Ticketmaster faces a lawsuit in the United States for allegedly inflating costs of concert tickets
Ticketmaster Faces Allegations of Colluding with Scalpers in U.S. Lawsuit
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, alleging that the companies conspired with ticket scalpers to violate purchase and price limits. According to the FTC, consumers spent over $82.6 billion buying tickets through Ticketmaster from 2019 to 2024.
The lawsuit accuses Ticketmaster of turning a blind eye to scalpers who routinely exceeded ticket and price limits using thousands of fake accounts. The companies are also accused of allowing scalpers to obtain millions of tickets in violation of purchase limits.
One of the key issues raised in the lawsuit is Ticketmaster's pricing practices. The FTC alleges that advertised ticket prices were lower than the final costs due to mandatory fees and surcharges, amounting to up to 44% of the final ticket cost. This translates to a total of $16.4 billion between 2019 and 2024, according to the FTC.
The lawsuit also targets Ticketmaster's software platform, TradeDesk, which was allegedly used to support scalpers in managing tickets acquired through multiple accounts for reselling. Interestingly, TradeDesk is a third-party advertising technology company, not affiliated with Ticketmaster.
Andrew Ferguson, the President of the FTC, stated that live entertainment in the U.S. should be accessible to all and should not cost a fortune. He cited President Donald Trump's executive order to protect consumers from ticket price abuses as a guiding principle in the FTC's decision to file the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in California, along with seven states, but does not mention any new developments in the U.S. regulatory agency's case against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, nor does it provide new information about the involvement of other companies like Live Nation.
It's important to note that the FTC's allegations do not include any new statements from Andrew Ferguson or President Donald Trump's executive order. Similarly, the article does not mention any new information related to the UIF's list of blocked individuals in the Mexican financial system.
As the case unfolds, consumers and the live entertainment industry will be closely watching developments to see if the allegations against Ticketmaster and Live Nation are substantiated and what, if any, changes may result from the lawsuit.
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