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Nevada AG joins others in investigating Ticketmaster over Taylor Swift controversy
EVA RINALDI/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS“There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets, and I’m trying to figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward,” singer Taylor Swift posted.
By KATELYNN RICHARDSON
THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) — The Nevada Attorney General’s office announced that it is investigating Ticketmaster for “alleged deceptive or unfair trade practices.”
“Our office has received consumer complaints regarding the recent issues with Ticketmaster, and we are investigating the company for alleged deceptive or unfair trade practices,” the tweet stated.
The Friday morning announcement comes after widespread complaints from Taylor Swift fans who encountered massive system glitches as they tried to purchase tickets to her Eras Tour. Ticketmaster issued an update Tuesday, rescheduling certain pre-sales due to “historically unprecedented demand.”
On Thursday, Ticketmaster canceled the general public ticket sale entirely due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems.”
The attorneys general of Tennessee and North Carolina also announced that their offices would investigate the company this week.
Tennessee’s AG Jonathan Skrmetti was first to announce. On Tuesday, his office tweeted, “(Mr. Skrmetti) and his Consumer Protection team will use every available tool to ensure that no consumer protection laws were violated.”
In an interview with the Tennessee Star, Mr. Skrmetti said Ticketmaster is a potential example of violating both fair trade laws and antitrust laws, issues that fall under the attorney general’s consumer protection work.
“@Ticketmaster’s decision to cancel sales underscores the important need for accountability,” his office tweeted on Thursday. “Fans deserve a fair chance to buy a ticket. I’m encouraged by other state AGs who are taking this issue seriously as well.”
North Carolina’s Attorney General’s Office paired its Thursday announcement with a play on one of the songs from Ms. Swift’s new “Midnights” album.
“BREAKING: You’re NOT on your own, kid,” the office said. “Attorney General @JoshStein_ is investigating Ticketmaster for allegedly violating consumers’ rights and antitrust laws.”
Nevada Attorney General’s Office communications director John Sadler also incorporated a Taylor Swift song lyric into the announcement.
And the Department of Justice is investigating Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, for potential antitrust violations, the New York Times reported Friday. The investigation reportedly predates the recent Taylor Swift ticket chaos.
“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse,” Ms. Swift weighed in on a Friday post on her Instagram story.
“There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets, and I’m trying to figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward,” she continued. “I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand, and we were assured they could.”
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