Swiftie fury at Ticketmaster prompts congressional responses


As the debacle over Ticketmaster's bungled handling of ticket presales for Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour continues this week, Swifties across the country can take heart that their frustration has not gone unnoticed by those in a position to actually do something about it: members of Congress.
The uproar from one of pop music's most rabidly dedicated fandoms over the ticket distribution giant's choppy rollout for Swift's upcoming tour has led lawmakers from the House and Senate to chime in. They've used the occasion to point out Ticketmaster's near-total dominance in its field, and the regulatory failings they claim contributed to the Swift sale meltdown.
As several of the lawmakers noted in their statements, Ticketmaster's 2010 merger with Live Nation created what's been frequently regarded as a monopoly over the entertainment industry wherein it now serves as the sole sales platform for many live events. In a class action suit filed against the company in early 2022, Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment is described as a "monster" that "must be stopped," and which has acted against earlier court settlements while making it exorbitantly difficult for other vendors to compete in the ticket sales market.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Swifties are hardly the first fandom to go after Ticketmaster for its grip on ticket distribution. Between 1994 and 1995, Pearl Jam led fans in a 14-month boycott of the company, only to partner with Ticketmaster two decades later during their 2018 North American tour.
As Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) noted in a follow-up tweet to his initial Swiftie complaint, he and several other Democratic lawmakers have a standing call for the Justice Department to investigate Ticketmaster and its parent company for "efforts to jack up prices and strangle competition."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Holy mate-trimony: the rise of 'friendship marriages'
Under the Radar Young people in China, Japan and the US are saying 'I do' to platonic unions, to alleviate social pressure or loneliness and access financial benefits
-
Deportations ensnare migrant families, U.S. citizens
Feature Trump's deportation crackdown is sweeping up more than just immigrants as ICE targets citizens, judges and nursing mothers
-
Trump shrugs off warnings over trade war costs
Feature Trump's tariffs are spiraling the U.S. toward an economic crisis as shipments slow down—and China doesn't plan to back down
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote