Pearl Jam v. Ticketmaster: What Happened?
If you weren’t already aware: Ticketmaster (specifically its parent company Live Nation) is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice on multiple grounds, including monopoly and consumer rights violations.
The investigation was brought on by the live entertainment company’s mishandling of the ticket presale for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour on November 15th, 2022, with the tour set to begin in 2023.
To make a long story short: it seems that Ticketmaster’s website could not handle the large influx of Taylor Swift fans looking to purchase tickets for her upcoming tour.
Reportedly, Ticketmaster users were logged out of their accounts and/or placed in an extremely lengthy queue that never seemed to move forward — sparking backlash across multiple social media platforms.
Ticketmaster initially responded to the widespread frustration with a statement that referred to their website as being “unprepared to accommodate the sheer number of [Taylor Swift] fans” looking to purchase tickets.
But, on November 18th, Taylor Swift herself revealed via an Instagram story that Ticketmaster had allegedly “assured” her and her team that the site could handle large-scale demand — something Ms. Swift had inquired about on behalf of her fans.
Ms. Swift, who says she feels “protective” of her fans and finds it difficult to “trust an entity [Ticketmaster] with these kinds of relationships and loyalties,” concluded her statement with the announcement that she’s taking steps to resolve the issue so that ticket sales may resume.
After learning all of this, it may not be much of a surprise to hear that this is not the first time an artist has found themselves frustrated with Ticketmaster.
On May 6th, 1994, grunge band Pearl Jam filed a complaint against Ticketmaster via the U.S. Department of Justice — who had prompted them to do so in the first place — on the grounds that Ticketmaster had used its power in the industry to prevent promoters from booking the band because they opposed Ticketmaster’s concert prices.
In their complaint, Pearl Jam alleged that Ticketmaster had a “monopoly” over ticket distribution due to personal connections with concert venues — which left artists, their managers, and concertgoers with no other viable alternative.
The alternative rock band also pointed out that service fees charged by the company unfairly raised the price of tickets: rendering them inaccessible to fans who could not afford the higher costs.
(To be more specific regarding pricing: Pearl Jam had reportedly requested $1.80 service fees on $18 tickets while Ticketmaster typically charged at least two or three times that amount. Some tickets ended up with service fees as high as $18.)
Because of the band’s popularity, some remained hopeful that Pearl Jam’s speaking out could spark change. At the time the Seattle quintet — which is currently composed of Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, and Matt Cameron — was widely considered to be the most popular rock band in America.
But despite the publicity of the situation and the Department of Justice initially stating that they would investigate the “possible anti-competitive practices in the ticket distribution industry,” Pearl Jam’s case was closed in July of 1995 without action.
The primary reason for the closing, according to sources close to the case, was the “difficulty” that came with challenging Ticketmaster. The company had already signed exclusive contracts with venue owners and promoters; the antitrust division at the time was “stretched thin”; and officials working on the case viewed it as a “difficult one with highly uncertain prospects.”
“Unfortunately, those who will be most hurt by the Justice Department’s cave-in are the consumers of live entertainment,” a spokesperson for Pearl Jam said in response to the case’s closing. “The consumers are the ones who ultimately pay for the lack of choice in the marketplace.”
Some good did come of the endeavor: Ticketmaster reportedly softened its policies regarding service fees so that alternative rock bands could provide lower-cost tickets for their fans. The ticket giant had never budged from their set prices before, so this came as a surprise.
Also prior to Pearl Jam’s complaint, the general public was seemingly unaware of Ticketmaster’s immense presence in the industry; not to mention the exclusive contracts they offered to venues. They were, however, aware that ticket prices were climbing higher and higher.
This case marked the first time an artist, rather than frustrated fans on their own, publicly spoke out against Ticketmaster and brought their hidden dealings out into the open.
Hopefully, this time around — thanks to Taylor Swift, her fans, and everyone else who has spoken out — the investigation into Ticketmaster won’t be dropped so easily: and both artists and concertgoers can benefit from the results!
