monopoly. They have been criticised for not facing any pressure to continually innovate and improve.
It is unclear at this time if Ticketmaster and Live Nation will face any fines, imprisonment or sanctions.
