Ticketmaster Faces Backlash Over Eras Tour Ticket Chaos

Experts say company's crisis communications worsened the situation, leading to antitrust lawsuit

Mar. 17, 2026 at 5:30am

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Ticketmaster faced a major crisis when sales for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour launched in November 2022, with the company's website crashing and the situation worsening throughout the day. Communications experts say Ticketmaster's actions and inaction turned the technical issue into a full-blown scandal, with the company failing to respond quickly, take responsibility, or offer corrective action. This led to increased public anger, regulatory attention, and an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Why it matters

The Eras Tour ticketing debacle highlighted growing concerns about Ticketmaster's dominance in the live event ticketing industry and its ability to handle high-demand events. The crisis communication failures further damaged public trust in the company and contributed to the antitrust lawsuit, which could have significant implications for the live entertainment industry.

The details

Within minutes of the first "verified fan" presales opening, the Ticketmaster site began crashing, and the situation worsened throughout the day. Ticketmaster was slow to respond, issued halfhearted statements, and blamed bots for the issues, rather than taking full responsibility. The company also deleted a blog post and reminded the public of its past successes, further angering customers and the media. This led to increased scrutiny of Ticketmaster's parent company, Live Nation, and questions about whether the company is a monopoly.

  • The Eras Tour ticket sales launched on November 15, 2022.
  • Ticketmaster's crisis communications were examined from November 15, 2022, to January 24, 2023, when Live Nation's president testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

The players

Ticketmaster

A digital ticketing platform that faced a major crisis during the launch of sales for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

Live Nation

The parent company of Ticketmaster, which faced increased scrutiny over its alleged monopolistic practices in the live entertainment industry.

Dane Kiambi

An expert in crisis communications and associate professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, who published a case study examining Ticketmaster's crisis communication failures.

Joe Berchtold

The president of Live Nation, who was called to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the Eras Tour ticketing chaos.

Taylor Swift

The popular musician whose Eras Tour ticket sales were at the center of the Ticketmaster crisis.

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What they’re saying

“When crisis communications are done well, they stay hidden, but when it goes wrong, it's visible everywhere, and Ticketmaster did everything wrong.”

— Dane Kiambi, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

“Ticketmaster went completely against the textbook prescription of what to do in a crisis. Number one, they did not respond very quickly. They were not proactive; they were reactive. It was not until the ticket sale completely collapsed that they started issuing a statement, and it was a halfhearted statement.”

— Dane Kiambi, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

“As soon as the very first social media posts appeared that put the blame on the organization, they needed to make a full apology, take full responsibility, be transparent about what happened and offer some kind of corrective action and compensation.”

— Dane Kiambi, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

What’s next

The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation is ongoing, with more than two dozen state attorneys general rejecting a proposed settlement. The continued negative coverage of the Eras Tour ticketing chaos is further damaging Ticketmaster's reputation.

The takeaway

The Ticketmaster crisis highlights the importance of having a robust crisis communication plan in place and the need for transparency and accountability when companies face technical issues or service failures. The situation also underscores growing concerns about the power and dominance of Ticketmaster and Live Nation in the live entertainment industry, which could lead to increased regulatory scrutiny and potential changes to the industry's structure.