by Sharelle Burt

February 3, 2023

U.S. Judiciary Committee Warns Ticketmaster It’s Being ‘Watched’ Ahead of Beyoncé Ticket Release

Beyoncé stopped the world again earlier this week after announcing her upcoming tour, Renaissance, and the government is warning Ticketmaster to get ready.

The United States Senate Judiciary Committee sent a warning to Ticketmaster saying “they’re watching” in case of system shutdowns, The Hill reports.

The subtle warning came via Twitter as fans prepare for the ticket release in a few weeks.

The mega ticket marketplace has been under fire recently after Taylor Swift fans found themselves unlucky in securing seats for the Grammy-winning artist’s upcoming tour.

Fans waited hours in the queue for tickets but were left empty-handed due to system glitches. Calling themselves “Swifties,” the Hill reports several fans filed lawsuits against Ticketmaster claiming “antitrust violations.”

The same issue happened to fans of megastar Bad Bunny when fake ticket sales caused chaos for his show in Mexico.

The Taylor Swift lawsuits caused the Judiciary Committee to host a hearing in January to investigate the “lack of competition” in the ticketing industry, putting Live Nation’s President Joe Berchtold in the hot seat.

“This whole concert ticket system is a mess — it’s a monopolistic mess,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal told HuffPost. Accused of being a “monopoly,” Berchtold told the committee Ticketmaster the company has an “obligation to do better.”

The committee is not trying to have the same smoke with the Queen Bey fans, known as the vicious “Beyhive,” as they anticipate similar issues for Beyoncé fans.

The Renaissance world tour is already slated to become Bey’s highest-grossing tour.

According to HuffPost, Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, said the number of registrations for the tour has “already exceeded the number of available tickets by more than 800%” in some cities.

Shortly after, more dates in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston were added to the schedule.

 


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