History of Ticketmaster in Timeline
Ticketmaster is an American ticket sales and distribution company, now operating globally. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, it became part of Live Nation Entertainment in 2010 through a merger with Live Nation. Ticketmaster plays a significant role in the entertainment industry, connecting event organizers and venues with consumers seeking to purchase tickets. It uses technology for ticket distribution and sales, but has also been the subject of scrutiny regarding fees and market dominance.
1976: Ticketmaster Founded
In 1976, Ticketmaster was founded in Phoenix, Arizona, by Peter Gadwa, Albert Leffler, Gordon Gunn III, and Jerry Nelson. The company's first ticketed concert was Electric Light Orchestra.
1982: Fred Rosen Appointed CEO
In 1982, Fred Rosen was appointed CEO of Ticketmaster, leading the company's move to Los Angeles.
1991: Ticketmaster Acquires Ticketron
In 1991, Ticketmaster acquired rival Ticketron, making it the market leader in the ticketing industry.
November 1993: Paul Allen Acquires Stake in Ticketmaster
In November 1993, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen acquired an 80% stake in Ticketmaster for more than $325 million.
1994: Partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
In 1994, Ticketmaster begins working with wrestling promotions World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
1995: DOJ Closes Pearl Jam Investigation
In 1995, the DOJ closed its investigation into Ticketmaster without action, following Pearl Jam's complaint.
1998: USA Networks Purchases Stake in Ticketmaster
In 1998, USA Networks Inc. purchased a majority stake in Ticketmaster, and the company merged with CitySearch, renaming itself Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch.
1999: Lawsuit Regarding Ticket Fees
In 1999, the period began for which customers could claim vouchers and discount codes as part of the settlement related to undisclosed UPS and order processing fees.
May 2000: Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch Acquires TicketWeb Inc.
In May 2000, Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch acquired TicketWeb Inc., a ticket vendor selling tickets online and over the phone.
2000: Decline of record album sales after 2000
After the year 2000, the collapse of record album sales led to artists becoming more reliant on concert tours for income.
2003: IAC Repurchases Remaining Ticketmaster Stock
In 2003, IAC repurchased the remaining Ticketmaster stock that it had previously sold off.
2003: Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Ticketmaster
In 2003, a class action lawsuit was filed against Ticketmaster alleging a failure to fully disclose UPS and order processing fees added to tickets sold online.
September 2006: Ticketmaster Lobbies for Ticket Resale Laws
In September 2006, Ticketmaster President Sean Moriarty stated that Ticketmaster had lobbied several states to enact laws limiting the ticket resale market to authorized companies.
January 2008: Ticketmaster Acquisitions
In January 2008, Ticketmaster acquired Paciolan Inc., Getmein.com, and TicketsNow.
2008: Ticketmaster Spun Off and Acquires Front Line Management
In 2008, IAC spun off Ticketmaster as its own company. Later in 2008, Ticketmaster acquired Front Line Management and was renamed Ticketmaster Entertainment.
2008: Ticketmaster Manages NFL Resale Market
In 2008, Ticketmaster entered into an agreement with the National Football League (NFL) to manage its resale market on NFL TicketExchange.
February 2009: Ticketmaster Agrees to Merge with Live Nation
In February 2009, Ticketmaster entered into an agreement to merge with event promoter Live Nation to form Live Nation Entertainment.
2009: Ticketmaster Argues for Legislation in Ontario
In 2009, Ticketmaster argued for legislation in Ontario to protect fans from scalpers and unauthorized ticket brokers and Bruce Springsteen complained of a conflict of interest between Ticketmaster and TicketsNow.
2009: Ticketmaster Releases Digital Ticketing System
In 2009, Ticketmaster released a digital ticketing system to verify customer identity, aiming to reduce scalping.
January 2010: DOJ Clears Ticketmaster and Live Nation Merger
In January 2010, the U.S. Justice Department cleared the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation under certain conditions.
2010: Ticketmaster Merges with Live Nation
In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation to form Live Nation Entertainment.
2010: DOJ consent decree after Live Nation merger
In 2010, the United States Department of Justice scrutinized Ticketmaster for retaliation against venues violating its 10-year consent decree from the Live Nation merger.
2010: Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Ticketmaster and Live Nation
In January 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a three-hour hearing to analyze the 2010 consent decree governing the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
May 2013: Ticketmaster Agrees to Pay $23 Million for Rewards Program Enrollment
In May 2013, Ticketmaster agreed to pay up to $23 million for enrolling customers into a rewards program that charged $9 per month.
2013: String Cheese Incident Protests Ticketmaster Fees
In 2013, The String Cheese Incident gave fans money to purchase 400 tickets to one of its shows to resell on its own site to protest Ticketmaster's ticket fees.
2013: Lawsuit Regarding Ticket Fees
In 2013, the period ended for which customers could claim vouchers and discount codes as part of the settlement related to undisclosed UPS and order processing fees.
2015: Ticketmaster Acquisitions
In 2015, Ticketmaster acquired Front Gate Tickets, Universe, and Two Toasters.
2015: Settlement Approved in Class Action Lawsuit
In 2015, the settlement of the 2003 class action lawsuit was approved, and Ticketmaster issued vouchers and discount codes to fans who purchased tickets online between 1999 and 2013.
2016: Ticket Resale as Fastest Growing Business
As of 2016, ticket resale was Ticketmaster's fastest growing business.
2016: Ticketmaster Supports BOTS Act
In 2016, Ticketmaster released a statement in favor of the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS Act), and filed a lawsuit against Prestige Entertainment for using bots.
2017: TicketWeb Acquires Strobe Labs
In 2017, TicketWeb, Ticketmaster's self-service ticketing platform, acquired Strobe Labs.
2017: Ticketmaster Announces TicketExchange Platform Expansion
In 2017, Ticketmaster announced the expansion of its TicketExchange platform to facilitate the sale and validation of tickets on third-party platforms like StubHub. The company also formed partnerships with sports organizations including the United States Tennis Association, Tennis Canada, and the PGA Tour.
2017: Hacking Allegations First Reported
In 2017, allegations surfaced that a former CrowdSurge executive, hired by Ticketmaster, had hacked into his former employer's database.
April 2018: DOJ Reviews AEG Complaints
In April 2018, the United States Department of Justice began reviewing complaints by AEG that claimed Ticketmaster had engaged in anti-competitive practices.
June 2018: Ticketmaster Hacked
In June 2018, Ticketmaster notified 40,000 U.K. customers about a hack caused by malicious software on a third-party customer support product. The company reported that customers who purchased tickets between February and June 2018 may have had their data compromised.
2018: Ticketmaster Acquires UPGRADED
In 2018, Ticketmaster acquired UPGRADED, a company specializing in converting physical tickets into digital ones using blockchain technology.
2018: Ticketmaster Sales Volume in 2018
In 2018, Ticketmaster reported selling nearly 500 million tickets for 400,000 events.
June 2019: Ticketmaster Fined by Canada's Competition Bureau
In June 2019, Canada's Competition Bureau fined Ticketmaster $4.5 million (US$3.44 million) after discovering that Ticketmaster increased advertised costs by over 20%, and sometimes as much as 65%. Ticketmaster also signed a consent agreement to ensure advertising policies comply with Canadian law.
July 2019: Report on Live Nation's Ticket Resale Strategy
In July 2019, a report by Billboard revealed a strategy by Live Nation to secretly bypass placing certain tickets for sale on the primary market and instead, place them directly on resale sites.
2019: Start of Ticketmaster's Resale Fees Collection Period
In 2019, Ticketmaster began collecting resale fees.
2019: Partnership with All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
In 2019, Ticketmaster begins working with wrestling promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
November 2020: Ticketmaster to Check COVID-19 Vaccination Status
In November 2020, Ticketmaster announced it will check the COVID-19 vaccination status of ticket buyers before issuing passes when live events return in 2021.
December 2020: Ticketmaster Agrees to Pay Fine for Hacking Competitor
In December 2020, Ticketmaster entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and agreed to pay a $10 million fine after being charged with illegally accessing computer systems of a competitor.
2020: Ticketmaster Acquires Tixcraft
In 2020, Ticketmaster acquired Taiwan's Tixcraft (拓元售票), entering the Asian market.
2020: Consent decree extended
In 2020, Ticketmaster's consent decree from the Live Nation merger was extended an additional five years.
2020: DOJ Court Proceedings Against Live Nation
In 2020, the DOJ planned to bring court proceedings against Live Nation for six violations, which was settled with the extension of provisions to 2025.
2020: Ticketmaster Fined for Consent Decree Violation
In 2020, the Department of Justice fined Ticketmaster $3 million for violating a consent decree resulting from the Live Nation merger.
2021: Ticketmaster's COVID-19 Vaccination Verification Implementation
In 2021, Ticketmaster started implementing its plan to check COVID-19 vaccination status of ticket buyers before issuing passes.
October 2022: Backlash Over Dynamic Pricing for Blink-182 Tickets
In October 2022, Ticketmaster and Live Nation faced backlash for their dynamic pricing system and "platinum" tickets when tickets for Blink-182's 2023 tour went on sale. Fans criticized prices for random seats going for hundreds or thousands of dollars during pre-sales.
November 15, 2022: Ticketmaster Website Crashes During Taylor Swift Presale
On November 15, 2022, the first day of the pre-sale of tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour (2023), Ticketmaster's official website crashed due to "historically unprecedented demand," halting the pre-sale. Ticketmaster stated they were working to fix the issues.
November 2022: Criticism of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour pre-sale
In November 2022, Ticketmaster faced widespread criticism for its handling of the pre-sale of Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour".
November 18, 2022: Taylor Swift Issues Statement on Ticketmaster Issues
On November 18, 2022, Taylor Swift released a statement via her Instagram story, asserting her protectiveness of her fans and expressing her disappointment in Ticketmaster's handling of the Eras Tour ticket sales.
December 9, 2022: Ticket Cancellations and Criticism at Bad Bunny Concert in Mexico City
On December 9, 2022, at Bad Bunny's concert in Mexico City, a large number of tickets were cancelled, affecting many concertgoers who were accused of having counterfeit tickets. Ticketmaster received criticism and offered refunds. PROFECO ordered refunds plus an additional 20%.
December 26, 2022: Zach Bryan Criticizes Ticketmaster
On December 26, 2022, Zach Bryan criticized Ticketmaster for his 2023 Burn Burn Burn tour and listed out non-transferrable tickets to stop scalpers. He later released a live album, entitled All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.
2022: Ticketmaster experiments with Dynamic Pricing
In 2022, Ticketmaster was experimenting with a demand-based, dynamic pricing which would vary the ticket price based upon demand.
January 2023: Senate Judiciary Committee examines Live Nation Entertainment merger
In January 2023, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee examined the merger with a hearing after the widespread criticism of the company's handling of the pre-sale of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour.
January 24, 2023: Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Ticketmaster and Live Nation
On January 24, 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a three-hour hearing to analyze the 2010 consent decree governing the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Senators questioned Ticketmaster's CFO, Joe Berchtold, on various issues.
March 2023: Robert Smith Criticizes Dynamic Pricing; The Cure Opts Out
In March 2023, Robert Smith criticized dynamic pricing and announced that The Cure would not allow Ticketmaster to sell dynamically-priced or platinum tickets for the band's upcoming North American tour. After Smith expressed his outrage over the fees, Ticketmaster refunded a portion of the fees to purchasers.
March 2023: Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Ticketmaster by Drake Fans
In March 2023, fans of Drake filed a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster in Quebec, alleging deception and fraud related to the It's All a Blur Tour ticket sales. The suit seeks $300 in punitive damages per customer.
May 2023: Ticketmaster Partners with Eurovision; Faces Criticism Over Sales Process
In May 2023, for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, Ticketmaster partnered with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC. The website crashed, and tickets sold out quickly, leading to high resale prices, sparking criticism.
2023: Dynamic Pricing Controversy and Artist Involvement
In 2023, Robert Smith of The Cure confirmed dynamic pricing used by Ticketmaster is something artists can choose to opt into, while Oasis stated they had no awareness of dynamic pricing being used for their 2025 reunion tour.
2023: The Eras Tour
In 2023, Ticketmaster pre-sale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was impacted by website crashes due to unprecedented demand.
May 18, 2024: Unauthorized Third Party Obtains Customer Information
On May 18, 2024, an unauthorized third party accessed a cloud database hosted by a third-party data services provider, exposing customer personal and payment information.
May 20, 2024: Ticketmaster Database Suffers Breach
On May 20, 2024, Ticketmaster’s database, hosted by Snowflake Inc., suffered a breach as part of a larger Snowflake customer data breach. The parent company, Live Nation, disclosed the breach on May 31. Investigation revealed hackers accessed the database using credentials stolen from EPAM.
May 23, 2024: DOJ and states launch antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster
On May 23, 2024, the Department of Justice and a coalition of 29 states formally launched an antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, with an additional 10 states joining the lawsuit.
September 2024: UK Competition and Markets Authority Investigates Ticketmaster Over Oasis Concert Ticket Sales
On 5 September 2024, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it was launching an investigation into Ticketmaster over Oasis concert ticket sales.
October 2024: Tickets Incorrectly Removed from Ticketmaster Accounts
In October 2024, Ticketmaster customers reported tickets being incorrectly removed from accounts. Ticketmaster initially ignored the comments and released a statement indicating that affected customers were "victims of hackers.
November 2024: Ticketmaster Did Not Replace Missing Tickets for Fans Attending Usher Concert
In November 2024, Ticketmaster did not replace missing tickets for fans attending an Usher concert. Despite this, Ticketmaster did not replace missing tickets or pull its ticket transfer feature pending an investigation into the hacking. Tickets were only refunded after fans complained to the Better Business Bureau.
2024: End of Ticketmaster's Resale Fees Collection Period
In 2024, Ticketmaster ended collecting resale fees.
May 2025: Ticketmaster to Show "All In Prices"
In May 2025, Ticketmaster announced it would start showing how much buyers paid for tickets — fees included — before checkout, as part of the "All In Prices" initiative.
September 2025: FTC Accuses Ticketmaster and Live Nation of Allowing Resellers to Ignore Purchasing Limits
In September 2025, the United States Federal Trade Commission, joined by seven states, accused Ticketmaster and Live Nation of allowing ticket resellers to ignore purchasing limits set by artists.
2025: Criticism and Price Increases for Oasis Reunion Tour Tickets
Many fans criticised the sales process and prices for the Oasis 2025 reunion tour, noting hours-long queues or website crashes. Tickets would dramatically change in price, with reports indicating rises from £135, to more than £350 due to Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing system.
2025: End of Consent Decree Extension
The consent decree extension between Ticketmaster and the DOJ is set to expire in 2025.
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