Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Tommaso Boddi / WireImage

Ahead of today’s senate hearing, Ticketmaster’s blaming the Taylor Swift debacle on cyberattacks

Ticketmaster is citing unprecedented attacks as the source for the complete website crash during ticket sales for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour.

Ticketmaster is blaming bots for the system breakdown it experienced during the sale of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour tickets, according to written testimony provided by parent company Live Nation ahead of today’s Senate hearing.

Recommended Videos

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, happening Tuesday, was prompted by Ticketmaster’s complete failure to sustain the overwhelming demand for Taylor Swift tickets, the pre-sale of which began on Nov. 15. Fans of the singer, feeling cheated and scammed, quickly called for action from the Department of Justice, even receiving backing from politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the chairwoman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, Senator Amy Klobuchar.

After the pre-sale debacle, Ticketmaster outright canceled the general sale, citing “extraordinarily high demands,” and “insufficient remaining ticket inventory.” In his testimony, Ticketmaster parent company Live Action’s President Joe Berchtold alleges the website was attacked by “three times the amount of bot traffic than we had ever experienced,” which the company says hit their Verified Fan access code servers for the first time ever.

Verified Fan access codes were created to elude scalpers by pre-vetting those who can access pre-sales. According to Berchtold, despite attempts, “the bots failed to penetrate our systems or acquire any tickets,” but forced the platform to slow down and even halt sales.

Over two million tickets were sold for The Eras Tour, with only 5% apparently landing on resale websites, the BBC reports. However, the buying process was grueling for fans, who spent hours upon hours in queues, and wound up spending excessive amounts of money on limited visibility seats.

After a 2010 merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, there are virtually no competing ticketing companies operating in the U.S. “The high fees, site disruptions and cancellations that customers experienced shows how Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company does not face any pressure to continually innovate and improve,” Senator Amy Klobuchar said in a statement.

The Senate will be accessing whether Ticketmaster and Live Nation have or are engaging in any anti-competition practices that may harm consumers and artists during the hearing later today.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Francisca Tinoco
Francisca Tinoco
Francisca is a pop culture enthusiast and film expert. Her Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences from Nova University in Portugal and Master's Degree in Film Studies from Oxford Brookes University in the UK have allowed her to combine her love for writing with her love for the movies. She has been a freelance writer and content creator for five years, working in both the English and Portuguese languages for various platforms, including WGTC.