The Eras Tour is Ending, But the Issue is Not Going Anywhere

Gone are the days of standing outside a box office in the freezing cold or blazing heat to buy tickets to see your favorite artist. Now, tickets are bought primarily online, and while it may be more convenient, this system brings a new set of problems.

With the introduction of the global sensation, The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift inadvertently started a conversation in the United States about ticket prices and resellers. The issue arose when Swift’s fans, otherwise known as “Swifties,” were unable to purchase tickets during the Verified Pre-Sale and now are unable to afford tickets because of ticket resellers. The underlying issue is that ticket resellers, buy tickets at face value and then resell them to fans at a marked-up price, or sell speculative tickets, which are tickets that do not exist. This has prompted the United States Department of Justice to file a lawsuit against Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, for antitrust violations. But breaking up Ticketmaster will not solve the underlying issue.

At the end of her acclaimed Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has returned to North America for shows in Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto, and Vancouver. For fans who were not lucky enough to purchase tickets during the pre-sale, they hope to purchase tickets before the show starts. Those fans hoping to attend one of the last shows in the United States, will be facing average prices of $2,600 per ticket. However, this was not the case in Europe. When Swift took her tour across the Atlantic, many fans realized they could travel to Europe to see the show cheaper than seeing Swift in the United States. For Swift’s first European show in Paris, France, fans were able to purchase tickets for $340 per ticket. If a fan hoped to see the show in London, United Kingdom, they could secure a ticket for $900.

The reason for the drastic difference in ticket prices is European countries’ consumer protection laws, which keep the prices of tickets down. The United Kingdom currently regulates ticket resales through the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, among other legislation. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires that ticket resellers provide “the face value of the ticket, the seat number or location of the standing area at the venue, any restrictions limiting the use of the tickets to persons of a particular description, and any connection the seller has with either the event organizer or online facility on which the ticket is being resold” to consumers before the purchase of the ticket. In the United States, there is no such federal legislation to regulate the resale of tickets; however, there has been an increase in state legislation in response to the Taylor Swift controversy. Maryland and Minnesota are two states that have signed bills regulating ticket price transparency and speculative tickets. While it is a large step for states to be giving attention to this issue, it is time for the federal government to step up. If the United States hopes to protect concert goers from paying extreme prices, being scammed out of their money, and keep art accessible, they need to enact legislation that will regulate this issue at the federal level.

Article Written by Jenna Mazza

Sources:

Dave Brooks, Why Are Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tickets So Much Cheaper in Europe?, BILLBOARD (May 2, 2024), available at https://www.billboard.com/business/touring/taylor-swift-eras-tour-tickets-cheaper-europe-1235671760/ (last visited Oct. 27, 2024).

Lorraine Conway, Ticket Resales, HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY 1, 5 (Oct. 1, 2024), available at https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04715/SN04715.pdf (last visited Oct. 28, 2024).

Dawn Chmielewski, Explainer: Why U.S. concert tickets are so expensive, REUTERS (May 23, 2024), available at https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04715/SN04715.pdf (last visited Oct. 27, 2024).

Angela Yang, The Justice Department wants to ‘break up Live Nation.’ Taylor Swift fans are ready for it., NBC NEWS (May 24, 2024, 11:20 AM), available at https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/taylor-swift-fans-justice-deparment-live-nation-lawsuit-reaction-rcna153729 (last visited Oct. 27, 2024).

Office of Public Affairs, Justice Department Sues Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (May 23, 2024), available at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-monopolizing-markets-across-live-concert (last visited Oct. 27, 2024).

Daysia Tolentino, Maryland governor signs bill banning the sale of speculative tickets, NBC NEWS (May 9, 2024) available at https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/maryland-governor-signs-bill-banning-sale-speculative-tickets-rcna151552 (last visited Oct. 27, 2024).