Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with events/concert promoter Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entertainment,[1] with both brand names continuing to operate as subsidiaries of Live Nation Entertainment.
The company's ticket sales are fulfilled digitally or at its two main fulfillment centers located in Charleston, West Virginia, and Pharr, Texas, for both primary and secondary markets. Ticketmaster's clients include venues, artists and promoters. Clients control their events and set ticket prices, and Ticketmaster sells tickets that the clients make available to them. Ticketmaster also owns and operates TicketWeb, a ticketing website geared towards independent venues.
Ticketmaster is subject to numerous controversies and lawsuits, alleging violations of various laws. The platform charges a fee on tickets purchased and resold on the platform. The fees from ticket sales can account for a large percentage of overall ticket costs and have received scrutiny from regulators, customers, and musicians. The company has also faced scrutiny from the United States Department of Justice for retaliation against venues violating its 2010 10-year consent decree from the Live Nation merger, which has been extended an additional five years from 2020 through 2025.
Following the widespread criticism of the company's handling of the pre-sale of Taylor Swift's the Eras Tour in November 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) began a formal investigation into Live Nation Entertainment on the grounds of monopoly, antitrust law and consumer rights violations. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee examined the merger with a hearing in January 2023. On May 23, 2024, the DOJ and a coalition of 29 states formally launched an antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.[2] An additional 10 states joined the lawsuit, bringing the total number of co-plaintiffs to 40.[3] In April 2026, a jury verdict was reached which found that Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation Entertainment held an illegal monopoly which violated federal and state anti-trust laws and enabled Ticketmaster to overcharge in ticket prices.[4]
History
Ticketmaster was founded in Phoenix, Arizona in 1976[5] by college staffers Peter Gadwa and Albert Leffler, Gordon Gunn III, as well as businessman Jerry Nelson.[6][7] The company originally licensed computer programs and sold hardware for ticketing systems. Its first ticketed concert was Electric Light Orchestra, held at the University of New Mexico.[7][8]
In 1982, Fred Rosen was appointed CEO of Ticketmaster and moved the company to Los Angeles to be closer to the live entertainment industry. The move enabled the company to build contracts with many well-known venues including the LA Forum. Rosen drove investment into the company and led the switch to computerized ticketing. By 1985 the company had operations in the
Products and services
Ticketmaster sells tickets that its clients make available to it.[33] In 2009, Ticketmaster released a digital ticketing system that required customers to prove their identity prior to purchase. The company believed this would help circumvent brokers and scalpers.[34]
In 2016, Ticketmaster released a statement in favor of the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS Act), which banned the use of ticket bots to buy large amounts of tickets online and resell them at inflated prices.[35] The following year, the company filed a lawsuit against the ticket broker Prestige Entertainment after the company used bots to buy more than 30,000 tickets to the Broadway play Hamilton.
The company reported nearly 500 million tickets sold for 400,000 events in 2018.[36]
In November 2020, Ticketmaster announced it will check the COVID-19 vaccination
Criticism and controversies
Anti-competition claims
In May 1994, the grunge band Pearl Jam filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice claiming Ticketmaster had cut the group out of venue bookings in a dispute over fees.[50] The investigation was closed without action in 1995, though the Justice Department stated it would continue to monitor the developments in the ticket industry.[51][52] Chuck Philips, a reporter who covered the issue,[53][54][50]
Partners
Ticketmaster has partnerships with venues, professional sports leagues and teams, college and universities, musical acts and theatre tours[136][137][138] and target corporation in the United States and internationally.[139] Ticketmaster has partnered with musical acts such as Taylor Swift,[140] and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra,[141] and theatre productions such as Hamilton and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.[136]
See also
- Live Nation Entertainment
- Jerry Seltzer
- Ticket resale
- Ticketmaster Corp. v. Tickets.com, Inc.
- Monopoly
External links
References
- Jeremy Pelofsky, Yinka Adegoke. Live Nation, Ticketmaster merge; agree to U.S. terms Reuters, 25 January 2010^
- Dave Michaels, Anne Steele. Justice Department Sues to Break Up Live Nation-Ticketmaster The Wall Street Journal, 2024-05-23, retrieved 2024-05-24^
- Ten Additional States Join Justice Department's Suit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry