The attorney general of Tennessee already launched an investigation. Could a federal look into Ticketmaster’s business be next?
Ticketmaster on Thursday announced it was canceling the public sale of tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour following a pre-sale rush for tickets that resulted in hours-long wait times and the ticketing company’s website crashing.
The pre-sale chaos resulted in a huge backlash from Swift fans. But Ticketmaster isn’t only facing consumer outcry. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Wednesday announced he is launching an investigation into Ticketmaster. Multiple members of Congress have also spoken out against the company following the Swift fiasco that began Tuesday, which raises the question: Could Ticketmaster soon be subjected to a federal probe?
“Daily reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, it’s merger with Live Nation should never have been approved, and they need to be reigned in,” Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tweeted Tuesday. “Break them up.”
Fellow Democratic Representatives Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey and David Cicilline of Rhode Island also posted critical messages about Ticketmaster on Twitter. In his messages, Cicilline shared a letter he and other lawmakers had drafted last year that called on the Department of Justice to investigate Ticketmaster/Live Nation.
