• FTC and seven states have sued Ticketmaster and Live Nation for illegal ticket resale practices.
• The lawsuit claims that Ticketmaster coordinated with brokers to sell tickets at inflated prices.
• Live Nation and Ticketmaster are accused of deceptive pricing practices and "bait and switch" tactics.
• The FTC estimates that consumers will pay $3.7 billion in resale fees from 2019 to 2024.
• Regulators emphasize that the practices frustrate artists’ efforts to maintain affordable ticket prices.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general have jointly filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, accusing them of engaging in illegal practices that inflate ticket prices for consumers. The lawsuit alleges that the companies allow ticket brokers to bypass established purchasing limits, resulting in inflated resale prices that cost fans millions. According to CBS News, the complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

In detailing the allegations, the FTC claims that Ticketmaster utilized "bait-and-switch pricing" tactics, where lower ticket prices are advertised but increased significantly with additional fees during checkout. This practice has been reported by BBC and NPR, stating that consumers inadvertently pay billions in additional charges every year.

The FTC's lawsuit highlights that from 2019 to 2024, Ticketmaster is projected to earn $3.7 billion from resale fees, benefiting from the resale market by "triple dipping" on fees. This exploitation of both consumers and artists has led to calls for reform within the industry, a fact noted by Reuters and The Hill.

The lawsuit follows previous scrutiny against Ticketmaster for its handling of ticket sales, particularly highlighted during the high-profile sale of tickets for Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" in 2022, which was marred by technical failures. This incident is frequently referenced in connection to ongoing frustrations with ticketing practices, as detailed in articles by CBS News and BBC.