FTC and Seven States Sue Ticketmaster Over Alleged Coordination With Scalpers
- Reference: 0179351112
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/09/18/181207/ftc-and-seven-states-sue-ticketmaster-over-alleged-coordination-with-scalpers
- Source link:
The FTC claims this practice violates the Better Online Ticket Sales Act and generates hundreds of millions in revenue through a "triple dip" fee structure -- collecting fees on initial broker purchases, then from both brokers and consumers on secondary market sales. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson cited President Trump's March executive order requiring federal protection against ticketing practices. The lawsuit arrives one month after the FTC sued Maryland broker Key Investment Group [2]over Taylor Swift tour price-gouging and follows the Department of Justice's 2024 monopoly suit against Live Nation.
[1] https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-engaging-illegal-ticket-resale-tactics-deceiving-artists-consumers
[2] https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/08/19/0716252/us-ftc-sues-ticket-reseller-for-evading-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-ticket-limits
Ticket Lottery (Score:3)
Last story on Ticketmaster a poster here mentioned that in Japan for large events they do a lottery system and did a little digging and it seems like an interesting idea.
Personally I think it's maybe the only possible solution to this issue. It simply comes down to the fact that concerts are a once-in-a-lifetime type event and will always be limited, a performer can only do so many shows so you are guaranteed a distorted market.
[1]https://www.japanconcertticket... [japanconcerttickets.com]
The alternative here is an actual free market (which works in this case as this total luxury-good territory, nobody requires a concert to live) where everything is auction based and concerts are no longer something for every-man but something you only do on special occasions since high profile ones are going to be very expensive, which feels shitty but that's reality of what the demand is.
I personally would like to see performers do more multi-dates in cities when shows sell out, like if it's sold out and say a waitlist can fill another show, do another show. Of course that's easy for me to say, I'm not the one doing it.
Another thing I would love to see more of is virtual tickets where I could buy a streaming ticket for the night and watch the show from home. I think it would take some of the sting out of not being able to get tickets or afford them. Some bands like King Gizzard just livestream the shows on Youtube for free which is pretty cool but live shows are the moneymaker for a lot bands but if I could buy a streaming pass for $20 I'd be inclined to do it. Of course then you might have an issue where the show is 1/2 empty because everyone did it.
[1] https://www.japanconcerttickets.com/5-basics/
VR concerts (Score:2)
> Another thing I would love to see more of is virtual tickets where I could buy a streaming ticket for the night and watch the show from home. I think it would take some of the sting out of not being able to get tickets or afford them.
I can see in the future some sort of "VR concert" where you can "attend" (by wearing a VR set) a live event, and experience it as, say, a front-row spectator.
They would still exist as live events, but be less 'luxury good' only available to the rich/lucky few.
Kinda like how the VCR lifted the limits of how you can view movies, etc.
Only half the problem (Score:3)
I realize that half is the focus of the article, but it misses a huge piece of the perniciousness.
They demand exclusivity with venues.
Which means you either hand over all your booking and ticket sales (for a fee, of course) to them, or not be able to book any Ticketmaster artists. If you haven't considered the question, you may not recognize that artist-choice and ticketing are two of the biggest levers a club owner has to manage their business. Most of the other costs of business are pretty inflexible -
Re: (Score:2)
True, I should have gotten to that as well since we are talking what would have to be laws basically but yeah the Live Nation/Ticketmaster thing of owning venues and being the exclusive seller and charging the fees and the whole thing is rotten for sure.
If we are talking about a corporate bust-up of the company I am certainly down
Re: (Score:2)
> Another thing I would love to see more of is virtual tickets where I could buy a streaming ticket for the night and watch the show from home.
Or just wait until the first night of the tour for someone to capture the stream and upload it to the high seas.
I think most people attend concerts for the experience of going with someone else. Significant other, besties, lover on the side (just don't get caught on the kiss cam), etc. Also, live music is a completely different experience with the roar of the crowd, the drinks and junk food, and how absolutely insanely loud the sound system is. Streaming the show from home isn't the same thing, and I don
Re: (Score:2)
Ehh phones have gotten way better but it's no substitute for getting the sound off the board and some real videography.
I am biased since i love the band but look at what [1]KGATLW does for free [youtu.be], this a concert from last night. Sounds great, looks great, everything's in focus and the bass isn't blowing out the tiny mic.
Is it a substitute for the real live experience? Of course not but it's not really a comparison between streaming and the live show since those are incomparable but between streaming and nothing
[1] https://youtu.be/0H71xxP8OBA?list=RD0H71xxP8OBA&t=804
Re: (Score:2)
> Ehh phones have gotten way better but it's no substitute for getting the sound off the board and some real videography.
I probably should've been clearer that one of the objections bands probably have to this is the piracy aspect. The second you put a good quality stream online, someone will capture and share it.
Usually most bigger name acts do put out a video of their show at the end of the tour. Granted, the waiting sucks.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah for sure that's a concern but I am banking on a couple things:
1. People will want to see *their* show in their town that's happening that night and probably even as it's happening or not long after.
2. By nature of paying it would probably be on a token/login system so a pirate would have to pay for that show to get it, which they would be willing to do in many cases..
3. That pirates wouldn't be too inclined to rip every show every night since that becomes a lot of work and for your smaller or midrange
Re: (Score:2)
All they need to do is tie the ticket purchase to an identity and require ID at the door while allowing returns on the tickets for when things go wrong and someone can't make the show. There's no legitimate need for a resale market for tickets if things are set up properly.
Re: (Score:2)
> All they need to do is tie the ticket purchase to an identity and require ID at the door while allowing returns on the tickets for when things go wrong and someone can't make the show. There's no legitimate need for a resale market for tickets if things are set up properly.
This is basically what the major theme parks do. They got fed up with unauthorized ticket resellers quite awhile ago.
Re: (Score:2)
Concert I went to just this week used DICE for tickets which were phone only and the code only shows up 2 hours before doors open but you can resell on their app, which seems similar to what you're saying.
Oddly for this venue though once we showed up nobody actually scanned it, we just walked in but that's neither here nor there...
Re: (Score:2)
The thin is, the artists WANT to keep the prices down because they (or at least their managers) understand that fans able to get tickets and see concerts is a driving force for their fandom. You don't get big or even stay big by only being seen by a few wealthy patrons (or their kids).
Re: (Score:2)
And I do appreciate that but it's at the core of the whole scalper issue is that by doing that they are creating a distorted market since the demand price that people are willing to pay is higher than the sell value so there will always be a black market unless something is done and brute force doesn't seem to be working.
Just as important as the pricing is the first-come-first-serve nature of sales, lottery solves for both.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
> But the fact that that calculation is going on is fucking insane and we should all be freaking the fuck out right now
As I heard someone say recently - we're now towards the end of that authoritarian playbook, not the beginning of it. Should've been freaking the fuck out long ago.
Re: (Score:2)
Or it could just be some lawyers looking for another payday. Can never have too many yachts, beachfront homes, or luxury RVs.
Last time they got sued, my partner and I ended up with a whole bunch of credits/points/some type of virtual scrip that could be redeemed to see bands we'd never heard of. I'm totally looking forward to being able to score free tickets to Ryan and The Chumbuckets - A Nickelback Tribute at some bar in Tampa.
That would still be on Trump (Score:2)
Because he hired people that were readily corruptible.
Believe it or not it isn't that hard to hire people who aren't easily corruptible. There are lots of competent people who enter public service to actually be in public service. Revolving doors do suck but they aren't universal.
It's about the culture and yeah when you've got Trump at the top then shit's going to rot from the top down.
But I think you're mixing up a class action lawsuit from a private attorney with the actual FTC bringing a suit
Really?! (Score:2)
> The lawsuit arrives one month after the FTC sued Maryland broker Key Investment Group over Taylor Swift tour price-gouging...
I'm surprised the administration didn't de-fund the FTC over them going to bat for Taylor Swift fans...
Re: (Score:2)
> The lawsuit arrives one month after the FTC sued Maryland broker Key Investment Group over Taylor Swift tour price-gouging...
Ever seen the pricing of the merch on Taylor Swift's store, or how she'll release like 15 different color variants of the same vinyl record at $30 a pop? The only problem she has with price gouging is when she's not the one scoring the profits.
Shut them down! (Score:3, Insightful)
A company that effectively owns all the venues for events is a de facto monopoly. Even selling a single ticket is abuse of that monopoly, given no one else can host the event(s).
Re: (Score:3)
> A company that effectively owns all the venues for events is a de facto monopoly.
I don't believe Ticket Master/Live Nation owns (many, any?) of the venues, but you're right that they do have exclusivity for selling tickets at said venues, for pretty much any and all events that matter to those venues.
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, they own a few and have a contractual lock on many many more.