The limited tickets have many fans upset. Fans have made multiple posts on Twitter and Instagram about the difficulty experienced trying to buy tickets. Let's take you through a detailed look at this controversy.
What led to the cancellation of the general sale?
TicketMaster canceled the general sale due to the high demand for tickets. The sale for ticketing was around 2 million, an unprecedented number for one artist in a single day, before the release of the limited access. The high demand for tickets has led to postponing the general sale. The glitches caused by the overwhelming of the site had made the sale and purchase of tickets more difficult. Glitches were not only limited to ticketing; online payment methods, site crashes, and general user access issues were also included. What followed were enraged fans who were not able to get tickets.
In a post that TicketMaster has since gotten rid of, an admission that bots could also be responsible was made, leading many to believe that scalpers and not Swifties might have been responsible for the problem. Scalpers have an unfair advantage and can purchase tickets to benefit from the resale market once those tickets sell out.
Who is to blame?
You, the fans, blame TicketMaster for this situation, and to an extent, the blame is justified. TicketMaster needed a proper system when the general sale was set to begin and was not prepared for such a big sale. This was a big mistake and one that a reputable company like TicketMaster should never repeat. One would expect a company of such stature to be well prepared for such an event. Your argument as Swifties is that Taylor only needs to ensure that as many people attend the tour as possible. Anything outside that is not the artist's fault, but the company contracted to distribute tickets.
There is yet to be an accurate way to figure out who is to blame, considering TicketMaster makes the tickets available to venues, promoters, and artists. The following list of public figures believe that TicketMaster's monopoly is a problem:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota.)
Artists stand to make a considerable amount from ticket sales and hold significant sway in pricing. Therefore, TicketMaster cannot take all blame as Taylor should have set a fair price to discourage the resale market, but this would be less profitable for the artist.
Can Ticketmaster be considered a monopoly?
According to sources, TicketMaster needs to control a substantial share as thought. Still, the merger with LiveNation has led to TicketMaster having immense power and can dictate the pricing policy for events. This has led to overpricing of tickets for events. Activists claim TicketMaster has shaped the ticketing experience by making access to events outside a particular network difficult.
TicketMaster operates as a broker and charges fees on behalf of the owners of venues and promoters. The question, then, is whether the monopoly is fair. According to the Economist, a monopoly is a situation where a company has the lion's share of the market that can dictate prices and restrict access to the market. Businesses can expand access to the products and services offered. In the past, monopolists have been found guilty of conspiring and filing sham lawsuits to hinder competition. In this case, there is doubt that there will be any activity to restrain competition.
The question, then, is whether businesses controlling a vast proportion of the market are fair. The conflict occurs when competition and innovation are limited due to monopoly, and equitable market distribution would mean a level playing field.
Conclusion
Taylor Swift is one of the most successful and influential singers of this time and a household name followed by millions worldwide. People who want to learn more about this Grammy award-winning artist and the scheduled events must use the internet or social media to discover more through Taylor's website and social media handles. Taylor's tickets are on resale sites like StubHub; you can check them out now.
