History of Ticketmaster in Timeline
Ticketmaster is an American ticket sales and distribution company that operates globally. It merged with Live Nation in 2010, forming Live Nation Entertainment, with both brands continuing as subsidiaries. Ticketmaster is a major player in the events and entertainment industry, providing a platform for purchasing tickets to concerts, sports games, and other live events. The company has faced criticism regarding its fees and market dominance. Despite this, it remains a primary source for event tickets.
1976: Ticketmaster Founded
In 1976, Ticketmaster was founded in Phoenix, Arizona, by college staffers and a businessman. The company initially licensed computer programs and sold hardware for ticketing systems.
1982: Fred Rosen Appointed CEO
In 1982, Fred Rosen was appointed CEO of Ticketmaster and moved the company to Los Angeles.
1991: Acquisition of Ticketron
In 1991, Ticketmaster acquired rival Ticketron, making it the market leader.
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: Ticketmaster Partners with WWE
In 1994, Ticketmaster began working with the wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
1998: USA Networks Inc. Purchases Majority Stake and Merger with CitySearch
In 1998, USA Networks Inc. purchased a majority stake in Ticketmaster, and the company merged with CitySearch, being renamed Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch.
May 2000: Acquisition of TicketWeb Inc.
In May 2000, Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch acquired TicketWeb Inc., a ticket vendor that sold tickets online and over the phone.
2000: Decline in Record Album Sales
After the year 2000, record album sales declined, and as of the 2020s, 95 percent of artist income comes from concert tours.
2003: IAC Repurchases Remaining 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: Lobbying for Ticket Resale Laws
In September 2006, Ticketmaster President Sean Moriarty told NPR that Ticketmaster had lobbied several states to enact laws that would limit the ticket resale market to authorized companies.
January 2008: Acquisitions of Paciolan, Getmein.com, and TicketsNow
In January 2008, Ticketmaster acquired Paciolan Inc., Getmein.com, and TicketsNow.
2008: Spun off by IAC, Acquisition of Front Line Management
In 2008, IAC spun off Ticketmaster as its own company. Later that year, Ticketmaster acquired Front Line Management, and Irving Azoff became CEO of the new company, 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: Agreement 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: Legislation Needed in Ontario; Springsteen Complaint
In 2009, Ticketmaster argued that legislation was needed in Ontario to protect fans from scalpers. That same year, Bruce Springsteen complained of a conflict of interest between Ticketmaster and TicketsNow, leading to an apology from Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff.
2009: Release of Digital Ticketing System
In 2009, Ticketmaster released a digital ticketing system that required customers to prove their identity prior to purchase.
January 2010: DOJ Approves Live Nation Merger
In January 2010, the U.S. Justice Department cleared the merger with Live Nation under certain conditions.
2010: Live Nation Merger Consent Decree
In 2010, Ticketmaster faced scrutiny from the United States Department of Justice for retaliation against venues violating its 10-year consent decree from the Live Nation merger.
2010: Live Nation Merger
In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with events/concert promoter Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entertainment. Both brand names continued to operate as subsidiaries.
May 2013: Settlement 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: The String Cheese Incident Ticket Protest
In 2013, the jam band The String Cheese Incident gave fans money to purchase tickets to resell on its own site with fewer fees, protesting Ticketmaster's fees.
2015: Acquisitions of Front Gate Tickets, Universe, and Two Toasters
In 2015, Ticketmaster acquired Front Gate Tickets, Universe, a DIY ticketing platform, and Two Toasters, a mobile app developer.
2015: Settlement Approved in Class Action Lawsuit
In 2015, the settlement of the 2003 class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster was approved. Ticketmaster issued vouchers and discount codes to fans who purchased tickets online between 1999 and 2013.
2016: Fastest Growing Business
As of 2016, ticket resale was Ticketmaster's fastest growing business.
2016: Support for BOTS Act
In 2016, Ticketmaster released a statement in favor of the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS Act), which banned the use of ticket bots.
2017: TicketWeb Acquires Strobe Labs
In 2017, TicketWeb acquired Strobe Labs, a marketing platform.
2017: Allegations of Hacking Competitor First Reported
In 2017, allegations first surfaced that Ticketmaster had hacked into a competitor's database after hiring a former CrowdSurge executive.
April 2018: AEG Anti-Competitive Practices Complaint Review
As of April 2018, the United States Department of Justice had not released comments on its investigation of complaints by AEG that Ticketmaster engaged in anti-competitive practices.
June 2018: Ticketmaster Hacked, Data Compromised
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 bought tickets between February and June 2018 may have had their data compromised.
2018: Acquisition of UPGRADED
In 2018, Ticketmaster acquired UPGRADED, a company which converts physical tickets into digital ones, utilizing blockchain.
2018: Tickets Sold for 400,000 Events
In 2018, Ticketmaster reported nearly 500 million tickets sold 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 (USD $3.44 million) after discovering that Ticketmaster increased advertised costs by more than 20%, sometimes up to 65%. Ticketmaster also signed a consent agreement to comply with Canadian advertising laws.
July 2019: Billboard Report on Secret Resale Strategy
In July 2019, a report by Billboard revealed a strategy by Live Nation to secretly bypass the primary market and place certain tickets directly on resale sites.
2019: $3.7 Billion in Resale Fees
Between 2019 and 2024, Ticketmaster reaped in $3.7 billion in resale fees.
2019: Ticketmaster Partners with AEW
In 2019, Ticketmaster began working with the wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
November 2020: COVID-19 Vaccination Status Check Announcement
In November 2020, Ticketmaster announced it would check the COVID-19 vaccination status of ticket buyers before issuing passes when live events returned in 2021.
December 2020: Ticketmaster Agrees to $10 Million 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 the computer systems of a competitor.
2020: Acquisition of Tixcraft
In 2020, Ticketmaster acquired Taiwan's Tixcraft (拓元售票) for entering the Asian market.
2020: Extension of Consent Decree
In 2020, Ticketmaster's 10-year consent decree from the Live Nation merger was extended an additional five years, through 2025, due to violations.
2020: DOJ Proceedings Against Live Nation
In 2020, the DOJ planned court proceedings against Live Nation for six violations to the merger provisions.
2020: Fine 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: Planned Implementation of Vaccination Status Checks
In 2021, Ticketmaster planned to implement checking the COVID-19 vaccination status of ticket buyers for live events.
October 2022: Backlash Over Dynamic Pricing for Blink-182 Tour
In October 2022, Ticketmaster and Live Nation faced backlash over dynamic pricing and "platinum" tickets when tickets for Blink-182's 2023 tour went on sale, leading to criticism of prices for random seats being sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
November 15, 2022: Ticketmaster Website Crashes During Taylor Swift Presale
On November 15, 2022, Ticketmaster's official website crashed during the presale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour (2023) due to "historically unprecedented demand", halting the presale. The platform's servers were overwhelmed, logging users out or placing them in frozen queues. Ticketmaster acknowledged the issues and rescheduled remaining onsales.
November 2022: Criticism of Taylor Swift Presale
In November 2022, Ticketmaster received widespread criticism for its handling of the pre-sale of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, leading to investigations.
November 18, 2022: Taylor Swift Addresses Ticketmaster Issues
On November 18, 2022, Taylor Swift released a statement via her Instagram story regarding the Ticketmaster issues, expressing her protectiveness over her fans and her disappointment in trusting an outside entity, Ticketmaster, with ensuring a quality experience. She stated that Ticketmaster had assured her they could handle the demand and that she was taking measures to resolve the situation.
December 9, 2022: Ticket Cancellations Plague Bad Bunny Concert in Mexico City
On December 9, 2022, during Bad Bunny's World's Hottest Tour concert in Mexico City, an unprecedented number of tickets were canceled, affecting a significant group of concertgoers. Ticketmaster received criticism for denying entry to attendees accused of having counterfeit or cloned tickets. PROFECO requested a report from Ticketmaster Mexico and asked affected consumers to formalize their complaints. Ticketmaster Mexico apologized and offered refunds, while PROFECO ordered additional compensation.
December 26, 2022: Zach Bryan Criticizes Ticketmaster
On December 26, 2022, American country singer Zach Bryan criticized Ticketmaster for his Burn Burn Burn tour (2023) and listed out non-transferrable tickets to stop scalpers.
2022: Experimenting with Dynamic Pricing
In 2022, Ticketmaster was experimenting with a demand-based, dynamic pricing system to vary ticket prices based on demand.
January 2023: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
In January 2023, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee examined the Live Nation merger with a hearing, following criticism of Ticketmaster's handling of the Taylor Swift presale.
January 24, 2023: Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Ticketmaster
On January 24, 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a three-hour hearing titled "That's the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment" to analyze the 2010 consent decree governing the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Senators questioned Ticketmaster's CFO, Joe Berchtold, on monopolistic practices, ticket costs, lack of transparency, and defense against bots. Witnesses included Jerry Mickelson and Jack Groetzinger. Garth Brooks provided a letter of support. Free Britney America protested outside the U.S. Capitol.
March 2023: Robert Smith Criticizes Ticketmaster's Dynamic Pricing
In March 2023, Robert Smith of The Cure criticized Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing model and ensured that the Cure would not be using dynamically priced or platinum tickets for their upcoming North American tour. Smith also expressed outrage after Ticketmaster charged fees that equalled more than the base ticket price, leading to Ticketmaster refunding a portion of the fees.
March 2023: Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Ticketmaster by Drake Fans
In March 2023, fans of Canadian rapper Drake filed a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster in the Superior Court of Quebec, alleging intentional deception and fraud regarding the It's All a Blur Tour ticket sales.
May 2023: Ticketmaster Partners with Eurovision Song Contest, Faces Website Crashes
In May 2023, for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and BBC partnered with Ticketmaster. The Ticketmaster website crashed before tickets went on sale, and tickets quickly sold out, leading to high resale prices on third-party platforms.
2023: Robert Smith Confirms Artists Opt-In to Dynamic Pricing
In 2023, Robert Smith of The Cure confirmed that dynamic pricing used by Ticketmaster is something artists can choose to opt into.
May 18, 2024: Unauthorized Third Party Data Breach
On May 18, 2024, Ticketmaster experienced a data breach where an unauthorized third party obtained information from a cloud database hosted by a third-party data services provider, exposing personal information including payment-card details.
May 20, 2024: Ticketmaster Suffers Data Breach via Snowflake
On May 20, 2024, Ticketmaster's database, hosted by Snowflake Inc., suffered a breach as part of a mass Snowflake customer data breach. The hackers accessed the database using credentials stolen from EPAM.
May 23, 2024: Antitrust Suit Launched Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster
On May 23, 2024, the Department of Justice and a coalition of states formally launched an antitrust suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
September 2024: UK Launches Investigation into Ticketmaster over Oasis 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, including the use of dynamic pricing and potential breaches of consumer protection law.
October 2024: Ticketmaster Customers Report Missing Tickets
In October 2024, Ticketmaster customers began reporting that tickets were being incorrectly removed from their accounts. Ticketmaster initially attributed the issue to hackers exploiting the platform's ticket transfer feature.
November 2024: Missing Ticket Issue Continues, Customers Question Ticketmaster's Role
In November 2024, the issue of missing tickets continued for fans attending an Usher concert. Despite initial claims of hacking, Ticketmaster's lack of action led to social media users questioning the organization's involvement in the scam.
2024: $3.7 Billion in Resale Fees
Between 2019 and 2024, Ticketmaster reaped in $3.7 billion in resale fees.
May 2025: Implementation of "All In Prices" initiative
In May 2025, Ticketmaster announced it would start showing how much buyers paid for tickets, fees included, before checkout. The company announced the “All In Prices” initiative as part of its efforts to comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on junk fees, which goes into effect on May 12th 2025.
September 2025: FTC Accusation of Ticket Resale Limit Violations
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 limit set by artists.
2025: Criticism Over Dynamic Pricing for Oasis Reunion Tour
In 2025, many fans criticized the sales process and prices for the Oasis reunion tour, noting hours-long queues or website crashes when attempting to buy tickets, with dramatic price increases due to Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing system. Oasis stated they leave ticketing and pricing decisions to their promoters and management.
2025: End of Extended Provisions
In 2025, the extended provisions preventing Live Nation from retaliating against venues that partner with competing ticketing firms are set to expire.
2025: Consent Decree Extended
The consent decree, which stems from the Live Nation merger, is extended through 2025, and it includes a penalty of $1 million for any future violations.
2025: End of Extended Consent Decree
Ticketmaster's extended consent decree from the Live Nation merger is scheduled to end in 2025.
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