LOS ANGELES – The chorus against Ticketmaster’s controversial concert pricing practices is growing, including Zach Bryan and friends.
The country music artist released a live album, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster, on Sunday. There was an explanation posted on social media in which he complained about “a massive problem with fair ticket prices for live shows lately”.
“I’ve decided to play a limited number of headlining shows next year, doing everything I can to keep the prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people that tickets don’t have to be $450 to have a good one and to see honest show show,” Bryan wrote, warning that he has no control over ticket prices for festivals he will be playing.
The statement doesn’t mention Ticketmaster by name except in the new album title, though he did tag the company in a separate Instagram Post showing track listing. A message requesting comment from Ticketmaster was not immediately returned.
Ticketmaster has faced a lot of bad press and scrutiny over the past few weeks, particularly around the botched launch of tickets for superstar Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour.
A presale event in mid-November crashed the site, leaving many fans without tickets; the planned general sale for the stadium tour was subsequently scrapped because the dominant ticket giant had run out of tickets. The debacle even led several Attorneys General to open investigations.
Ticketmaster Mexico is over in hot water too a Bad Bunny concert in Mexico City where thousands were left standing in the rain thanks to fake tickets. Mexico’s Consumer Protection Agency announced an investigation, but Ticketmaster Mexico denied that the December concert was oversold, instead blaming fake tickets purchased through unofficial channels and “temporary disruptions in the ticket reading system, which unfortunately temporarily prevented the recognition of legitimate tickets “.
Experts say frustration with Ticketmaster’s practices could promote political engagement, which Bryan alluded to in his statement, when he criticized the inaction while “huge monopolies sit and steal money from working-class people.”
A songwriter “trying to make ‘relatable music for the working-class man or woman,’ should take pride in fighting for the people who listen to the words they sing,” he added.
On Monday morning, Bryan enjoyed a double at the top of Apple Music’s country chart with the 24-track album All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster, a recording of his November 3 show at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, hitting #1 . followed by his major-label debut in 2022, American Heartbreak.
Bryan said he will be announcing a tour soon.
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