Ticketmaster is once again in hot water. This time, they’ve been accused of colluding with scalpers while the push for reforms by President Trump aims to diminish their grip on the market.
Live Nation-Ticketmaster is currently facing significant lawsuits from the DOJ and around 40 states, branding them as a monopoly that negatively impacts consumers, artists, and venues. The FTC has suggested that Ticketmaster might be sorting through hundreds of thousands of tickets using bots and fraudulent accounts.
The FTC’s complaint claims that the company has been working alongside scalpers. Reports indicate that internal presentations from Ticketmaster in 2018 raised concerns about the economic implications of imposing stricter purchase limits to control bots, but seemed worried about the financial impact it might have. There was even an email exchange related to exceeding ticket limits for a Bad Bunny concert, where Ticketmaster representatives suggested that buying through different accounts and cards was acceptable.
This isn’t the first time Ticketmaster has faced allegations of colluding with scalpers. A 2018 investigation suggested they may have engaged with professional scalpers at an industry event in Las Vegas, allowing them to cheat their own system and expand their resale operations, which Ticketmaster refuted as “not categorically true.”
Now, instead of tackling the issue of ticket-buying bots as demanded by Trump, Ticketmaster seems to be pushing for a proposal that would stifle competition and maintain their monopoly.
In March, President Trump signed a Presidential Order aimed at cleaning up the live entertainment market and addressing the bot issue. However, rather than making substantive changes on its platform, Ticketmaster has proposed a government-mandated price cap on resale tickets.
Critics, including Trump’s allies, have branded this as a blatant attempt by Ticketmaster to consolidate power, leaving fans worse off. Former House member Matt Gaetz criticized Ticketmaster’s proposal, calling it a deceptive move rather than a true effort to assist fans.
“The proposal seems aimed at stifling competition in resale, allowing Ticketmaster to increase rates while disadvantaging consumers,” he asserted.
Brian Pandya, who previously served as a deputy attorney during the Trump administration, echoed these concerns, warning that Ticketmaster’s pricing strategy could suffocate competitors, trapping consumers in a monopolized market.
Pandya noted that as Ticketmaster collaborates with bots and price adjustments, ticket buyers heavily rely on resale platforms, and a price cap could ultimately harm competition instead of helping it.
Charlie Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA, has also opposed the resale price cap, emphasizing the need for the Trump administration to address the bot issue at Ticketmaster directly.
Plans for ticket reform from Trump’s DOJ, FTC, and Treasury are expected in the coming months, leaving fans eager to see if Ticketmaster will indeed register any significant changes.
