Taylor Swift, Ticketmaster, and the Year That Live Music Broke

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Pearl Jam may have tried and failed to break Ticketmaster’s monopoly in the concert industry in 1994, but it might be Tay Swift who succeeds in 2021. After fans were left frustrated by the disastrous ticketing for Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour, Congress is gearing up for another Ticketmaster hearing. The debacle has highlighted the company’s lack of healthy competition, leading to enormous service fees and a race to the bottom. While Ticketmaster can’t be exonerated of all responsibility, the demand for Swift’s tickets was unparalleled and any ticketing agency would have faced immense struggle. Despite the mega-conglomerates dominating the industry, it’s the middle-class artists that are really feeling the squeeze, struggling to survive on the harsh realities of the modern music industry. Read full article here

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