Sen. Blumenthal & Taylor Swift Fans Unite In Calling For Antitrust Enforcement

On Monday, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced the Unlock Ticketing Markets Act in front of the Schubert Theatre in New Haven. He discussed the need to address issues with ticketing systems, citing the recent difficulties experienced by Taylor Swift fans attempting to purchase tickets for the Era Tour.

Blumenthal proposed a plan to simplify and reduce the cost of obtaining event tickets. He stated that the proposed legislation would challenge the dominance of Ticketmaster and Live Nation in the ticketing industry.

“It will unlock venues from exclusive long-term contracts that enable Ticketmaster in those contracts to insist, demand, that those venues use Ticketmaster,” he said.

Related: Taylor Swift Fans Get Their Day In Court Over Ticketmaster Fiasco

According to him, the two retailers have a significant share of ticket sales in the U.S., leading to higher prices and hindering innovation.

Many fans attempting to purchase tickets online experienced technical difficulties, including unexpected additional fees and glitches, resulting in some being unable to secure tickets to the artist’s live performance.

The Unlock Ticketing Markets Act is a legislative proposal aimed at promoting competition in the ticketing industry. Some large concert venues have exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster for up to a decade, which limits options for artists with large fan bases and may result in negative business practices by Ticketmaster. Senator Blumenthal supports this act as a means of protecting artists and consumers.

Read through the bill here.