Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is at the center of a massive ticket scandal
The FTC alleges brokers illegally scooped up Eras Tour tickets and resold them for millions in profit.
[Images: Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management, comicsans/Adobe Stock]
BY
We're on the other side of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour now, but the landmark 149 show world tour's rollout was plagued by bots, resellers, and spiking ticket prices that left many unhappy fans empty-handed. Now, we know a little more about how all of that went down.
The Eras Tour was big money, no matter how you slice it. The tour inspired expensive geopolitical maneuvering in Southeast Asia, gave some sluggish American local economies a shot in the arm, and drove $261 million in box office sales after the fact. For unscrupulous resellers, it was a massive payday.
According to a new lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission filed on Monday, one elaborate ticket reselling scheme flooded Ticketmaster with an army of fake accounts, buying up sought-after tickets for live shows like Swift's Eras Tour.
The lawsuit alleges that Key Investment Group, a ticket broker based in Maryland, used fake accounts to bypass Ticketmaster's security measures and the company's limits on ticket purchases. The FTC believes that the reseller operated 'thousands' of Ticketmaster accounts, many that it paid to purchase, and relied on a combination of virtual credit card numbers, IP spoofing and SIM card fraud to execute the purchases.
Buying up thousands of tickets
According to the complaint, the group was able to buy 'at least' 379,776 tickets over the course of a single year, paying almost $57 million for the trove. By reselling the tickets on secondary markets for heavy markups, the scheme netted at least $64 million in sales.
For a single Eras Tour show at Nevada's Allegiant Stadium, the reselling group bought 273 tickets using 49 different accounts, selling them for a total of $119,227, the FTC alleges. Swift's tour enforced a strict six-ticket limit in place for each show.
The company allegedly purchased at least 10 tickets to each Taylor Swift concert from March to August 2023, making $1.2 million in profit from reselling the 2,280 tickets. Sketchy ticket flipping practices like the ones in the new FTC complaint run afoul the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, a 2016 law enacted to prevent ticket resellers from buying up tickets and manipulating prices.
While Swift's concerts likely proved the most lucrative, the reselling scheme cast a wide net that included buying up more than 1500 tickets to a Bruce Springsteen show at MetLife Stadium.
'Today's action puts brokers on notice that the Trump-Vance FTC will police operations that unlawfully circumvent ticket sellers' purchase limits, ensuring that consumers have an opportunity to buy tickets at fair prices,' FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said.
Swift hype builds again
News of the ticket reselling crackdown comes a week after Swift announced a new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' expected in October. The pop superstar announced her new music on 'New Heights,' a podcast hosted by Swift's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother.
The album will be the first in a true new era for Swift. In May, she successfully purchased the master recordings of her first six albums, a struggle that took years to pull off. Swift bought the original recordings from Shamrock Capital, a private equity firm that winded up with them after music manager Scooter Braun offloaded the recordings for at least $300 million.
'I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening,' Swift said at the time. 'I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made… now belongs… to me.'
Swift's new album will be the first since her 2024 release, The Tortured Poets Department, which smashed streaming records and set a new high bar for the most vinyl albums ever sold within a single week.
The early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taylor Hatmaker is a writer and photographer based on the West Coast. She was previously a Senior Editor at TechCrunch, where she specialized in social media, gaming and online culture. More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
6th Republican-led state sends National Guard troops to DC
The number of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., increased again on Tuesday as a sixth Republican-led state sent some of its soldiers to the nation's capital as part of the president's activation to fight what he claims is rising crime in the city. Tennessee sent 160 troops to the nation's capital on Tuesday, bringing the total number of troops ordered to the city to 2,021. About 900 members, which include members of the military police, have actually mobilized as of Tuesday afternoon and many of those members are unarmed. Aside from members of the D.C. National Guard, five other states previously sent their military members to serve in Trump's mobilization: Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi. Guard troops are now helping law enforcement at 10 Metro stations, in addition to keeping a small presence along the National Mall, according to officials in charge of the operation, which they are now calling "D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force." MORE: Sen. Van Hollen says an armed National Guard in DC would be 'troubling' Stations include L'Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place, Metro Center and Union Station. Officials previously said Guard personnel are not arresting people, only helping to detain individuals briefly if necessary before handing them off to law enforcement. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced later in the day there have been a total of 465 arrests since Trump launched federal law enforcement in Washington on Aug. 7. There were 52 arrests Monday night, according to Leavitt. Information about potential charges from those arrests has not been revealed. "Four more homeless encampments were also removed during yesterday's reporting period. To date, a total of 48 homeless encampments have been cleared in Washington, D.C., by multi-agency teams," she added. When asked by a reporter how long residents in the city should expect the National Guard to remain deployed in the district, Levitt said that they don't have a "timeline" to share. ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Woman Chooses Baby Name but It's 'Become Pretty Clear' Husband Is No Fan
In a post shared to Reddit, the woman writes that she and her husband "have been going back and forth on names for months" NEED TO KNOW A woman who will soon give birth says she's settled on a baby name — but her husband remains unconvinced In a post on Reddit, she writes that there is one name that she "absolutely loves" Her husband, however, doesn't like it — and now she wonders if it's worth fighting over A mom-to-be says she's decided on a baby name — but her husband isn't enthusiastic about her choice. In a post shared to Reddit, the woman writes that she and her husband "have been going back and forth on names for months." "There's one name I absolutely love; Wilson. From the first time I said it out loud, it just felt like it fit our son perfectly," she writes. When she initially brought it up to her husband, she writes, he "didn't shoot it down right away." "He said he didn't love it as a first name, but he'd be okay using it as a middle name. I was a little disappointed, but I agreed because I wanted to be flexible and make sure we both felt good about the name," she adds. She continues: "The problem is, recently he's been brainstorming other options for both the first and middle name, and it's become pretty clear he doesn't want Wilson anywhere at all. On top of that, his family has made a few comments about it being a 'bad' or 'weird' name, which honestly stings." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "To me, Wilson isn't just a random choice," she writes. "It's a name I feel genuinely connected to, and I thought the middle-name compromise was a fair way to include it without him feeling like it was forced. Now it feels like even that compromise is gone, and like my preferences don't matter in the process anymore." Now, she writes that she feels hurt, and wonders if she should "just let it go entirely" or keep fighting for the name she wants. But Reddit users say the woman needs to accept a compromise. "Baby names should be agreed on by both parents. You may be drawn to Wilson, but your husband is not. This isn't something to be hurt over because it's nothing against you personally," writes one commenter. Adds another: "You absolutely get a say in the baby's name, but the baby's father gets an equal say, and he doesn't like Wilson. You have to let it go. It can be tedious and annoying to come up with a name you both genuinely like, but the exercise is worth it." Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Body of 'Fun-Loving' 5-Year-Old Was Found Beaten in Dumpster, as Disturbing Video Emerges from Night of Killing
Elyjah Hearn's body was found in a dumpster in Panorama City, Calif. on July 12 NEED TO KNOW The body of 5-year-old Elyjah Hearn was found beaten to death in a dumpster on July 12 Elyjah's mother's boyfriend, Brycson Malik Gaddis, is accused of murdering the boy, prosecutors say Gaddis has reportedly pleaded not guilty A Los Angeles man is charged with murder after the body of his girlfriend's 5-year-old son was found in what prosecutors have described as a "commercial parking lot dumpster." The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Brycson Malik Gaddis with one count of murder and assault on a child causing death. Gaddis is accused of beating the child to death in an apartment in Panorama City on July 11, according to the D.A.'s office. 'This is truly a heartbreaking and horrific case, and our deepest sympathies go out to the young victim's family,' District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. 'We are committed to seeking justice and will ensure this defendant is held responsible for his actions.' The child was identified as Elyjah Hearn in a GoFundMe. KABC obtained disturbing surveillance video from the night of the alleged murder that appears to show a man walking with a woman while holding something wrapped in a blanket on the street where Elyjah's body was found the following outlet reported that Gaddis appeared in court on Aug. 18, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The boy's mother, KABC reported, was questioned by police but was subsequently released. "Elyjah was a joyful, fun-loving child who brought light into every room he entered. He adored his family and was deeply loved in return," the GoFundMe organizer wrote. "His laughter, energy, and innocent spirit touched everyone who knew him. His life was cut short far too soon, and our hearts are broken beyond words." Read the original article on People
