Washington, D.C. — In response to Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s recent announcement that it will be managing ticket sales for Metallica’s M72 world tour in 2023 and 2024, with presale tickets available as early as November 30, the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition released the following statement.

“Fans looking to secure Metallica tickets can only hope Live Nation-Ticketmaster has improved its services since the Taylor Swift meltdown because they have no other choice,” said the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition. “Their monopoly power lets them get away with barely-functioning infrastructure, long wait times, and high fees. Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s abuse and negligence is the reason almost 50,000 fans, artists, and independent venue owners are calling on the Department of Justice to break their dominance over live events.”

In mid-October, a broad coalition of allies launched #BreakUpTicketmaster, a campaign to urge the Department of Justice to investigate and unwind the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger of 2010 (the genesis of this monopoly). The campaign has mobilized almost 50,000 people to tell the Department of Justice to break them up.

When Taylor Swift presale tickets went on sale in November, fans were met with exceedingly long wait times, non-existent customer service, and tickets reselling for upwards of $30,000. Despite giving out a known set of presale ticket codes to fans, Ticketmaster appeared woefully unprepared for the demand. Since Live Nation-Ticketmaster does not face sufficient competition in either major venues or ticketing systems, there are insufficient incentives for the corporation to invest in technology, infrastructure, or other processes that can handle high demand. The situation devolved so quickly that Ticketmaster had to cancel the rest of the sale and Taylor Swift herself spoke out against it.

The #BreakUpTicketmaster campaign spent this period directing fans to learn how Ticketmaster’s monopoly power played a significant part in the events. As a result of the chaos, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division hinted that it would open an antitrust investigation into Live Nation-Ticketmaster.

Learn more about the Break Up Ticketmaster Coalition here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.