America Senate sent an ominous alert to Ticketmaster claiming they were “monitoring” ticket sales after Beyoncé announced her “Renaissance” world tour earlier this week, in an effort to prevent problems similar to the failure of Taylor Swift’s pre-sale in November.
The Senate Judiciary Committee posted a cryptic tweet that read “we’re following” in response to a tweet regarding fans preparing for a failed ticket purchase.
‘We’re watching,’ the Senate Judiciary Committee told Ticketmaster ahead of Beyoncé’s world tour
“We’re watching,” the committee’s account tweeted ominously.
The “Renaissance” tour begins in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 10. She will then travel to a series of cities in Europe before heading to North America, where the show will take place on May 27. Her 9 in New Orleans will mark the end of travel, Shade room previous report.
The scrutiny by Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation comes after ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour, when senators claimed Ticketmaster was monopolizing the industry since they merged with Live Nation in 2010.
We are watching, @Ticketmaster. https://t.co/LuWjoXrWX4
— Senate Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryDems) February 2, 2023
Ticketmaster is looking to avoid another Taylor Swift incident after the site crashed due to too many Swifties
After pre-sale tickets resumed in November, complete chaos ensued as people scrambled for their places to see the “All Too Well” artist perform live.
Ticketmaster ended up crashing due to too many Swifties, the platform described as “historically in demand” in a tweet.
The incident left millions of fans waiting in line for hours to buy before the tour, but was left empty-handed due to glitches and unclear rules about pre-sale access. Ticketmaster eventually canceled the general sale due to what it called “unprecedented demand”.
Ticketmaster asked fans to register as “verified fans” in order to pre-sell, a record 3.5 million people did, according to New York Post Office.
“This whole concert ticketing system is a mess — it’s a monopolistic mess,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said during the hearing.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said: “I believe in capitalism and to have a strong capitalist system you have to have competition. “You can’t have too much fusion – which unfortunately for this country, as a harbinger for Taylor Swift, I would say we know ‘All Too Well.'”
Meanwhile, Live Nation president Joe Berchtold said Ticketmaster could “do better,” but did not call it a monopoly.
Ticketmaster now owns about 200 major concert venues across the United States after merging with Live Nation.
Pre-purchase tickets for Beyonce’s “Renaissance” world tour have exceeded 800% of available tickets
The company typically sells about 70 percent of tickets to all major venues, often under exclusive contracts, according to a federal lawsuit filed last year by ticket buyers.
Try to get Beyoncé tickets on Ticketmaster in the 0.0003 seconds they are available.pic.twitter.com/rIGTXYgTMW
— JR.Hartley armchair (@JRsArmchair) February 3, 2023
It amounts to 500 million ticket sales per year, with an international presence in more than 30 countries.
And demand for Beyonce’s “Renaissance” world tour is expected to be extremely high.
Earlier this week, Live Nation said in an email to fans that pre-sale ticket sales had “excessed available tickets by more than 800 percent” in some cities, the Post reported.
“It is expected that many interested fans may not be able to purchase tickets because demand exceeds supply,” the email read.
New dates for the “Renaissance” tour have been added, including a concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
