The massive tour could have a lasting impact on Ticketmaster.
Any way you look at it, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a huge success. The highest-grossing tour of all time just wrapped up.
Fans from around the world shelled out big money to see Swift strut her stuff on stage.
When tickets went on sale in fall of 2022, those dedicated fans were ready to buy – there was just one problem – it appeared that Ticketmaster was not prepared for the onslaught.
There were a ton of problems when those tickets went live: the site crashed, fans reported waiting for hours only to see the page freeze, and the only ones who seemed to be able to snatch up tickets were the bots. All the drama attracted the attention of Washington, launching congressional hearings and eventually, the Justice Department sued Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, saying it was too large and needed to be broken up.
While Live Nation rejects that accusation, it is undoubtedly the major player when it comes to live entertainment. It owns not only Ticketmaster, but also 265 venues. According to reports, it is even an investor in the food and beverage brands sold inside its venues.
And while the new Trump administration is expected to be more friendly to big business, political watchers say Live Nation is so unpopular that Republicans are unlikely to force the DOJ to drop the lawsuit.
