Class Action Lawsuits Filed Against Ticketmaster & Live Nation
Most music fans have heard of the recent debacle surrounding ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Era’s Tour. With hundreds of thousands of people trying to buy tickets, Ticketmaster’s site crashed within an hour of tickets going on sale. This was just one of many issues that began with Ticketmaster’s presale event. Plagued by issues with bots, scammers, and hours-long wait times, Ticketmaster and parent company, Live Nation, are now facing both a federal class action lawsuit and a California lawsuit that allege fraud, misrepresentation, price-fixing, and antitrust violations.
Key issues in these lawsuits:
- Alleged violations of California’s Cartwright Act and the California Unfair Competition Law regarding how Ticketmaster managed its presale event
- Accusations of intentionally misleading verified ticket purchases and allowing scalpers and bots to access the presale event
- Price-fixing issues associated with Ticketmaster’s being in control of the primary ticket market as well as both being heavily involved in the secondary ticket market and having stadium agreements that ultimately force ticket buyers to pay more for tickets
As reported in Rolling Stone, the complaint is seeking $2,500 in civil fines per violation, as well as attorney’s fees and any additional relief deemed appropriate.
Larger Antitrust Implications
While the class-action lawsuits filed deal directly with the sale of Taylor Swift tickets, the larger implications of this case are already being seen. For example, these cases have caused Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, to ask the FTC to crack down on bots and ticket scammers. Meanwhile, other politicians have raised concerns regarding Live Nation’s seeming monopoly.
This has also caused the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster (forming Live Nation Entertainment) to come under scrutiny yet again. When the Justice Department initially approved the merger in 2010, there was significant opposition. During this time, Live Nation reached a settlement in which it was legally forbidden from threatening concert venues with loss of tour access if they used other ticketing providers than Ticketmaster. In 2019, the Justice Department found Live Nation in repeated violation of this settlement, and now, they have begun a new investigation to see if they are still in violation.
The Importance of Class Action Lawsuits
While the outcome of the class action suits against Ticketmaster are far from determined, they do highlight the importance of class action lawsuits when it comes to protecting consumers. Even with antitrust laws in place, companies may still make unlawful actions that harm consumers. If you are a consumer suffering from a corporation's violation of antitrust laws or other harmful business practices, it can be difficult to find recourse and justice. This is why class action lawsuits are so important.
Because class action lawsuits allow individual plaintiffs to pool their resources and bring their claims en masse, they have a legitimate chance to stand up to the company or corporation and enact real, systemic change. It is also a way for a large number of similarly affected people to receive compensation and justice. Furthermore, class action lawsuits can also help other corporations from making the same mistakes or problematic decisions to avoid investigations and being drawn into expensive litigation.
If you believe you have a case against a corporation or have questions about joining a class action lawsuit that affects you, reach out to Golomb Legal. for guidance. Entering a class action case or accepting a class action settlement can affect your legal rights.