- Ticketmaster announced a slate of changes Monday, including upfront prices and updated wait times.
- The changes came the same day a new ban on junk fees went into effect.
- Ticketmaster came under scrutiny after Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, when the site crashed.
If Taylor Swift ever tours again, her fans will at least know how long they’ll have to wait in line for tickets.
On Monday, the Biden-era ban on junk fees went into effect and Ticketmaster announced a slate of changes it’s making to comply with the new rules. Some of the changes address frustrations Swifties faced when they tried to buy tickets for her 2022 Eras tour in droves, only to have Ticketmaster crash.
The company said that it will now tell hopeful fans their exact spot in line and how many people are ahead of them. It will provide “real time sale updates” for the most popular events as fans wait in line, providing information on ticket availability and pricing.
Ticketmaster is also introducing “All in Prices,” which will display the full ticket price upfront, including all fees. The all-in price doesn’t include local taxes or delivery fees, though.
In 2022, Swift loyalists spent hours on their computers waiting for Eras tickets — one fan previously described the seemingly endless queue as “a madhouse.” Human beings battled bots for the coveted seats, and some ended up shelling out thousands for resale tickets. Ticketmaster committed to “fighting more bots harder than ever” on Monday.
It’s not just the FTC that scrutinized Ticketmaster after the fiasco — the Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against Live Nation Entertainment, its parent company. The DOJ alleges that Live Nation and Ticketmaster unlawfully dominate the market, stifling innovation in having too much control over fans and artists. Ultimately, the ongoing suit seeks to break up Live Nation — fitting, given that Swift is the champion of the breakup song.
Representatives for Swift and Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to BI’s request for comment.
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