Taylor Swift Fans Accuse Ticketmaster of Price Gouging

Taylor Swift fans have accused Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, of collaborating with third parties to artificially inflate concert ticket prices. The allegations suggest this practice violates the RICO Act, a law originally designed to combat organized crime.

A group of nearly 400 fans of Taylor Swift and other artists filed a lawsuit in California state court on Friday against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation. The lawsuit accuses the companies of colluding with partner organizations to inflate ticket prices for concertgoers.

Allegations and RICO Claims

The complaint builds on an existing federal case brought by Swift fans, alleging that Ticketmaster and Live Nation engaged in “a pattern of racketeering activity.” According to the plaintiffs, this scheme forces ticket buyers to pay far more than expected, often exceeding the value of the services and products they receive.

The fans claim this behavior violates the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a law famously used in the 1980s by the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute members of the New York mafia. They further allege that Ticketmaster and Live Nation, along with stadium venues and other partners, operated in a manner that qualifies as an illegal enterprise under the act.

Monopoly and Cartel Allegations

“These businesses are operating as part of a monopoly—we call them a cartel,” said Jennifer Kinder, founding attorney at Kinder Law, which represents the plaintiffs in both the state and federal cases. Speaking to WIRED earlier this year, Kinder added:
“They dominate the market to the extent that individual consumers have no fair chance at purchasing reasonably priced tickets.”

Live Nation’s Response

Live Nation dismissed the claims as “baseless” in a statement:
“This lawsuit relies on false assumptions about how ticketing works. Artist teams, not Ticketmaster, set ticket prices. Live Nation does not own stadiums in the U.S., and primary tickets are consistently priced below market value, as demonstrated by resale prices averaging more than double.”

The Eras Tour Ticketing Fiasco

Swift fans first filed their lawsuit against Ticketmaster in December 2022, following a chaotic ticket sale for the singer’s Eras Tour. Technical failures on the ticketing platform reportedly forced fans to wait for hours to secure tickets that should have been accessible through an early access program. Many were ultimately left without tickets, as some began appearing on Ticketmaster’s own resale marketplace at inflated prices—a claim Live Nation disputes. The public ticket sale was later canceled due to insufficient remaining inventory.

At the time, Live Nation blamed “historically unprecedented demand” for the customer experience issues. In a statement on Instagram, Swift revealed she had repeatedly asked Ticketmaster if they could handle the demand and was assured they could.
“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties,” Swift wrote, “and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.”

DOJ Antitrust Action

The incident prompted a U.S. Senate hearing on ticketing industry consolidation and led to the U.S. Department of Justice filing an antitrust lawsuit in May, seeking to dismantle Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The DOJ accused the companies of abusing their alleged monopoly to crush competitors.

In a statement to WIRED, Live Nation disputed the DOJ’s claims:
“The DOJ’s lawsuit won’t address the issues fans care about, like ticket prices, service fees, or access to high-demand shows. Labeling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will fail in court because it disregards the basic economics of live entertainment. Most service fees go to venues, and competition has steadily chipped away at Ticketmaster’s market share and profits.”

The Legal Cases and Challenges Ahead

The original lawsuit accused Ticketmaster and Live Nation of breach of contract, fraud, misrepresentation, and antitrust violations. It alleges Ticketmaster failed to make presale tickets available to qualifying fans. Additionally, it claims Ticketmaster used exclusive contracts with large venues and forced fans to resell tickets on its platform, creating a monopoly to inflate ticket prices.

“This case concerns the anticompetitive actions of Ticketmaster to impose higher prices on concertgoers in the presale, sale, and resale markets,” the complaint states. “Ticketmaster enforces this scheme by requiring fans to use its platform exclusively, driving prices above what a competitive market would offer.”

The new lawsuit closely mirrors the original federal case but expands its scope to include fans of other artists and introduces a RICO violation. The plaintiffs argue that Ticketmaster and Live Nation coordinated with partner organizations to dominate the market and exploit consumers, meeting the legal definition of an “enterprise” under the RICO Act.

Arbitration and Court Delays

“Live Nation and Ticketmaster exploit their relationships with each other and stadium venues, many of which are owned by Live Nation, to further their enterprise,” the complaint alleges. “This has been ongoing since the Department of Justice’s ill-advised approval of their merger nearly 15 years ago.”

The federal lawsuit is currently on hold, pending the outcome of an appeal in a separate antitrust case regarding Ticketmaster’s arbitration terms. These terms require customers to resolve disputes privately, out of court. If forced into arbitration, fans would lose the opportunity for a public trial and the ability to access internal Ticketmaster data for evidence.

A California district court ruled Ticketmaster’s arbitration terms “unconscionable,” a decision upheld on appeal in October. However, Live Nation has requested a rehearing, leaving the case in limbo. The same pause is likely to apply to the new lawsuit, according to Kinder Law.

Seeking Justice

Regardless of financial compensation, Kinder hopes the fans will have their day in court to expose the issue.
“People think nothing can be done—that you have to be rich to experience art in the United States,” Kinder said.
“You’re not going to see a jury award $100 billion in our case. It may not be flashy or sensational, but it is justice.”